Gerard Lenorman, whose real name is Gerard Aumard, was born on February 9th, 1945 in Benouville, a tiny village in Normandy, France. His family moved to the Auvergne region where he spent part of his childhood. Blessed with a beautiful voice he often sang in church or with his family. He enjoyed singing and at the age of 12 Gerard wrote his first songs- among them "Le Vagabond". While he was at it he learned to play the guitar and at 14 he joined several local bands as their singer. 

In 1963 a serious car accident put the young man out of action for an entire year. He took advantage of this time to start writing again. This turned out to be the moment when he discovered his passion for music. But before going out on his own, he spent several years writing for others. Now known as Gerard Lenorman ("the Norman" making reference to his origins) he started making a name for himself at the end of the 1960's, with the 45 "La fille de paille" which he wrote for Brigitte Bardot. That same year, 1968, Lenorman finally decided to record his very first record, which was none other than "l Vagabond", which he wrote when he was only 12. In 1969, with several songs under his belt, he went on tour with Sylvie Vartan. But what started his career was when he was asked to replace Julien Clerc in the leading role of the musical "Hair", which was all the rage at the Porte Saint-Martin Theatre in Paris. 1970 was also the year he first played the Olympia Theatre in Paris. This success was behind his signing with CBS records. In 1971 his first album was released and instantly crowned with success, especially because of the single "Il". From that point on Gerard Lenorman entered into a prosperous time of his career. Between 1971 and 1974 he was almost always on tour and his songs were well-placed on the various hit parades of the moment. He was seen as a young and eternally naive artist who saw the world through rose coloured glasses.  

During the seventies Gerard Lenorman had the following hits one after the other: "les Matins d'hiver", "le Petit prince", and "la fête des fleurs" in '72; "Si tu ne me laisses pas tomber" in '73, and "Quelque chose en moi" in '74. He hit the jackpot in 1975 with "la Ballade des gens heureux". This song, whose lyrics were written by Pierre Delanoë was an instant success with the public and commercially. It became the highlight of his repertoire and one of his most famous songs of the 1970's. Symbolic of his character it is a hymn of happiness. Lenorman has a certain undeniable gift for composing. We can still remember many of his melodies today. For the lyrics he worked with many writers such as the Seff brothers, Daniel and Richard, Didier Barbelivien, Maurice Vidalin or Claude Lemesle. In 1975 Lenorman returned to the Olympia Theatre. By this time his success had reached beyond the French border. He toured Japan, Latin America and Canada. At the end of the 1970's other songs such as "Michele", "Voici les clefs" or "Gentil dauphin triste" strengthened his stardom in 1976. 

Married to Caroline for several years, Gerard Lenorman became the father of little Mathieu in 1974 and Justine in 1977. In 1980 his album "La clairiere de l'enfance" came out. Its single "Si j'etais president" received the equivalent of the Oscar of French songs given by the Sacem(Societe des Auteurs Compositeurs-the academy of French writers and composers). Once again the lyrics were written by Delanoe. The next year "D'amour" came out. Lenorman continued touring around the world but his enthusiasm was running out of steam. At the beginning of the 1980's his daughter Clemence was born despite marital problems.  

In 1983 the singer triumphed on stage at the Palais des Congres in Paris. The following year he once again headlined the show there but this engagement could no longer hide his waning success. The blessed era of success began to wither for Gerard Lenorman. With marital and professional problems he decided to take a break for a while. Nevertheless he continued to write and to do galas but things weren't what they had been-far from it. During the 1980's Gerard Lenorman undeniably reached rock bottom. In 1985 his fourth child was born. We had to wait until 1988 for a new album "Heureux qui communique" which nevertheless went relatively unnoticed. Lastly that same year he, who ten years earlier was at the height of his success, competed in the Eurovision Song contest which is generally reserved for unknown artists and beginners. At this time he and Caroline had separated and he was living with Marie. 

The beginning of the nineties marked a certain comeback but nothing compared to the past. In November 1990 the single "Montfort L'Amaury" was released and had some success. Hits of the 60's and 70's were back in fasion so in February 1992 he released a compilation of 27 of his greatest hits. This release - his first since 1988 preceded a new album "Il y a" in 1993. His repertoire was less naive than in the past and more rooted in his personal life, which had had its share of ups and downs. The artist had matured. As of September 20, 1994 he returned to the Parisian spotlight by doing a series of shows at The Casino of Paris night-club. Then in 1995 he re-recorded several of his old hits for a new compilation entitled "Vos plus belles chansons". The album went gold and gave rise to a very nostalgic concert tour. Out of this success came a new compilation in 1998-his third in six years- entitled "Le Monde de Gerard Lenorman". This compilation gathered 51 original songs including several rare foreign versions. A new tour included three days at the Olympia from November 16-18 1998. 

Two years later Gerard Lenorman re-surfaced on the French music scene, releasing "la Raison de l'autre" in the autumn of 2000. This new album - the first Lenorman has recorded in seven years - features guest appearances by Claude Lemesle and Nicolas Peyrac.

November 2000