Paul Alain Leclerc (born 4 October 1947), known by his stage name Julien Clerc (), is a French singer-songwriter.

Life

Born in Paris, Clerc grew up listening to classical music in his father Paul Leclerc's home, while his mother Évelyne Merlot introduced him to the music of such singers as

Georges Brassens Georges Charles Brassens (; 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981) was a French singer-songwriter and poet. As an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his elegant songs with their harmonically complex music for voice and guitar and a ...

and

Edith Piaf Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and var ...

. He began to learn the piano at six, and by 13, started to play by ear everything he heard on the radio. During his secondary school and university days, he met Maurice Vallet and Etienne Roda-Gil, two of his main songwriters, and began to compose his first songs. He changed his name to Julien Clerc upon signing a contract with Pathé Marconi, releasing his first album in May 1968. The album went on to win the

Académie Charles Cros The Académie Charles Cros (Charles Cros Academy) is an organization located in Chézy-sur-Marne, France, that acts as an intermediary between government cultural policy makers and professionals in music and the recording industry. The academy is ...

Record Award. In 1969, Clerc went on the Olympia stage for the first time to open for Gilbert Becaud's concert. Despite having been in show business for only one year, his performance was a great success. He would later return repeatedly to the Olympia for a series of concerts. From May 1969 to February 1970, he starred in the highly successful Paris run of the musical '' Hair'', which increased his profile. By the age of 24, Clerc was a major star and had recorded numerous hits, many of which were sold abroad, translated and distributed in other languages. In 1979, he took part in two new collaborative ventures, singing the title song of the children's musical, "Emilie Jolie" and participating in "36 Front Populaire", a double album musical about a turbulent historical period. Over the years, Clerc's repertoire has ranged from his own compositions to classic French songs like "Comme Hier" by Brassens and "L'hymne à l'amour" by Edith Piaf. He has performed in Africa, the Americas and Europe. In January 1999, Clerc went on stage at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and delivered an unplugged acoustic set that was a long way from the rock/pop-based shows that he had been giving his audience for some years. In 2000, he appeared, along with many other artists, in a number of benefit concerts for Restaurants du Coeur, a winter food bank charity. In 2003, Clerc recorded a new album of classic American "standards", in French. On another front, Clerc was named UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador at a ceremony in Paris in November 2003 after working for nearly two years with the agency on various benevolent projects for refugees. In March 2004, he undertook his first field mission to meet with refugees and aid workers in Chad. His mission was documented by ''

Envoyé spécial ''Envoyé spécial'' (English: Special correspondent) is a French television weekly investigative newsmagazine show that has run on channel France 2 France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France ...

'' and was broadcast on a national French TV channel in April 2004.

Family

Clerc has five children: daughters Angèle (adopted) and

Jeanne Herry Jeanne Herry (born 19 April 1978) is a French filmmaker and actress. Personal life She is the daughter of actress Miou-Miou and singer-songwriter Julien Clerc Paul Alain Leclerc (born 4 October 1947), known by his stage name Julien Clerc (), ...

with French actress

Miou-Miou Sylvette Herry (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Miou-Miou (), is a French actress. A ten-time César Award nominee, she won the César Award for Best Actress for the 1979 film ''Memoirs of a French Whore''. Her other films incl ...

; daughter Vanille and son Barnabé with then-wife Virginie Coupérie; and son Léonard with Hélène Grémillon, whom he married in 2012.

Awards

* 1974: Five golden records

Discography

Albums and Singles * 1970: ''Julien Clerc - Premier Album'' * 1970: ''Des jours entiers à t'aimer'' * 1971: ''Julien Clerc'' * 1971: ''Olympia 70'' * 1971: ''Niagara'' * 1972: ''Liberté, égalité, fraternité ... ou la mort'' * 1973: ''Ca fait pleurer le bon dieu'' * 1974: ''Terre de France'' * 1974: ''N°7'' * 1976: ''A mon âge et à l'heure qu'il est'' * 1978: ''Jaloux'' * 1979: ''36 Front populaire (comédie musicale)'' * 1980: ''Quand je joue'' * 1980: ''Sans entracte'' * 1982: ''Femmes, indiscrétion, blasphème'' * 1984: ''Aime-moi'' * 1987: ''Les aventures à l'eau'' * 1990: ''Fais-moi une place'' * 1992: ''Utile'' * 1994: ''Julien'' * 2000: ''Si j'étais elle'' * 2003: ''Studio (album de reprise 13 titres)'' * 2005: ''Double enfance'' * 2008: '' Où s'en vont les avions ?'' * 2009: ''Tour 09 (live)'' * 2011: ''Fou, Peut-être'' * 2011: ''Hôtel des Caravelles'' (single) * 2012: ''Le temps d'aimee'' (single) * 2012: ''Symphonique - À l'Opéra national de Paris - Palais Garnier'' (live) * 2014: ''Partout la musique vient'' * 2014: ''On ne se méfie jamais assez'' (single) * 2016: ''Entre elle et moi'' (single) * 2016: ''Fans, je vous aime'' (single) * 2017: ''À nos amours'' * 2021: ''Terrien'' * 2021: ''Les Jours Heureux'' Cooperation in * 1979: ''Emilie Jolie'' by

Philippe Chatel Philippe Chatel, born Philippe de Châteleux de Villeneuve-Bergemont de Duras (23 February 1948 – 19 February 2021), was a French singer-songwriter. Career After starting in courier of Henri Salvador, Chatel became familiar with Georges Brass ...

References

External links

Official website

www.julienclerc.eu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clerc, Julien 1947 births Living people French people of Guadeloupean descent Musicians from Paris French singer-songwriters United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassadors Lycée Lakanal alumni Pathé-Marconi artists Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres People named in the Paradise Papers