Gilbert Montagné (; born 28 December 1951) is a French singer, musician, pianist and

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational h ...

from the

Ménilmontant Ménilmontant () is a neighbourhood of Paris, situated in the city's 20th arrondissement. It is roughly defined as the area north of the Père Lachaise Cemetery, south of Parc de Belleville, and between ''Avenue Jean-Aicard'' on the west and ...

neighbourhood of Paris and

Bourbonnais Bourbonnais () was a historic province in the centre of France that corresponds to the modern ''département'' of Allier, along with part of the ''département'' of Cher. Its capital was Moulins. History The title of the ruler of Bourbonnais ...

historical region of central France. Blind since shortly after birth, he is best remembered for his international hit "The Fool" which was a number 1 single across Europe and South America in 1971, as well as his songs "On va s'aimer" (1983) and "Les Sunlights des tropiques" (1984). In France, he is still a popular albums and concert artist, having toured and sung with the likes of

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France. During a career spanning 57 ...

and

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American R&B/soul/funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, with Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West. ...

. In 2009, he participated in the television show ''

Rendez-vous en terre inconnue ''Rendez-vous en terre inconnue'' (formerly ''En terre inconnue'') is a French television program broadcast first on France 5 and then on the France 2 network. It was hosted by Frédéric Lopez Frédéric Lopez (born 4 April 1967 in Pau) is a ...

'' in

Zanskar Zanskar, Zahar (locally) or Zangskar, is a tehsil of Kargil district, in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The administrative centre is Padum (former Capital of Zanskar). Zanskar, together with the neighboring region of Ladakh, was brie ...

. He was made a Knight of the

Order of Arts and Letters The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

in 1982, an Officer in the National Order of Merit in 2011 and an Officer in the Order of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

in 2020. Montagné was active in politics within the

Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement (french: link=no, Union pour un mouvement populaire, ; UMP, ) was a centre-right List of political parties in France, political party in France that was one of the two major party, major contemporary political pa ...

under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy. In the 2010 regional election, he ran as a candidate in Allier. Montagné is also noted for his activism for blind people. From ages 10 to 16, he was a student at the

Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles (''National Institute for Blind Children'' or ''Royal Institution for Blind Youth''), in Paris, was the first special school for blind students in the world, and served as a model for many subsequent schools ...

in Paris. In 2022, Saint-Léon, the village his father was originally from and Gilbert Montagné visited as a child, named a square after him."Quand Gilbert Montagné entre dans la place, il y a "The Fool" dans ce petit village de l'Allier"
France 3 Régions (in French), 5 July 2022.

Discography

Albums

*''Gilbert Montagné'' (1971) *''Il faut que ça swing'' (1976) *''Ta vie'' (1981) *''Liberté'' (1984) *''Gilbert Montagné à l'Olympia LIVE'' (1985) *''Quelques notes de musiques'' (1985) *''Vivre en couleurs'' (1987) *''Entre douceur et violence'' (1989) *''En accord magique'' (1989) *''Rien qu'une amitié'' (1993) *''Comme une étoile'' (1995) *''Le meilleur'' compilation (1995) *''Mélange de couleurs'' (1997) *''Les plus belles chansons'' compilation (1997) *''Live à l'Olympia'' (1998) *''CD Story'' compilation (2001) *''Anthologie'' 3-CD box set (2001) *''Les indispensables'' compilation (2001) *''Rien sans ton amour'' (2002) *''Versions Originales'' compilation (2002) *''Ses plus belles chansons'' compilation (2002) *''Best of Gilbert Montagné'' compilation (2002) *''Get Ready'' (2006)

Singles

*"Quand on ferme les yeux"/"Le phénomène" (1969) *"The Morning Comes" (1970) *"The Fool"/"Hide Away" (1971) *"Aime-moi"/"Song for Every Time" (1972) *"Baby I Feel so Fine"/"My Lord" (1972) *"Dans mon piano il y a des oiseaux"/"Elle chantait ma vie en musique" (1973) *"M'laisse pas tomber" (1979) *"Believe in Me"/"On the Road" (1979) *"Besoin de vous" (1981) *"On va s'aimer" (1983) *"Just For Tonight" (1984) *"Liberté" (1984) *"Les sunlights des tropiques"/"Près de toi" (1984) *"J'ai le blues de toi"/"Si je l'aime" (1984) *"Au soleil – Robinson Crusoé"/"Un monde entre nous" (1984) *"Je veux tout"/"Sans elle" (1987) *"Perdu dans New-York" (1989) *"Plus fort la vie"/"Open Your Heart (and Take a Chance)" (1990) *"Un vrai Noël" (2001) *"Entendre ton sourire"/"Si tu voulais" (2002)

References

External links

Official website
(in French)
Full discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montagne, Gilbert 1951 births Blind musicians French male singers French pop singers 20th-century French male pianists 21st-century French male pianists Living people Musicians from Paris Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite