Richard Anthony, born Ricardo Anthony Btesh (13 January 1938 – 19 April 2015), was a French pop singer, born in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, who had his greatest success in the 1960s and 1970s.

Life and career

He was born in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

, to a family of prominent industrialists and diplomats. As a child he lived in Egypt and Argentina, as well as studying at

Brighton College Brighton College is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18); Brighton College Preparatory Sc ...

in England. From 1951, he studied at

Lycée Janson-de-Sailly Lycée Janson de Sailly is a ''lycée'' located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. The ''lycéens'' of Janson are called ''les jansoniens'' and they usually refer to their high school as Janson, or JdS. It is the biggest academic ins ...

and settled in Paris. He started studying law, but after his father's sudden death in 1956 became a

door-to-door salesman Door-to-door is a canvassing technique that is generally used for sales, marketing, advertising, evangelism or campaigning, in which the person or persons walk from the door of one house to the door of another, trying to sell or advertise a ...

to help support his family. He also began playing

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

in Paris

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

s. In 1958, as Richard Anthony, he made his first recordings as a singer, initially recording

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...

versions of American pop hits. These included "Tu m'étais destinée" (" You Are My Destiny"), "

Peggy Sue "Peggy Sue" is a rock and roll song written by Jerry Allison and Norman Petty, and recorded and released as a single by Buddy Holly on September 20, 1957. The Crickets are not mentioned on label of the single (Coral 9-61885), but band members Jo ...

", and "Nouvelle vague" ("

Three Cool Cats "Three Cool Cats" is a 1958 song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by the Coasters and released as the B-side of their hit single, "Charlie Brown".The Beatles BiblThree Cool Cats/ref> "Three Cool Cats" was on ...

") which became successful in France. In the early 1960s he became one of the biggest French pop stars, with other hits including "

Let's Twist Again "Let's Twist Again" is a song written by Kal Mann and Dave Appell, and released as a single by Chubby Checker. One of the biggest hit singles of 1961, it reached No.8 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' pop chart (No.3 on ''Cash Box'') in August of that ye ...

", "C’est ma fête" (" It's My Party"), and "Et j'entends siffler le train" (" 500 Miles"). Biography, ''Allmusic.com''
Retrieved 10 December 2019 He started recording at the

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

in England, and reached the British charts with the English-language songs "Walking Alone" (#37, 1963) and "

If I Loved You "If I Loved You" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' Carousel''. Background In the show, the characters of Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan sing this song as they hesitantly declare their love for one another, yet are ...

" (#18, 1964). One of his songs, "I Don't Know What To Do",

arranged In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchest ...

Ivor Raymonde Ivor Raymonde (born Ivor Pomerance; 22 October 1926 – 4 June 1990) was a British musician, songwriter, arranger and actor, best known for his distinctive rock-orchestral arrangements for Dusty Springfield and others in the 1960s. Life and care ...

, was released in the US in 1965 by

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...

on the V.I.P. label, making Anthony the first European artist to appear for that company. He recorded

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

' " Ruby Tuesday" as "Fille sauvage" in 1966, and his song "Aranjuez mon amour", based on

Joaquín Rodrigo Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquess of the Gardens of Aranjuez (; 22 November 1901 – 6 July 1999), was a Spanish composer and a virtuoso pianist. He is best known for composing the ''Concierto de Aranjuez'', a cornerstone of the classical gui ...

's ''

Concierto de Aranjuez The ''Concierto de Aranjuez'' (, "Aranjuez Concerto") is a classical guitar concerto by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. Written in 1939, it is by far Rodrigo's best-known work, and its success established his reputation as one of the mos ...

'', became one of his biggest international hits in 1967. He remained popular in France, having one of his biggest hits in 1974 with "Amoureux de ma femme", which was a cover version of an Italian song originally by Caterina Caselli . Most of his recordings are cover versions in French. In the late 1970s, he remarried and moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

for several years. After returning to France in 1982, he continued to record, perform, and appear on TV shows, and in 1998 published an autobiography, ''Il faut croire aux étoiles''. Over his career, his total record sales were estimated to be at least 60 million. He died in 2015, aged 77.

Discography

* Tu m’étais destinée (1958) – You Are My Destiny *Peggy Sue (1958) –

*Suzie Darling (1958) *La do da da (1958) *Nouvelle vague (1959) – Three Cool Cats *Jéricho (1959) – Joshua Fit' the Battle *Tu parles trop (1960) – You Talk Too Much *Clémentine (1960) – Clementine *Itsy bitsy petit bikini (1960) –

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" is a novelty song telling the story of a shy girl wearing a revealing polka dot bikini at the beach. It was written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss and first released in June 1960 by Brian Hyland ...

*Dis-lui que je l’aime (1961) *Écoute dans le vent (1961) –

Blowin' in the Wind "Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962. It was released as a single and included on his album ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' in 1963. It has been described as a protest song and poses a series of rhetorical questions about ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

*Ça tourne rond (1961) – African Waltz *Let's twist again (1961) –

*Fiche le camp, Jack (1961) –

Hit the Road Jack "Hit the Road Jack" is a song written by the rhythm and blues singer Percy Mayfield and recorded by Ray Charles. The song was a US number 1 hit in 1961, and won a Grammy award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording, becoming one of Charles' signat ...

*Noël (1961) *Tu peux la prendre (1961 ou 1962) – You Can Have Her *Leçon de twist (1962) *Délivre-moi (1962) – Unchain My Heart *J’entends siffler le train (1962) – Five Hundred Miles – This sold over one million copies, and was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. *Ne boude pas (1962) - Take Five *Faits pour s’aimer (1962) - Desafinado *On twiste sur le locomotion (1963) –

The Loco-Motion "The Loco-Motion" is a 1962 pop song written by American songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King. "The Loco-Motion" was originally written for R&B singer Dee Dee Sharp, but Sharp turned the song down. The song is notable for appearing in the ...

*En écoutant la pluie (1963) – Rhythm of the Rain *C’est ma fête (1963) – It's My Party *Tchin tchin (1963) *Donne-moi ma chance (1963) – Too Late To Worry *Ce Monde (1964) –

You're My World "You're My World" is a ballad originally recorded in 1963 as "Il mio mondo" ("My World") by Umberto Bindi, who co-wrote the Italian version with Gino Paoli. Subsequently, an English version was commissioned, and the lyrics were written by Carl S ...

/ Il mio mondo *À présent tu peux t’en aller (1964) –

I Only Want to Be with You "I Only Want to Be with You" is a song written by Mike Hawker and Ivor Raymonde. The debut solo single released by British singer Dusty Springfield under her long-time producer Johnny Franz, "I Only Want to Be with You" peaked at number 4 on th ...

*À toi de choisir (1964) –

Swinging on a Star "Swinging on a Star" is an American pop standard with music composed by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was introduced by Bing Crosby in the 1944 film ''Going My Way'', winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song that year, a ...

*La Corde au cou (1965) – I Should Have Known Better *Je me suis souvent demandé (1965) *Au revoir mon amour (1965) – Goodbye My Love *Jamais je ne vivrai sans toi (1965) –

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (originally a 1965 Italian song, '"Io che non vivo (senza te)", by Pino Donaggio and Vito Pallavicini) is a 1966 hit recorded by English singer Dusty Springfield that proved to be her most successful single, re ...

*The night (La nuit) (1965), by

Salvatore Adamo Salvatore Adamo (born November 1, 1943) is a Belgian-Italian musician, singer and composer, who is known for his romantic ballads. Adamo was born in Comiso, Sicily, Italy, and has lived in Belgium since the age of three, which is why he has dual ...

*Hello Pussycat (1966) –

What's New Pussycat? ''What's New Pussycat?'' is a 1965 screwball comedy film directed by Clive Donner, written by Woody Allen in his first produced screenplay, and starring Allen in his acting debut, along with Peter Sellers, Peter O'Toole, Romy Schneider, Capuci ...

*La Terre promise (1966) –

California Dreaming "California Dreamin'" is a song written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in 196 ...

*Sunny (1966) – Sunny *Aranjuez, mon Amour (1967) inspired by

*Le Grand Meaulnes (1967) –

Le Grand Meaulnes ''Le Grand Meaulnes'' () is the only novel by French author Alain-Fournier, who was killed in the first month of World War I. The novel, published in 1913, a year before the author's death, is somewhat autobiographical – especially the name of th ...

, song inspired by a novel by the French author

Alain-Fournier Alain-Fournier () was the pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier (3 October 1886 – 22 September 1914Mémoi ...

*Inch'Allah (1967) in Arabic, by

*Un homme en enfer (1968) *L’Été (1968) *Les Ballons (1968) – Little Arrows *Le Sirop Typhon (1969) – Lily the Pink *Les Petits Cochons (1969) *L’An 2005 (1969) – In the Year 2525 *Bien l’bonjour (1970) *Na na hé hé espoir (1970) – Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye *Il pleut des larmes (1970) – La Nave del Olvido *Non stop (1977) – Don't Stop *New York (1978) *Señora la dueña (1970) – Lady D'Arbanville *San Diego (1970) *Et après (1971) by

*Un soleil rouge (1971) *Tibo (1971) *Maggy May (1971) –

Maggie May "Maggie May" is a song co-written by singer Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton, and performed by Rod Stewart on his album ''Every Picture Tells a Story'', released in 1971. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked the song number 130 on its list of T ...

*Sans toi (1972) – Without You *Victoire je t’aime (1973) *Marie-Jeanne (1973) *Amoureux de ma femme (1974) – Nessuno mi può giudicare by

Caterina Caselli Caterina Caselli (born 10 April 1946) is an Italian record producer, music executive, singer and bass player. Biography Caselli was born in Modena but grew up in Sassuolo. She started her music career by playing bass in local clubs. In 1966 sh ...

*Nathalie (1975) *Chanson de dix sous (1975) – I Can't Stay Mad at You *De la musique républicaine (1976) *Voilà pourquoi je l’aime (1976) *À l’aube du dernier jour (1977) *Minuit (1980) – MemOry *Los Angeles (1981) *Elle m’attend (1983) *T'aimer d’amour (1985) *Barrière des générations (1990) *Le rap pas innocent – Ronymix 98 (1998) *Et je m'en vais – Then I Kissed Her *Autant chercher à retenir le vent (1965) –

Catch the Wind "Catch the Wind" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. Pye Records released "Catch the Wind" backed with "Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do?" as Donovan's debut release (Pye 7N.15801) in the United Kingdom on 28 ...

*Je n'ai que toi –

All by Myself "All by Myself" is a song by American singer-songwriter Eric Carmen released in 1975. The verse is based on the second movement (''Adagio sostenuto'') of Sergei Rachmaninoff's circa 1900–1901 '' Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor'', Opus 18. The ...

*Le soleil ne brille plus (1966) –

The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was originally released as a single credited to Frankie Valli as a solo artist in 1965 on the Smash label, but was more successful when recorded by the Wa ...

*J'irai pleurer sous la pluie –

Crying in the Rain "Crying in the Rain" is a song composed by Carole King with lyrics by Howard Greenfield, originally recorded by American duo the Everly Brothers. The single peaked at number six on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1962. The song was the only c ...

*Après toi –

The Next Time "The Next Time" backed with "Bachelor Boy" was the first of three number one hit singles from the Cliff Richard musical, '' Summer Holiday''. Both sides were marketed as songs with chart potential, and the release is viewed retroactively as a dou ...

*Un papillon qui vole (1966) –

Elusive Butterfly "Elusive Butterfly" is a popular song written by Bob Lind, released as a single in December 1965, which reached number 5 on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the adult contemporary chart in the spring of 1966. In Australia, Lind's "Elusive Butt ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anthony, Richard 1938 births 2015 deaths Egyptian Jews 20th-century Egyptian male singers Egyptian emigrants to France Singers from Cairo Lycée Janson-de-Sailly alumni Pathé-Marconi artists Rock and roll musicians 20th-century French male singers

Life and career

Discography

See also

References

External links