Serge Reggiani was born in Reggio Emilia, a town in northern Italy, on 2 May 1922. His father, a prominent anti-fascist, was forced to leave Italy because of his political activities and on 1 November 1930 he fled to France with his wife and child. The family settled in Normandy at first, making their home in Yvetot, where Reggiani senior soon set up a hairdressing salon. But in 1931 the family moved to Paris. It was difficult to find work in the French capital in the early 30's and the Reggianis struggled to make ends meet, moving from one district of Paris to another. Serge's father finally found work in the Faubourg Saint-Denis, however, and the family moved into a flat nearby.

Serge, who was nearly ten by now, was sent to the local school where he proved to be an excellent pupil. In less than a year he managed to learn perfect French and came top of his class in numerous other subjects. But Serge's great passion in his early teens was sport, and he soon began to devote an increasing amount of time and energy to his favourite sport, boxing. At the age of 13 Serge would stop his school studies altogether and sign up as an apprentice hairdresser.

But in 1937 Serge's career would change direction overnight when he spotted an advert announcing the imminent opening of the Conservatoire des Arts Cinématographiques. Serge instantly rushed off his application and was accepted on a course. He soon proved to have a natural acting talent and at the end of the year carried off first prize in the comedy class.

After graduating from this first school Serge landed a few minor roles in films and theatre. Completely bitten by the acting bug, he then decided to enroll at the prestigious Conservatoire National d'Art Dramatique in 1939. Two years later he graduated with two more awards, carrying off first prize in both the comedy and tragedy classes.

During the war years Reggiani established an excellent reputation for himself in the Paris theatre world and one of the highlights of his early career was when Cocteau invited him to play the lead role in his famous play "Les enfants terribles". Despite his enormous success in the theatre, Reggiani was attracted by the bright lights of French cinema and he soon began landing roles in a series of major French films. Reggiani excelled at playing young heroes with tragic destinies and one of his first great successes was his role in Léo Joannon's 1943 film "Le carrefour des enfants perdus".

This film proved to be a turning-point in Reggiani's life in more ways than one, for it was while shooting "Le carrefour des enfants perdus" that Reggiani met the actress Janine Darcey who would go on to become his first wife. The couple would have two children together, Stéphan (born in 1946) and Carine (in 1951). When shooting on the film finished Reggiani left Paris together with numerous other actors to avoid being sent off for obligatory war work in Germany. He thus escaped being called up for the Italian army as well.

After obtaining French citizenship in 1948 Reggiani went on to establish himself as one of the most talented French actors of the day. He starred in a number of renowned French films including Marcel Blistene's "Etoile sans lumière" (in which Reggiani played opposite Edith Piaf), Marcel Carné’s "Les portes de la nuit" (in 1946) Marcel Ophuls's "La ronde" (1950), and Jacques Becker's legendary "Casque d'Or" (in 1952) in which he co-starred with the famous French actress Simone Signoret. The pair would strike up a friendship during the shooting of "Casque d'Or" and would remain extremely close right up until Signoret's death in 1985.

In 1959 Reggiani revealed his singing talent, performing a set of twenty songs on a radio show. The actor, who possessed an incredibly deep voice and a marvellously distinctive singing style, was already a great music fan but, caught up as he was in the midst of his film work, Reggiani had not yet actually considered launching a singing career.

In the early 60's Reggiani left Paris to set up home in the South of France with his new wife Annie Noël. The couple bought a house in the town of Mougins, near Cannes, where they would bring up their three children, Célia (born in 1958), Simon (born in 1961) and Maria (born in 1963). In 1962 Reggiani turned his attention to his acting career once again, starring in two legendary films, Jean-Pierre Melville's "Le doulos" and "The Leopard" directed by Luchino Visconti.

The following year while staying with Simone Signoret and Yves Montand, Reggiani was to meet Jacques Canetti, a well-known talent-spotter and artistic director of a record label. Impressed by Reggiani's voice, Canetti persuaded the actor to launch a singing career and, with scarcely a moment's hesitation, Reggiani went into the studio to record a series of songs written by Boris Vian. The results from this recording session turned out to be highly promising. Indeed, they formed the basis of Serge Reggiani's début album. When the album was released in 1965 it proved to be a major hit with both the French public and the critics who awarded it the prestigious Prix du disque de l’Académie Charles Cros. After more than twenty years working in the French cinema and theatre world, Reggiani found himself launching a totally new career at the ripe old age of 43.

Reggiani's new-found success on the French music scene did not mean he was about to give up his acting career however. After the release of his début album he returned to the Théâtre de l’Athénée to star in Jean-Paul Sartre's "Les séquestrés d'Altona". Reggiani gave an incredible performance in Sartre's play, alone on stage practically all the time reciting his legendary monologue throughout 420 shows. Audiences leapt to their feet at the end of each show to give Reggiani a standing ovation and the critics showered the play with rave reviews.

Reggiani would return to the stage later that year, only this time not to star in a play but to give his first live concert. Overcome by nerves, Reggiani failed to give his best performance, however, and the concert was not a great success. But the following year Reggiani got a second chance to prove himself as a singer when the French star Barbara, impressed by his album of Boris Vian songs, invited him to support her at a series of concerts at the Bobino. This time round Reggiani turned in an admirable performance, winning the audience over within minutes. When the Bobino shows were over Reggiani was invited to accompany Barbara on a national tour.

Reggiani's collaboration with Barbara not only gave him valuable experience performing live, he also learnt a lot from Barbara herself who would spend hours helping him train his voice and practise his breathing technique. Despite the fact that Reggiani had just turned 44, he was still an absolute beginner when it came to the music world. This did not stop the French public taking the actor-turned-singer to their hearts, however. Reggiani was to prove a particular hit with teenage music fans who took a sudden interest in this middle-aged singer who chose to perform Boris Vian songs.

While continuing to pursue a parallel career in the film world, Reggiani returned to the recording studio in 1967 to make a second album with Jacques Canetti. The album, entitled "Les loups sont entrés dans Paris" (When the Wolves Arrived in Paris - a reference to the Nazi invasion of Paris during the Second World War) featured a selection of original material written by Albert Vidalie and Louis Bessières. It also included a memorable cover of the Boris Vian classic "Le Déserteur".

Later that same year Reggiani would perform a concert with Belgian star Jacques Brel in support of the left-wing politician Pierre Mendes-France. Reggiani was a committed socialist who strongly supported the Left, a position which would serve to increase his immense popularity with French teenagers in the 60's. During the general strike and the students' revolution of May 68 Reggiani was at the height of his popularity, striking students demanding he should come and entertain them during their sit-ins.

Meanwhile "Les loups sont entrés dans Paris" was doing extremely well in the French charts. Tracks from Reggiani's second album were constantly played on the nation's airwaves and "Le petit garçon" (written by Jean Loup Dabadie) and "Maxim's" (written by Serge Gainsbourg) went on to become enormous hits. (Between June and October 1967 the album would sell a staggering 227,000 copies).

At the beginning of 1968 Reggiani brought the house down at the Bobino with a series of memorable live shows (7 February - 4 March). Surprisingly enough, the 45-year-old star proved a major hit with teenage audiences. Indeed, a magazine survey carried out in 1968 revealed that Reggiani's records were as popular on bar juke-boxes as those by younger groups such as The Moody Blues.

Reggiani switched labels in 1968, signing a new recording deal with Polydor then going straight into the studio to begin work on his third album "Et puis..". This new album featured a whole selection of songs specially written for Reggiani by Georges Moustaki, Albert Vidalie, Jean-Loup Dabadie, Gérard Bourgois, and Pierre Tisserand. But once again the album included a special cover of a Boris Vian number ("La java des bombes atomiques"). Released on 28 October 1968, Reggiani's third album was to prove another great hit following the success of the first single "Il suffirait de presque rien".

By this stage in his career Reggiani had become one of the most important stars on the French music scene. On 12 November 1968 the singer was a special guest on "Discorama (Denise Glaser's famous television chat show). On 24 November Reggiani triumphed on Europe 1's "Musicorama" (a radio show recorded live at the legendary Olympia music-hall). He rounded off the year by winning the prestigious Grand Prix de l’Académie du Disque on 28 November 1968.

The following year Reggiani turned his attention to his acting career once more, starring alongside his old friend Simone Signoret in "L’armée des ombres", Jean Pierre Melville's epic film about the French Resistance movement during the Second World War. The indefatigable star also managed to fit in a new series of concerts at the Bobino (4 February - 17 March). Overwhelmed by the public response to his new show, Reggiani was forced to perform an extra fortnight of concerts at the Bobino.

Meanwhile Reggiani's career was really taking off on the international music scene and in April of that year the singer flew to Amsterdam to receive the Prix Edison (a prestigious music award previously won by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand). During the summer of 1969 Reggiani continued his reign at the top of the French charts, his singles rocketing straight to the top of the various hit-parades. Following a highly successful tour of Canada in the autumn, Reggiani finished the year in style, performing a series of small concerts in the intimate ambience of the Don Camillo (3-31 December).

Although he would star in several films over the coming years Reggiani began to concentrate more and more on his singing career. He appeared as a special guest on numerous French music programmes and also spent a great deal of time in the studio working on his new album. By this point the star was receiving songs in the post almost daily, young songwriters inundating him with proposals.

On his fourth album, released in June 1970, Reggiani decided to try out a number of these up-and-coming young talents, performing "Un siècle après" (written by 23-year-old songwriter Alain Robin) and "Ballade pour un traître" penned by the 21-year-old singer/songwriter Maxime Le Forestier. Reggiani's new album also included two special tracks dedicated to his son, Stéphan ("Bonne figure") and his wife Annie Noël ("L'arbre").

The following year Reggiani was back in the studio hard at work on a new album. This time round he invited a full orchestra of 60 musicians into the studio with him and enlisted the aid of Michel Legrand for part of the musical arrangements. The singer's fifth album, one of the most accomplished works of his entire career, featured several highly autobiographical tracks such as "La cinquantaine" and "L'Italien". Following the release of this highly personal album, Reggiani returned to the Bobino for a series of successful concerts then embarked upon an extensive tour of France.

In 1972 Reggiani returned to the studio to record a new album on the Polydor label. "Le vieux couple" met with rather mitigated reviews and enjoyed only moderate success compared to the singer's previous albums, but the single "Hôtel des voyageurs" received a good deal of radio airplay nonetheless. Reggiani had become something of a national institution on the French music scene by this point and while he continued to record a new album every year, the media appeared less interested in the Reggiani phenomenon than they had been in the early days of his career.

1973 proved to be a year of change in Reggiani's personal and professional life. He separated from his wife Anne Noël then later that year Jacques Bedos, the artistic director at Polydor who was one of Reggiani's close friends, quit his job. (However, Bedos would continue to be involved in Reggiani's career on a personal level). 1973 also marked a year of new collaborations, Reggiani beginning to work with a number of new songwriters including Claude Lemesle (who would become Reggiani's favourite).

Reggiani spent a great deal of time in the studio in 1973, working on three albums of poetry (two of which were entirely devoted to work by the legendary French poet Jacques Prévert). The following year Reggiani turned his attention to his cinema career once more, starring in Claude Sautet's film "Vincent, François, Paul et les autres". It was while shooting this film that Reggiani met up with screenwriter Jean Loup Dabadie. Dabadie had already written several songs for Reggiani but following their work on Sautet's film the pair embarked upon a more intensive collaboration, working together on Reggiani's next album "La chanson de Paul", released in 1975.

Following the release of this album Reggiani began to spend an increasing amount of time helping his son Stéphan. Reggiani's eldest son had decided to follow in his father's footsteps and had launched his own singing career in 1967. In December 1971 Stéphan Reggiani performed as Liza Minnelli's support act at the legendary Olympia music hall in Paris. But, in spite of this brief moment of triumph Stéphan was still struggling to step out of his father's shadow and become a famous figure in his own right. At the end of 1974 Reggiani teamed up with Stéphan and they performed together at the Bobino (26 December 1974 - 26 January 1975). Although the pair shared an evident on-stage complicity, the French public did not go overboard for the new Reggiani father-and-son double act.

In spite of the public's reticence Reggiani remained extremely proud of his son's musical talent and his (rather melancholy) compositions. On April 24 he and Stéphan appeared on Jacques Chancel's famous television show "Le Grand Echiquier" and in June father and son would record an album together. Later that year Reggiani Senior and Junior would perform at the Fête de l’Humanité (the annual festival organised by the French Communist Party), then set off on an extensive tour of Canada together.

Meanwhile, Reggiani's singing career had revolutionised his public image. French cinema audiences no longer associated Reggiani with his early film roles (in which he was frequently cast as headstrong young rebels or downright villains) and French directors began to allow Reggiani the actor to reveal a whole new side of his personality. In 1975 Claude Lelouch offered Reggiani the chance to exploit his comic genius in two major films "Le chat et la souris" (in which Reggiani starred alongside Michèle Morgan) and "Le bon et les méchants" (in which he co-starred with Jacques Dutronc). The following year Reggiani played a tender, romantic role opposite French star Isabelle Adjani in Jacques Ruffio's "Violette et François".

In 1977 Reggiani turned his attention to his singing career once more, performing at the very first Festival de Bourges organised in April of that year. While the 70's disco craze was sweeping the country, pulling thousands of French teenagers in its wake, the Festival de Bourges defended the traditional values of French chanson with its cast of Serge Reggiani, Charles Trenet, Jacques Higelin, Bernard Lavilliers and the Frères Jacques.

Later that same year Reggiani returned to the studio to record a new album on which he paid tribute to the legendary French poet Jacques Prévert, who had recently passed away. The album, an intimate collaboration with Claude Lemesle, soon spawned another best-selling single, "Le barbier de Belleville", which rocketed to the top of the French charts shortly after its release.

On 24 September 1977 two famous television producers, Maritie and Gilbert Carpentier, paid a special tribute to Reggiani, devoting the whole of their show "Numéro un" to the singer. Three days later Reggiani's name was back in lights at the Bobino, when he performed a series of concerts with his son Stéphan and his daughter Carine.

However, Reggiani's 'family' concerts did not get an enthusiastic reception from the French press. Music critics, who had written rather lukewarm reviews of the Reggiani father/son duo in 1975, detested the idea of a new family trio and wrote a series of absolutely devastating reviews in which they criticised Reggiani for unconsciously blocking the individual careers of his two children. Undeterred by these harsh reviews, Reggiani set off on tour with Stéphan and Carine, performing a series of shows throughout the winter of 77 / 78.

Reggiani pursued his solo career in 1978, returning to the studio to record a new album entitled "Les discours de Maximilien Robespierre". This rather dry album on which Reggiani recited long political speeches by the famous French revolutionary, was not really destined for mass appeal.

In April 1979 Reggiani was in full recital mode once again, this time appearing on stage at the Théâtre de la Gaîté in Montparnasse to read a selection of French poetry, accompanied by Georges Moustaki on guitar.

Reggiani's next album, "J't'aimerais", was released in September of that year. This album featured several tracks written by Reggiani's most faithful collaborators (Claude Lemesle and Jean Loup Dabadie penning the lyrics, while Michel Legrand and Alain Goraguer looked after the musical arrangements). But the album "J't'aimerais" also included songs by Georges Moustaki ("Les amours sans importance") and Bernard Dimey ("Les seigneurs"). Concerned that his earlier work was no longer available in record stores, Reggiani also recorded new versions of his greatest hits with Alain Goraguer and released them in the form of a special compilation album.

1980 proved to be a tragic year for Serge Reggiani and the rest of his family. In July of that year Stéphan Reggiani, aged just 33, committed suicide in the family home in Mougins. Devastated by the death of his son, Reggiani withdrew from the music scene for a while to recover from his grief.

Reggiani would return to the studio later that year, however, to record an album dedicated to his spiritual fathers, the French poets Cocteau and Baudelaire. Reggiani's 1981 album "L’armée du brouillard" (which featured work by all his faithful friends and collaborators including Claude Lemesle, Jean Loup Dabadie, Alain Goraguer, Hubert Rostaing, Alice Dona and Georges Moustaki) contained a special tribute to his son. "La barbe à papa", dedicated to Stéphan, was a soft, touching ballad about childhood.

Following the tragic death of Stéphan Reggiani enthusiasm for his singing career appeared to disappear altogether, but he continued recording and performing, this being the most effective way to combat the depression and alcoholism which were slowly beginning to take over his life. Between 5 and 17 May 1981 (in the midst of a huge electoral campaign which would sweep socialist president François Mitterrand to power) Reggiani triumphed at the Olympia, thousands of fans flocking out to support him through the trauma in his personal life.

The following year, after much gentle encouragement and persuasion from Alain Goraguer and Jacques Bedos, Reggiani returned to the studio and recorded a new album entitled "Le zouave du pont de l'Alma". Following the release of the album in October 1982, Reggiani embarked upon an extensive tour which continued right through until the spring of the 83. By the time Reggiani performed the final leg of this tour in Paris at the Olympia (15 March - 10 April), he was practically dropping from the effects of exhaustion and serious amounts of alcohol.

In 1984 Reggiani recorded his last original album with Polydor, leaving the company to sign a new deal with the Trema label. (In fact, the singer would actually make another album with Polydor in 1985, recording an album of La Fontaine's fables).

By this point in his career Reggiani was spending an increasing amount of time on his own. He enjoyed the solitary hours spent alone at home and it was not long before he developed a real passion for painting. (His walls were soon hung with a whole collection of canvases which would be displayed at his first exhibition in 1989).

On 25 March 1985 the French government paid tribute to Reggiani's singing and acting career, awarding him the prestigious Légion d'honneur. The following year Reggiani returned to the Olympia for another series of successful shows (14 - 28 January 1986). He would triumph at the Olympia again in 1989 and perform a memorable concert there in March 1991 to mark the 25th anniversary of his singing career.

In 1989 Reggiani returned to the studio to record one of the most remarkable albums of his whole career. Each of the songs on "Reggiani 89" (written by the singer's loyal collaborator Claude Lemesle) painted a portrait of Reggiani's idols past and present. The album paid tribute to the great writers and artists of the past (Adèle Hugo, Camille Claudel and Molière) as well as the celebrities who had marked Reggiani's own lifetime (Picasso and Chaplin). The album also contained touching tributes to the singer's close family and friends, including a 'portrait' of Noëlle Adam, Reggiani's partner for the past twenty years.

Two years later Reggiani was back at the forefront of the French music scene with a brand new album entitled "Reggiani 91". With this new album Reggiani, who had given up alcohol altogether after a series of serious health problems caused by his drinking, finally appeared to have got over the traumas in his personal life and recover a taste for life.

In 1992 Reggiani's record label released a set of 8 CDs, providing a complete retrospective of the singer's long career. This extensive greatest hits collection coincided with the release of a boxed set of 5 CDs featuring Reggiani reading works by his favourite poets and authors (Albert Camus, Victor Hugo, François Villon, Arthur Rimbaud and Serge Gainsbourg).

1993 found Reggiani celebrating his 70th birthday with a renewed zest for life. The singer went into the studio at the beginning of the year to record an album entitled "70 balais" (an explicit reference to his age). On this new album Reggiani tried his hand at musical arrangements and songwriting for the first time. Entering his 70th year with incredible optimism and energy, Reggiani gave an impressive performance at the massive Palais des Congrès (23 February - 7 March) where his show attracted over 3,000 fans every night. On 15 July Reggiani appeared at the famous Francofolies festival in La Rochelle where an enthusiastic crowd of teenagers greeted him with a tremendous burst of applause.

Two years later Reggiani returned to the studio, declaring that he had never felt so well in his entire life. His upbeat new album, "Reggiani 95", certainly appeared to prove his case. The majority of the songs on the album were written by Reggiani's loyal collaborator Claude Lemesle, but "Reggiani 95" also included two tracks written by Didier Barbelivien and a song penned by Reggiani's daughter, Célia.

Reggiani's prodigious output continued a fortnight later with the publication of his book "Dernier courriers avant la nuit". This highly original book was a collection of letters addressed to Reggiani's close friends as well as his lifelong idols (who included Jean-Paul Sartre, Romy Schneider, Edith Piaf and fellow actor Lino Ventura).

From 19 to 24 September 1995 Reggiani performed another triumphant run at the Olympia. His set of 33 songs met with rapturous applause from the audience who would leap from their seats at the end of the show to give Reggiani a rousing standing ovation. The 72-year-old singer's incredible energy and lust for life was an impressive sight indeed.

Meanwhile Reggiani had been devoting an increasing amount of time and energy to his artwork, and in the spring of 97 he had his first major Paris exhibition at a gallery in the Bastille (21 March - 26 April). Reggiani's painting was closely linked to his songwriting work and he would often give the same titles to his paintings and his songs (c.f. "Venise n'est pas en Italie" and "La putain"). Reggiani's artwork also provided an important outlet for his pent-up emotions and helped him overcome pre-show nerves. Indeed, the highly-strung individual discovered a form of therapy in his painting which gave him an almost physical sense of release.

In the heyday of his singing career Reggiani had recorded, on average, an album a year. But in the later years of his career Reggiani's time was increasingly taken up with a range of other activities (painting, sculpture, writing etc) and he slowed the pace of his recording work down. Reggiani did return to the studio in April 1997, however, to record a new album entitled "Nos quatre vérités". This album, which revealed Reggiani's sharp sense of humour (on tracks such as "Les petits voisins du dessus"), also featured a new collection of word portraits (c.f. the song "Avenue Montaigne", a special tribute to the legendary Marlene Dietrich who had died in 1992). At the ripe old age of 75 Reggiani was still going strong, proving to fans and critics alike that he was still capable of coming up with impressive albums and live performances.

Meanwhile, Reggiani's acting career had calmed down a great deal since his heyday and his appearances in French films are now few and far between. In 1991, however, Reggiani did make something of a comeback, starring in "Soutien de famille", a film directed by his son, Simon. Interestingly enough, all Reggiani's children appear to have inherited their father's artistic sensibility and chosen to work in various branches of the arts. Two of Serge Reggiani's daughters, Carine and Célia, work in the music world (the former is a talented songwriter, the latter a musician). Reggiani's other daughter, Maria, has followed her brother Simon, into the film world and is currently working as a film editor. Even Reggiani's grandson, Nicolas, has followed in the family footsteps. He has launched a career as a singer, performing songs made famous by his own father, Stéphan Reggiani.

<>In the summer of 97 Reggiani was invited to return to his home town, Reggio Emilia, where he gave an impressive performance at the music festival organised by the Italian newspaper l'Unita. Following this highly successful appearance Reggiani then set about preparing a huge comeback in Paris, bringing the house down at the Palais des Congrès at the end of September (12 - 21 September). At the end of the show the audience leapt to their feet to give the 75-year-old singer a huge standing ovation and filed respectfully past Reggiani's artwork displayed in the lobby on the way out.

Just two days after completing this triumphant comeback at the Palais des Congrès, the indefatigable Reggiani rolled up for work in the TV studios and began shooting a new television series, "La Clé des champs". He currently has a host of other television and cinema projects on the agenda as well.

In spite of his declining health, Reggiani continued to devote precious time and energy to his recording career. The singer was back in the music news in August '99 with a new album entitled "Les Adieux différés" (Postponed Goodbyes) - a deliberately ironic title for a deliberately nostalgic album about life, love and the 'women he had known'. While a leading Paris art gallery organised an exhibition of his paintings, Reggiani began preparations for his upcoming tour. Unfortunately for Reggiani fans, the singer's concerts scheduled for October of that year never took place as the singer was rushed to hospital in September.

One year later Reggiani was not only back on his feet again, but putting out a new album. Released in December 2000, "Enfants, soyez meilleurs que nous" (an album co-written by songwriters Michel Legrand and Jean Dréjac) was seen as the singer's 'last will and musical testament, but despite this, the album failed to take off with the French public.

On 24 January 2003, French president Jacques Chirac presented Reggiani with a special commemorative tie when he made him a commander of the National Order of Merit. The honours continued later that year when, on 15 February 2003, the French music world paid tribute to the singer at the 18th ‘Victoires de la Musique’ Awards, presenting him with an honorary lifetime’s achievement award.

Following these honours, Reggiani returned to the live circuit, embarking upon a tour which included dates in Paris, at the Palais des Congrès (14 & 15 March, 26 April), the ‘Francofolies de Spa’ in Belgium (in July) and the ‘Francofolies de Montréal’ in Canada (in August). Reggiani returned to Paris in the autumn to perform at the Olympia (7 & 8 October), before heading off to Switzerland to play in Geneva (17 October). He ended the year with a mini-tour of the French provinces.

Meanwhile, Reggiani had been devoting an increasing amount of time over the past fifteen years to his passion for painting. In the autumn of 2003, an exhibition of his work was held at the Parisian gallery ‘Studio Ombres et Lumières.’

The Final Curtain

Serge Reggiani died of a heart attack at his Paris home during the night of Thursday, 22 July 2004. He was 82 years old.

Serge Reggiani, actor, singer, painter, writer and generally multi-talented artist, made a major contribution to France's cultural scene. This patriotic individual, who never forgot his Italian origins or his mother tongue, committed himself to numerous political causes in the course of his career, defending human rights issues and speaking out against racism. Reggiani, who came to symbolise the carefree heyday of Saint Germain in the 50s and 60s, will go down in history as one of the major figures of 20th century French ‘chanson.’

July 2004