Lucienne Boyer | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lucienne Boyer (1945) | |
| Born | Émilienne-Henriette Boyer 18 August 1901 Paris, France |
| Died | 6 December 1983 (aged 82) Paris, France |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Jacqueline Boyer |
Lucienne Boyer (18 August 1901 – 6 December 1983)[1] was a French diseuse[2] and singer, best known for her song "Parlez-moi d'amour". Her impresario was Bruno Coquatrix. According to the New York Times, she "reigned as queen of Paris nightlife during the 1930's".[3]
She was born Émilienne-Henriette Boyer in Montparnasse, Paris, France. Her melodious voice gave her the chance to begin singing in cabarets at age 16, while also working as a part-time model.[3] An office position at a prominent Parisian theater opened the door for her and within a few years, under the name Lucienne Boyer, she began singing in major Parisian music halls.
In 1927, Boyer sang at a concert featuring Félix Mayol, where she was seen by the American impresario Lee Shubert, who immediately offered her a contract to work on Broadway. Boyer spent nine months in New York City, returning to perform there and to South America numerous times throughout the 1930s.[4]
By 1933, she had made a large number of recordings for Columbia Records of France, including her signature song, "Parlez-moi d'amour" (Speak to Me of Love).[3] Written by Jean Lenoir, the song won the first-ever Grand Prix du Disque of the Charles Cros Academy.
Boyer's father died while he served as a soldier in World War I. Due to the loss, she worked in a munitions factory to provide for her family.
In 1939, she married the cabaret singer Jacques Pills of the musical duo Pills et Tabet. Their daughter, Jacqueline, was born on 23 April 1941. Following in their footsteps, Jacqueline become a singer who went on to win the Eurovision Song Contest in 1960.
Throughout World War II, Boyer continued to perform in France, but for her Jewish husband,[citation needed] it was a very difficult time. Following the Allied Forces liberation of France, her cabaret career flourished and for another thirty years, she maintained a loyal following. At the age of 73, she sang with her daughter at the famous Paris Olympia and appeared on several French television shows.[citation needed]
She died in Paris in 1983 and was interred in the Cimetière de Bagneux in Montrouge.
