Paul Mauriat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Mauriat
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Paul Julien André Mauriat |
| Born | 4 March 1925 Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France |
| Died | 3 November 2006 (aged 81) Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales, France |
| Genres | Classical, easy listening, Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, orchestra leader, composer |
| Instruments | Piano, Organ |
| Years active | 1943–1998 |
| Labels | Philips, Pony Canyon, Universal |
| Associated acts | |
Paul Mauriat (born March 4, 1925 – died November 3, 2006) was a famous French musician. He was an orchestra leader and composer, best known for his beautiful instrumental music. His orchestra was called Le Grand Orchestre de Paul Mauriat. He became very famous for his version of the song "Love is Blue", which was a number one hit in the United States in 1968.
Contents
Paul Mauriat's Life Story
Early Life and Music Journey (1925–1956)
Paul Mauriat was born in 1925 in Marseille, France. His father loved classical music and played the piano and violin. Paul started playing music when he was just four years old.
At age 10, he went to a special music school called the Conservatoire in Marseille. He studied classical music there. But by the time he was 17, he discovered his love for jazz and popular music.
As a young adult, Paul Mauriat formed his own dance band. They toured around Europe in the 1940s. In the 1950s, he became the music director for famous French singers like Charles Aznavour and Maurice Chevalier. He traveled with them on their tours.
First Recordings and Movie Music (1957–1962)
In 1957, Paul Mauriat released his first music collection, an EP called Paul Mauriat. One of his early songs, Rendez-vous au Lavandou, won an award in 1958.
From 1959 to 1964, he recorded many albums with his orchestra. He sometimes used different names for his recordings, like Richard Audrey, to show the international style of his music. During this time, he also worked with a group called Les Satellites. He created special vocal harmonies for their albums.
Paul Mauriat also composed music for several French movies. These included Un Taxi Pour Tobrouk (1961) and Faites Sauter La Banque (1964).
Becoming an International Star (1963–1997)
Paul Mauriat had his first international hit song called Chariot. He wrote it with his friends Franck Pourcel and Jacques Plante. In the United States, the song was recorded as "I Will Follow Him" by Little Peggy March. It became a number one hit in 1963. This song was also used in the movie Sister Act in 1992 and sampled by the rapper Eminem.
Between 1967 and 1972, he wrote many songs for the singer Mireille Mathieu. He also arranged over 130 songs for Charles Aznavour.
In 1968, his cover of "Love Is Blue" became a huge hit in the US. It stayed at the top of the music charts for five weeks! This was the first instrumental song to reach number one on the Billboard charts since 1962. The success of this song and his album Blooming Hits made Paul Mauriat a global music star.
In 1969, Paul Mauriat started his first world tour with his Grand Orchestra. They visited many countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Mauriat released albums that celebrated his love for classical music. Albums like "Paul Mauriat joue Chopin" and "Classics in the Air" featured famous classical pieces. He gave them his unique "Mauriat" sound.
Paul Mauriat became incredibly popular in Japan in the 1970s. He was the only international artist to play two sold-out shows in one day at the famous Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo. His orchestra's music was even used in Japanese TV commercials for coffee and wine.
His compositions were also used in several Soviet television shows and short films. These included the animated film Polygon (film) and the show "In the world of animals."
Retirement and Legacy (1998–2006)
Paul Mauriat stopped performing in 1998. His last show was called the Sayonara Concert, recorded live in Osaka, Japan. Even after he retired, his orchestra continued to tour the world.
His former lead pianist, Gilles Gambus, became the orchestra's conductor in 2000. He led successful tours in Japan, China, and Russia. In 2005, another musician, Jean-Jacques Justafré, conducted the orchestra during a tour of Japan and Korea.
Paul Mauriat passed away on November 3, 2006, in Perpignan, France, at the age of 81. After his death, The Paul Mauriat Grand Orchestra also stopped performing. He is buried in Perpignan.
Famous Recordings
Paul Mauriat created a huge collection of music. He recorded over 1,000 songs during his time with PolyGram (1965–1993). His single "Love is Blue" and the album Blooming Hits each sold over one million copies. "Love is Blue" received a special award called a gold disc in 1968.
In 1965, Mauriat formed Le Grand Orchestre de Paul Mauriat. They released hundreds of recordings through the Philips label for 28 years. In 1994, he signed with a Japanese record company called Pony Canyon. He re-recorded some of his biggest hits and wrote new songs there.
Awards and Recognition
Paul Mauriat received many important awards for his music. He won the Grand Prix from the French music industry. He also received a MIDEM trophy. In 1997, he was given a special honor called Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres from the French Ministry of Culture.
He sold over 40 million albums around the world. He also completed 28 tours in Japan between 1969 and 1998, showing how popular he was there.
In 2002, a book about his life was published by Serge Elhaik, titled Paul Mauriat: une vie en bleu.
Some saxophones and trumpets are named after Paul Mauriat. This shows his lasting popularity, especially in Taiwan, where the instruments are made.
Discography
Singles
- "Puppet on a String" (1967)
- "Love Is Blue" (U.S. #1, 1968)
- "Love In Every Room" (U.S. #60, 1968)
- "San Francisco" (U.S. #103, 1968)
- "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" (U.S. #76, 1969)
- "Hey Jude" (U.S. #119, 1969)
- "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus" (1970)
- "Gone Is Love" (1970)
- "Apres Toi (Come What May)" (1972)
- "Love Theme from "The Godfather" (Butterfly) (1972)
- "Taka Takata" (1972)
Albums
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See also
In Spanish: Paul Mauriat para niños
