Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour ( AZ-nə-VOOR, French: [ʃaʁl aznavuʁ]; born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, Armenian: Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան, Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavuryan; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringing in its upper reaches, with gravelly and profound low notes. In a career as a composer, singer and songwriter, spanning over 70 years, he recorded more than 1,200 songs interpreted in 9 languages. Moreover, he wrote or co-wrote more than 1,000 songs for himself and others. Aznavour is regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time and an icon of 20th-century pop culture. One of France's most popular and enduring singers, he was dubbed France's Frank Sinatra, while music critic Stephen Holden described Aznavour as a "French pop deity". Several media outlets described him as the most famous Armenian of all time. In 1998, Aznavour was named Entertainer of the Century by CNN and users of Time Online from around the globe. He was recognized as the century's outstanding performer, with nearly 18% of the total vote, edging out Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. Jean Cocteau once said: "Before Aznavour despair was unpopular". Aznavour sang for presidents, popes and royalty, as well as at humanitarian events. In response to the 1988 Armenian earthquake, he founded the charitable organization Aznavour for Armenia along with his long-time friend impresario Levon Sayan. In 2008, he was granted Armenian citizenship, and was appointed ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland the following year, as well as Armenia's permanent delegate to the United Nations at Geneva. He started his last world tour in 2014. On 24 August 2017, Aznavour was awarded the 2,618th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Later that year, he and his sister, Aida Aznavourian, were awarded the Raoul Wallenberg Award for sheltering Jews during World War II. His concert at the NHK Hall in Osaka, on 19 September 2018, would be his final performance. Between 1974 and 2016, Charles Aznavour officially received around sixty gold and platinum records around the world, representing several million cumulative sales. He's one of the few French performers to hold a certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. At the time of his death, according to his record company, the total sales of the artist's recordings were over 180 million units. |
Birth and Death Data: Born May 22, 1924 (6th arrondissement of Paris), Died October 1, 2018 (Mouriès)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1946 - 1955
Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, songwriter, composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia (U.K.) | CL8189 | 10-in. | 6/27/1946 | J'ai bu | Jo Boyer ; Georges Ulmer ; Jean Valz | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | songwriter | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CL8421 | 10-in. | 7/2/1947 | Départ-express | Ginette Garcin ; Jacques Hélian Orchestre ; Zappy Max | Female-male vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CL8564 | 10-in. | 7/19/1948 | Il pleut | Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CL8571 | 10-in. | 9/1/1948 | Cinq filles a marier | Compagnons de la Chanson | Vocal ensemble | lyricist | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CL8679 | 10-in. | 5/16/1949 | C'est un gars | Aimé Barelli ; Lucienne Delyle | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CL8848 | 10-in. | 7/7/1950 | C'est un gars | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CL8854 | 10-in. | 7/10/1950 | Il y avait | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | songwriter | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CL8976 | 10-in. | 4/13/1951 | Rien de rien | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CL9007 | 10-in. | 7/4/1951 | Une enfant | Robert Chauvigny ; Choeur Raymond Saint-Paul ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra and vocal ensemble | lyricist, composer | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CL9035 | 10-in. | 10/15/1951 | Plus bleu que tes yeux | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | songwriter | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CL9036 | 10-in. | 10/15/1951 | Je hais les dimanches | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CL9065 | 10-in. | 11/8/1951 | Jezebel | Robert Chauvigny ; Choeur Raymond Saint-Paul ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra and vocal ensemble | lyricist | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CL9243 | 10-in. | 6/8/1952 | Viens | Robert Chauvigny ; Jacques Pills | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CL9419 | 10-in. | approximately 1952 | Et bailler, et dormir | Jean Bretonniere ; Jacques-Henry Rys | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CL9947 | 10-in. | approximately 1954 | La bagarre | Annie Cordy ; Jerry Mengo | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
Columbia (U.K.) | CL10008 | 10-in. | 2/16/1955 | A t'regarder | Robert Chauvigny ; Jacques Pills | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Aznavour, Charles," accessed October 10, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/356040.
Aznavour, Charles. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 10, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/356040.
"Aznavour, Charles." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 10 October 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Charles Aznavour
Discogs: Charles Aznavour
Allmusic: Charles Aznavour
Apple Music: Charles Aznavour
Grove: Charles Aznavour
RILM: Charles Aznavour
IMDb: Charles Aznavour
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Aznavour, Charles - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85094806
Wikidata: Charles Aznavour - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1785
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/64001137
MusicBrainz: Charles Aznavour - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5f264b87-d5f6-487d-aa3e-ae4c5f0c6fc9
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.