Nathan Korb - better known to music fans as Francis Lemarque - was born in Paris on 25 November 1917. His parents were both Jewish and had arrived in France a few years before his birth, fleeing the pogroms in Eastern Europe. Nathan's mother, Rose, was a Lithuanian Jew, while his father Joseph, who earned a living as a woman's tailor, came from Poland. Nathan grew up in the Bastille, a lively neighbourhood popular with the Jewish community and immigrants from the Auvergne region. In fact, in those days the Bastille was filled with popular bals musettes and the Korb family's tiny apartment was just above one of the most famous of them all, the "Bal des Trois Colonnes", in rue de Lappe. Francis/Nathan spent a wild and happy childhood, roaming the streets of Paris with his brother, Maurice, and his younger sister, Rachel. Francis/Nathan's carefree childhood years came to an end at the age of 11, however, when he left school and began working in a local factory.

In 1933 Nathan's father died of tuberculosis (at the age of 41). Nathan, who was in his teens at the time, was already becoming increasingly interested in the music scene. He was particularly fascinated by the "bals musettes" and their resident orchestras and in 1934 he and his brother Maurice launched their musical careers working with the group Mars. (The members of this group had previously been with Octobre, another group affiliated to the "Fédération des Théâtres ouvriers de France"). While working with this famously avant-garde group, the Korb brothers went on to form their own duo, taking Louis Aragon's advice and performing under the stage name Les Frères Marc.

Both brothers were strong supporters of the working-class cause and in 1936, when the Front Populaire came to power, Nathan and Maurice spent much of their time entertaining striking workers in factories and car-plants. Having built up a certain reputation on the local Paris scene, the Korb brothers were soon introduced to the famous songwriter/poet Jacques Prévert. (In fact, Nathan went on to become one of Prévert's closest friends). It was Prévert who finally put the brothers in touch with Joseph Kosma - the songwriter/composer responsible for penning the French classic "les Feuilles mortes" - and Kosma ended up working as Les Frères Marc's pianist for a while.

The early years of the war proved to be particularly problematic for Jewish families like the Korbs. Nathan received his call-up papers and went on to join the army's entertainment corps and in 1940 he managed to move to the Zone libre (the unoccupied part of France), basing himself in Marseilles. It was here that he would meet the famous French artistic agent Jacques Canetti, who encouraged him to pursue a solo career under the stage name Francis Lemarque. Nathan/Francis went on to perform several tours of North Africa and also did a week-long run of concerts with the legendary Gypsy guitar-player Django Reinhardt. Tragedy struck the Korb family soon afterwards, however, when Nathan's mother Rose was deported. Nathan immediately enlisted in the Resistance, operating under the code name Mathieu Horbet. He was arrested by the Gestapo and spent several months in prison. But he resumed his Resistance activities on his release, working under a new code name: Lieutenant Marc.

Nathan/Francis returned to Paris once the war was over and began hanging out in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, a neighbourhood which was rapidly becoming a thriving centre for Paris's literary and musical life. Nathan was still intent on pursuing a professional singing career. However, unable to find lucrative employment, he ended up earning his living through a series of odd jobs and short-term contracts, singing on the cabaret circuit at La Rose Rouge and l'Echelle de Jacob and acting in small plays and other productions at the Théâtre de l'Humour and the Théâtre de Poche.

1946 proved to be a watershed year in both Nathan's personal and professional life. For this was the year he met Ginny Richès, the women he went on to marry two years later. It was also the year Nathan saw Yves Montand in concert in Paris for the first time. The handsome young singer was being promoted as Edith Piaf's new protégé and was well on the way to becoming a major star by this point. Nathan was bowled over by Montand's on-stage charisma and his emotional performances of Prévert's songs and the concert fired his motivation to launch his own songwriting career.

Nathan went on to write a series of songs with Montand in mind. However, feeling incapable of writing anything worthy of Montand's talent, he quickly became discouraged and was actually on the verge of abandoning the project. Luckily, Prévert intervened and arranged a meeting between Nathan and his idol. The meeting proved a huge success. Impressed by Nathan's work, Montand instantly commissioned him to write a series of songs for him including "Ma Douce vallée", "Bal petit bal" and "C'est à l'ombre". In fact, the pair's collaboration lasted several years, reaching its zenith when Nathan penned the Montand classic "A Paris".

By 1949 Francis Lemarque had earned an excellent reputation for his songwriting. The young songwriter, who was rather timid by nature, had also plucked up enough courage to begin performing his own work, recording two 78rpms on Jacques Canetti's label. (It was Canetti who finally persuaded Lemarque to relaunch his singing career). This proved to be a brilliant move for Lemarque the singer proved to be a huge hit with the critics and the French public. Indeed, in 1951 Lemarque went on to win his first Charles-Cros award.

A bout of illness caused Lemarque to take a temporary break from the music scene in 1952. But he resumed his career two years later, going on to make more of a hit with the French public than ever. In the mid-50s Lemarque embarked upon a series of major international tours, mainly in Communist countries. In 1954 he played to music fans in China and the USSR. In 1955 he performed a series of concerts in Poland and in 1958 he brought the house down in North Korea. Meanwhile, Lemarque's singles proved extremely popular in the French charts back home, songs such as his pacifist classic "Quand un soldat" rocketing to fame in 1953, closely followed by "le Petit cordonnier" the following year. Besides his tours of China and the USSR, Lemarque also performed at several major galas in support of the Communist Party. However, while his on-stage commitment never wavered, Lemarque never actually became a card-carrying member of the Communist Party.

Lemarque's songs evoked the lively working-class neighbourhoods of Paris, the world of guinguettes, bals musettes and young bands of teenage hoodlums. But he was also capable of writing tender ballads about love and bucolic romance or stirring protest songs about serious political and social issues. In fact, Lemarque's repertoire appeared to hold something for everyone and when he performed a five-week run at the legendary Olympia in Paris in 1958, the singer's popularity was evident to everyone in the crowded hall.

Lemarque branched out in a new direction in the 50s, composing music for films such as "Mimi Pinson" in 1958. He went on to write his most famous film soundtracks in the 60s, however, composing the music for "le Cave se rebiffe" (1961), "Maigret voit rouge" (1963) and Jacques Tati's classic "Playtime" (1967). Lemarque also wrote a great deal of music for French television.

In 1960 Lemarque went on to set up his own music publishing house, producing work by Alain Barrière, Serge Lama and Jacques Demy's film music (including the famous "Parapluies de Cherbourg" written by Michel Legrand).

Meanwhile, Lemarque also celebrated a happy event in his personal life. Following the birth of his daughter, Danièle, in 1952, his wife gave birth to a son called Stéphane in 1954, and Michel in 1960.

Lemarque kept up his hectic tour schedule throughout the early 60s, his concerts proving popular right around the globe. In 1962 the singer performed a particularly extensive tour, bringing the house down at venues across North Africa, Europe and Canada. Meanwhile, back home in France Lemarque won important recognition from the critics, carrying off the Prix de la Rose d'Or d'Antibes in 1965 for his album "Francis Lemarque rencontre Francis Carco".

In the mid-60s Lemarque faded from the forefront of the French music scene, but he was brought back into the media spotlight thanks to Jean Ferrat. Ferrat was preparing to perform a major farewell concert at the Palais des Sports and he invited Lemarque to join him on stage. Needless to say, Lemarque's performance proved a major hit with the crowd. In 1972 Lemarque began working on an ambitious new project with French author Georges Coulonges. The pair set about writing a vast musical "fresco", recounting the history of Paris as seen through the eyes of its inhabitants from 1789 to the present day. The musical, entitled "Paris Populi", went on to win Lemarque a second Charles-Cros award in 1973. The studio recording of "Paris Populi", released in 1976, featured a host of prestigious French guest stars such as Juliette Gréco, Jean Guidoni, Mireille Mathieu, Mouloudji and Serge Reggiani. In 1977/'78 Lemarque went on to record his own solo version of "Paris Populi" live at the Théâtre de l'Est Parisien.

Following the release of a new album in 1979 (featuring the classic hits "la Dame aux souvenirs" and "Vendredi soir"), Lemarque hit the road once again, touring right through until 1980. The highlight of this tour was the singer's month-long run at the Gaieté Montparnasse in Paris. Eight years after writing "Paris Populi", Lemarque still performed extracts from his musical 'fresco' at his concerts, much to the delight of his fans. And in 1981 he won a second award for "Paris Populi" - the Grand Prix National de la Chanson.

Having reached the ripe old age of 65, Lemarque put all thoughts of retirement out of his mind, continuing his busy recording schedule. Between 1982 and 1988 the singer released three new albums - "Francis Lemarque", "Où vont les fleurs?" and "la Rue fait la fête". And he still found time to relaunch his acting career, starring in Serge Leroy's police thriller "Légitime violence" in 1982!

Lemarque went on to set up his own recording studio in 1984. Later that same year the French Culture Minister Jack Lang awarded him a new decoration, making him an "Officier des Arts et Lettres". Over the following years Lemarque went on to win a whole string of prestigious awards, carrying off the Prix de la Sacem (the French society of authors, composers and publishers) in 1986 and his third

Lemarque's hectic tour schedule also continued apace. After performing an extensive national tour in 1987/'88, the singer carried on making regular appearances in Paris at Le Dejazet (1988) and the Olympia (1989). Younger music fans also gave Lemarque a warm welcome when he performed at the Printemps de Bourges Festival in April 1988.

In the late 80s Lemarque turned his attention to the nation's musical heritage, recording a series of albums devoted to the history of French chanson. In 1987 he brought out a compilation entitled "A la découverte de la chanson populaire". Working with his old friend Romain Didier, Lemarque also recorded new versions of several of his old hits, bringing them out on a new CD. Over the next few years Lemarque abandoned the music scene for a while - apart from two memorable performances at the Olympia - devoting his time and energy to writing his memoirs, published in 1992 under the title "J'ai la mémoire qui chante" (Singing Memoirs). Later that same year Lemarque went on to celebrate his 75th birthday at Le Balajo, one of the most famous dance-halls in Paris, which took him back to his childhood years. (The Balajo is in rue de Lappe, the street where the singer grew up).

Closely concerned with preserving French musical heritage - which he himself is now part of - Lemarque spent 1993 and '94 recording an ambitious new project in his studio in La Varenne Saint-Hilaire. "L'Anthologie de la chanson française", which was released as a number of separate volumes, featured his version of traditional French chansons stretching back over several centuries.

On 5 June 1994 Lemarque returned to the stage to give a special one-off concert at the Casino de Paris, then released a new album entitled "Lemarque '94". A living legend - albeit a modest one - on the French music scene, Lemarque and his work have often been celebrated at tribute concerts up and down the country. In December 1996, for example, a host of prestigious French music stars including Alain Souchon, Anne Sylvestre, Romain Didier and Alain Leprest joined Lemarque on stage at the Auditorium des Halles in Paris, performing a run-through of his Greatest Hits with him.

The following year Lemarque brought the house down once again, appearing at the special accordion edition of the "Festival des Nuits" in Nacre. The sprightly 81-year-old also clambered back on stage in October '98, to perform two exceptional concerts at the Théâtre de l'Est Parisien, packed out with fans of all ages. Meanwhile, the indefatigable performer keeps up his prodigious songwriting output. With almost 1,000 songs to his name today, Lemarque evidently has plenty more to say.

Together with Charles Trenet and Henri Salvador, Francis Lemarque has enjoyed one of the longest careers in the history of French showbizz. Indeed, several Lemarque classics have now become a cherished part of France's cultural heritage.

November 99