Yves Simon

Yves Simon (born 3 May 1944 in Choiseul, Haute-Marne) is a French singer and writer. He has published over 30 books and released about twenty albums. Simon was born in 1944, in the old clergy house of Choiseul, France. His father was a rail worker in Contrexéville, and his mother was a waitress, and later a nurse. His parents gave him a diatonic accordion when he was eight years old. As a teen, he was the guitarist of a band based in Nancy, called "Korrigans nancéens". In a television interview, he recalled having been fascinated at the age of 16 by the singer Salvatore Adamo, who has at the age of 17 just won the final of a competition and realised his dream of becoming a writer and singer. He went to school in Mirecourt and, after having passed his baccalauréat, he enrolled at the faculté de lettres in Nancy. He then moved to Paris where he enrolled in university and in a preparatory class at the lycée Voltaire to gain a place at the IDHEC. After gaining his BA, he left Paris to explore Europe and the United States. In 1967, he recorded three singles (Ne t'en fais pas petite fille, T'as pas changé tu sais, and Ne t'en fais pas petite fille). In 1969, he recorded La Planète endormie. These recording remained relatively little-known, despite the success of Ne t'en fais pas petite fille. At the same time as this, he wrote several novels. In 1971, he published En couleur and L'homme arc-en-ciel, which were met with success. He also worked for the magazine Actuel and for the radio station Europe 1. Simon came to wide attention in 1972 with the release of Les Gauloises Bleues. After this, he was booked as the opening act for major artists such as Georges Brassens. His 1973 album, Au pays des merveilles de Juliet, won the prestigious 'Grand Prix de l'Académie du disque'. Respirer chanter was a success in 1974. He retired from live concerts in 1977, but continued to release successful albums displaying a wide range of musical influences. In 1977, his soundtrack to Diane…

Known for

Sound

Born

1944-05-03 · Choiseul, Haute-Marne, France