- Sacha Distel
Sacha Distel (born Sacha Alexandre;
January 29 ,1933 –July 22 ,2004 ), was a Frenchsinger who had hits such as a cover version of the Academy Award winning "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head " (originally recorded byB.J. Thomas ), "Scoubidou " and "The Good Life". He was born inParis .At age 16, Distel, the young nephew of the iconic
Ray Ventura , became a professionaljazz guitarist . Over his career he worked alongsideDizzy Gillespie andTony Bennett and appeared onThe Ed Sullivan Show in the late 1950s after establishing himself as a French crooner.Sacha Distel had a much publicised relationship with actress
Brigitte Bardot but in 1963 he marriedskier Francine Bréaud . During the late seventies, he had a liaison withDionne Warwick .In the 1960s, he composed 'La Belle Vie', a tune that made its way across the Atlantic as 'The Good Life', and most famously performed by Tony Bennett. French lyrics were added in the 1970s and it became Distel's signature tune. During the 1960s, he had his own variety show on French television.
During the 1970s, he became popular outside France, and once hosted the
Miss World contest inLondon . In this decade, he spent more time in theUK than inFrance .In August 1980, in honour of
Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother , Distel performed atBuckingham Palace to mark theQueen Mother 's 80th birthday. The Queen Mother was said to have been impressed by Distel's moving voice and later in the night she requested a song originally sung by one of her favourite singersPerry Como , called "You must have been a beautiful baby ". It moved many members of the Royal family to laughter as the old Queen sat with amusement.Distel remained reasonably popular in France in the 1980s and 1990s, including a new show named after his song "La Belle Vie".
In 2001, Distel had a part as
lawyer Billy Flynn in theLondon production of the musical "Chicago". He did have an ambition to make a musical about the life ofMaurice Chevalier , but this remained unfulfilled at the time of his death.Sacha Distel died on July 22, 2004, aged 71, after a long illness in Rayol-Canadel, south-east
France .His name was used in
Peter Sarstedt 's song "Where Do You Go To, My Lovely? " and he appeared in the "Paris" episode of the British SeriesAbsolutely Fabulous , where he confuses a very old person with Patsy.The video for his song "Où Ça Où Ça" has been shown before
Morrissey 's concerts inEurope and theUSA on his 2007/08 Greatest Hits tour.External links
* [http://www.sachadistel.com Sacha Distel's official website]
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