Jean Gabilou (born Gabriel Lewis Laughlin on 28 February 1944) is a

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...

based singer who represented France in the

1981 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 1981 was the 26th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Dublin, Ireland, following the country's victory at the with the song "What's Another Year" by Johnny Logan. Organised by the Europea ...

Early life

Born into a family of ten children, he grew up in

Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The Communes of France, commune of Papeete is located on the isl ...

until the age of 13, before moving to

Faa'a Faaā (also Faaa or Faaʻā; ) is a commune in the suburbs of Papeete in French Polynesia, an overseas country of France in the Pacific Ocean. Faaā is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Island ...

with his family. He is of Polynesian descent. In 1963, a friend, Raoul Robert, asked him to sing a melody at the Matavai Hotel. He then interpreted two

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

es and the religious song "

When The Saints Go Marching In "When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as simply "The Saints", is a traditional black spiritual. It originated as a Christian hymn and is often played by jazz bands. This song was famously recorded on May 13, 1938, by Louis Armstron ...

" in rock version. The same evening he received his first contract, for 60 francs an hour. He first worked with the Vernaudon brothers for two years, then started performing at the Pitate Club with the Hars Brothers for another two years. Laughlin was then approached by Petiot, a guitarist for a group called The Barefoot Boys, which he joined at the age of 23. However, in 1968, Laughlin left the group.

Career

Following his departure from the Barefoot Boys, Laughlin founded the Banjo Boys, a group formed with his friends Kitty Salmon, Jacky Bougues, Marius Charles and Michael Garcia. Their song "Little Sacred Island" was released in 1968 and sold 54,000 copies. In 1971, he sang at the hotel Tahara'a and was noticed by a lady named Paulette Vienot who, during that year, gets Laughlin signed for a contract in Paris with

Eddie Barclay Édouard Ruault (26 January 1921 – 13 May 2005), better known as Eddie Barclay, was a French music Record producer, producer whose singers included Jacques Brel, Dalida and Charles Aznavour. He founded record label Barclay (record label), ...

compiling the song "Moi girls". Which did not meet the expected success that was hoped. In 1979, he moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Two years later, he was contacted to represent

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in the

with the song " Humanahum". He finished third with 125 points, seven points behind

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Lena Valaitis Lena Valaitis (born 7 September 1943) is a Lithuanian–German schlager singer who had her greatest success during the 1970s and 1980s. She finished second at the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest. Early life and education Valaitis was born on 7 Se ...

and eleven points behind the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Bucks Fizz Bucks Fizz were a British pop group that achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comp ...

, who won the contest. In 1983, he celebrated his twenty-year career in

. In 1985, he married Moeata Sasson, an accomplished dancer for the Tahitian dance troupe "Tamari'i Fautaua. A few years later, Moeata staged her own dance troupe "Tamari'i Poerava", whose dancers then began performing alongside Gabilou. In early 2018, he recorded the song "Source de ma vie" ("Source of My Life".) in a duet with New Caledonian singer Claudia Haustien.

Later life

In 1993 he returned on stage with "Hei No". However, in 1995, feeling ill, Gabilou went to a medical clinic in Papeete where he was diagnosed with having paralyzed vocal cords. Despite the bad news, he fought to regain his voice and left for France where he met speech therapist Dr Veil. After attending numerous rehabilitation sessions he regained his voice and released the album "Rohipehe" In 2000 Gabilou decided to produce his own songs together with his friend and singer Andy Tupaia. Along with John Marote Mariassouce, the song "Fakateretere" featured on the album with the same name, was produced. It sold 20,000 copies and continues to be recognised throughout the Pacific as his signature song. Gabilou continues to perform on stage. In 2001 and 2002 he was invited to

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...

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where he had also lived previously, to sing in front of 3500 people. In 2003 he performed at the Oscars of Polynesian music. On 8 June 2013 he celebrated his 50th year in the industry with a concert in Pape'ete's House of Culture.

Discography

*2007 - Le Fafaru *2006 - Avini Ute *2005 - Homai-Heiatea *2004- Keanu *2003 - Poerava *2001 - Fakateretere *1999 - Barefoot, en souvenir de Joe Garbutt *1997 - Rohipehe *1996 - Na oe Vairea *1994 - Mama Ella *1992 - Hei No Tamatoa *1990 - Nohoarii *1989 - Hianau *1988 - Esther et Gabilou, leurs plus grands succès

References

* http://www.last.fm/music/Jean+Gabilou {{DEFAULTSORT:Gabilou, Jean 1944 births Living people Eurovision Song Contest entrants for France French pop singers Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1981