Nino Ferrer
Nino Ferrer , actually Nino Agostino Arturo Mario Ferrari (born August 15, 1934 in Genoa , † August 13, 1998 in Montcuq , Lot , France), was a French singer, songwriter and composer of Italian descent.
Life
Nino Ferrer spent the first years of his life in New Caledonia , where his father worked as an engineer. After his return to France in 1947 and school in Paris , he studied ethnology and prehistory and early history at the Sorbonne . In addition, he was interested in painting and music.
After completing his studies, Nino Ferrer went on a world tour aboard a cargo ship, took part in some excavations in Melanesia and devoted himself to jazz on his return to France. From 1959 records appeared on which his name was recorded: He was double bass player on two singles of the Dixie Cats and the following year bassist on a record of Gottamou . In the early 1960s he accompanied the American singer Nancy Holloway and unsuccessfully offered his own compositions to several record publishers. In 1963 he recorded his first record: Pour oublier qu'on s'est aimé . The B-side of this single, C'est irréparable , is available in an Italian version ( Un anno d'amore ) and in a Spanish version entitled Un año de amor and sung by Luz Casal in the film High Heels by Pedro Almodóvar can be heard.
The record had only moderate success in France but was released in other European countries, in Japan and even in the Middle East. It was not until 1965 that he was able to celebrate a success with the song Mirza . This song was immediately successful, which led Nino Ferrer to record more hits like Les cornichons and Oh! With more or less enthusiasm . Hé! Hein! bon! These songs earned him the reputation of a joker that haunted him for a long time. To compensate for this he sang melancholy melodies on the B-sides of his records ( Ma vie pour rien ).
Nino Ferrer then retired from show business and went to Italy, where he stayed for three years (until 1970). While records continued to be released in France ( Le téléfon , Mao et Moa , Mon copain Bismarck , much more ironic), Ferrer's fame rose thanks to a television program he hosted: Io, Agata e tu .
After returning to France, he settled in Quercy , where he ran a horse breeding business. But a meeting with Irish guitarist Mickey Finn, who had worked with Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones , among others , brought him back to music and made him work as a composer again. Les Leggs was created with Mickey and his band and Nick . After months of composing and writing, Métronome was published in 1972 . The album had only moderate success, but one of its tracks, La maison près de la fontaine , sold more than 500,000 copies as a single.
Over the next few years, Nino Ferrer repeatedly brought out albums ( Nino and Leggs , Nino and Radiah , Suite en œuf , Véritables variétés verdâtres ), the success of which was rather low, but was always overshadowed by the considerable success of one or two singles from it. For example at Le Sud (summer hit of 1975). This song enabled him to buy a country house where he housed a recording studio. In 1979, Blunat appeared in the blues rock style with a powerful drum start and a wild solo with electric guitar at the end. Then he went on tour with Jacques Higelin . La Carmencita , Ex-Libris , Rock'n'Roll Cowboy and a few concerts followed in the next few years .
But at the beginning of the 1990s he published a compilation which, in addition to the successes, also features lesser-known compositions. He brought out another plate ( La Désabusion ) and exhibited his paintings in Paris. Then he started a tour. A last album with various titles that were sung and / or written by friends or family members was released in 1995: La vie chez les automobiles .
Three years later, one month after his mother's death, Ferrer committed suicide on August 13, 1998: He shot himself in the heart in the open. Ferrer had just started recording what he'd planned to be his last album with the Leggs, entitled Suite et fin .
Discography
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- 1966: Enregistrement public
- 1967: Nino Ferrer
- 1969: Nino Ferrer
- 1970: Rats and Rolls
- 1972: Métronomy
- 1972: Nino Ferrer and Leggs
- 1974: Nino & Radiah
- 1975: Suite en œuf
- 1977: Véritables variétés verdâtres
- 1979: Blanat
- 1981: La Carmencita
- 1982: Ex-Libris
- 1983: Rock n'roll Cow-boy
- 1986: 13th album
- 1993: La désabusion
- 1993: La vie chez les automobiles
- 1995: Concert chez Harry
Web links
- Website of Nino Ferrer (French)
- Biography of Nino Ferrer, on the website of Radio France Internationale
- Nino Ferrer, an unknown celebrity site of the Hall de la chanson (French)
- Humorous homage (French)
swell
| personal data | |
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| SURNAME | Ferrer, Nino |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ferrari, Nino Agostino Arturo Mario (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French singer, songwriter and composer of Italian descent |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 15, 1934 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Genoa |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 13, 1998 |
| Place of death | Montcuq , France |