Ronnie Bird | |
|---|---|
 Ronnie Bird at Rock'n'roll jubilee, Paris 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ronald Méhu |
| Born | 24 April 1946 Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | since 1964 |
| Labels | Decca Philips, Phonogram, Mercury |
Ronnie Bird (born Ronald Méhu; 24 April 1946 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine) is a French singer.[1][2][3]
As a student, Bird attended Lycée Claude-Bernard in Paris until he had an argument with a teacher.[citation needed]
As a young singer, he preferred to perform in English in a desire for authenticity.[4][5] He debuted his recording career in 1964 with Decca, with the title track Adieu à un ami, which was a homage to Buddy Holly; this song later appeared in the film US Go Home (1994).[6] According to author Jonathyne Briggs, Bird and other French pop stars of that era, such as Jacques Dutronc, Hugues Aufray, Antoine, and Serge Gainsbourg "created a more diverse pop music landscape".[7] Richie Unterberger later wrote, "During the mid-'60s, Ronnie Bird was the only French artist to successfully emulate the sounds of the British Invasion across the channel".[8]
He was voted the eighth most popular male singer in France in a 1965 poll by Salut Les Copains.[9] He hosted a Radio Luxembourg 208 broadcast on 1 April 1966.[10]
He regularly appeared with popular singers visiting France, including Chuck Berry[11] and Tom Jones.[12]
He recorded the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time" and "Down Home Girl" in French.[13] He recorded songs by Mickey Jones and Tommy Brown in English for Philips.[14] He recorded two songs, "Rain on the City" and "Sad Soul" for the U.S. market before his U.S. tour.[15]
Bird appeared with many other artists in the "photo du siècle" or "photo of the century" taken by Jean-Marie Périer. The photograph published in the magazine Salut les copains in 1966.[16]
Despite his evident ability and the apparent success of songs like Elle m'attend, Où va-t-elle ?, Bird ended his artistic career after 5 years.[17]
He is also noted for participating in the French production of the musical Hair between 1968 and 1972 . Moreover, he wrote the lyrics of the song, Precious Things, sung by Dee Dee Bridgewater, in a duet with Ray Charles, which saw success in 1989.[citation needed]
The song Le Pivert (the woodpecker) was prohibited from being played on Radio-France because of, according to an internal memo, its "vulgar attack on good taste". The memo was published in Charlie Hebdo.[citation needed]
