Francis Christian Cabrel (; born 23 November 1953) is a French singer-songwriter, composer and guitarist. Considered one of the most influential French musical artists of all time, he has released a number of albums falling mostly within the realm of
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
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*Nation
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* Folklore
** Folk art
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Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
, with occasional forays into
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
or
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
. Several of his songs, such as "L'encre de tes yeux", "Je l'aime à mourir", "Le chêne liège" and "La corrida", have become enduring favourites in French music. Since the start of his career, Cabrel has sold over 25 million albums.
His first hit song was "Petite Marie" in 1974, which was about the woman who soon became his wife, Mariette. His song "Je l'aime à mourir" was covered by
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...
; this version, both sung in French and Spanish, became a major hit single. An
unauthorised biography
An unauthorized biography is a biography written without the subject's permission or input. The term is usually restricted to biographies written within the subject's lifetime or shortly after their death; as such, it is not applied to biographi ...
was published in 2015. Cabrel, who is one of the most private French singers, attempted to have the book suppressed.
Biography
Francis Cabrel was born in
Agen
The commune of Agen (, ; ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux.
Geography
The city of Agen lies in the southwestern department ...
,
Lot-et-Garonne
Lot-et-Garonne (, oc, Òlt e Garona) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.Veneto
Veneto (, ; vec, Vèneto ) or Venetia is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about five million, ranking fourth in Italy. The region's capital is Venice while the biggest city is Verona.
Veneto was part of the Roman Empire unt ...
descend. His father was a labourer in a biscuit factory and his mother a cashier in a cafeteria. He has a sister, Martine, and a brother, Philippe. He spent his childhood in Astaffort, in
Lot-et-Garonne
Lot-et-Garonne (, oc, Òlt e Garona) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.Cabrel official website franciscabrel.com; accessed 21 June 2015.
Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of France. With 37.2 million listeners in 2014, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world, along with ...