Henri Salvador, Singer Who Helped Bring Rock to France, 90

[DGH]

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Henri Salvador, Singer Who Helped Bring Rock to France, Dies at 90

By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE [New York TImes]

PARIS [France] (Agence France-Presse) -- Henri Salvador, a French
crooner who first went on stage in the cabarets of prewar Paris,
played guitar with Django Reinhardt and helped introduce rock 'n' roll
to France, died at his home in Paris on Wednesday [February 13, 2008].
He was 90.

The cause was a brain hemorrhage, according to his record label,
Polydor, which announced his death. Mr. Salvador had appeared on stage
until the end of last year and planned a new album this year, Polydor
said.

Popular for generations in France, Mr. Salvador sang jazz, blues, rock
'n' roll and chanson Française, traditional French pop. He also had a
large following in Brazil and was credited with being an inspiration
for the bossa nova sound. Its inventor, Antonio Carlos Jobim,
acknowledged that hearing the Salvador song "Dans Mon Île" ("In My
Island") gave him the idea of slowing down samba's fast beat and
introducing more melody.

Born to middle-class parents in French Guiana in 1917, Mr. Salvador
spent 73 years entertaining audiences with a mix of raucous hoofing,
gags and jazz-inspired chanson.

Early in his career, while mixing comedy, singing and guitar playing
in Paris nightclubs, he was spotted by Mr. Reinhardt, the jazz
guitarist, who took him on as an accompanist. Mr. Salvador also played
the guitar with the jazz violinist Eddie South.

During World War II, while appearing on the French Riviera, he was
recruited by the French bandleader Ray Ventura and toured with him as
a novelty musician in South America after Mr. Ventura, who was Jewish,
fled Vichy France, the wartime regime that collaborated with the
Nazis.

After the war Mr. Salvador established himself in Paris as a
songwriter and performer. In 1956 he crossed the Atlantic to perform
twice on Ed Sullivan's television variety show. Inspired by the new
sounds sweeping the United States, he teamed up with the French
songwriter Boris Vian to make some of France's first rock 'n' roll
hits, including "Rock and Roll Mops."

Mr. Vian and Mr. Salvador collaborated on more than 400 songs in a
variety of styles, from blues to French Caribbean beguines. In the
1960s Mr. Salvador had a series of novelty hits accompanied by
humorous film clips that were a precursor of music videos.

He remained in the public eye with television variety shows, concerts
and a stream of albums. The latest, "Reverence," came out in 2006.

His second wife and manager, Jacqueline Garabedian, died in 1976. He
is survived by his fourth wife, Catherine Costa, The Times of London
[England] said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/arts/14salvador.html?ref=obituaries