Editing Jacques Brel (section)

==Music career==

===1953–1959===
In January 1953, Brel performed at the cabaret La Rose Noire in Brussels. In February he signed a contract with [[Philips Records]] and recorded his first 78 rpm record, "Il Y A", which was released in March.<ref name="Who Is Jacques Brel?">{{cite web|last1=Burlison|first1=David|title=Who Is Jacques Brel?|url=https://collectingbrel.com/2017/04/10/who-is-jacques-brel/|website=Collecting Brel|access-date=11 April 2017|date=10 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412142604/https://collectingbrel.com/2017/04/10/who-is-jacques-brel/|archive-date=12 April 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Todd">{{cite book|last1=Todd|first1=Olivier|title=Jacques Brel, une vie|date=2001|publisher=10/18|location=Paris|isbn=2264032472|edition=Nouv. tirage.}}</ref> The talent scout and artistic director at the record company, [[Jacques Canetti]], invited him to move to Paris. Despite his family's objections and the added pressure of raising a second daughter, France, born on 12 July,<ref name="jacquesbrel1"/> he left Brussels for Paris in the autumn of 1953.<ref name="rfi"/> In Paris Brel worked hard to get his career off the ground. He stayed at the Hotel Stevens and gave guitar lessons to artist-dancer Francesco Frediani to pay his rent. He found work on the cabaret circuit at venues such as L'Écluse, L'Échelle de Jacob, and in Jacques Canetti's cabaret Les Trois Baudets.<ref name="rfi"/>

In 1954 Brel participated in the music contest Grand Prix de la Chanson in [[Knokke]]-le-Zoute, finishing a disappointing 27th out of 28 participants. One positive result of the experience was that the French star [[Juliette Gréco]] requested to sing one of Brel's songs, "Le diable (Ça va)" (The devil (It's OK)), at her up-and-coming concert at the prestigious Olympia music-hall.<ref name="rfi"/> She went on to record the song that spring.<ref name="jacquesbrel2"/> In July 1954, Brel made his first appearance at the prestigious [[Olympia (Paris)|Olympia Theatre]] in Paris. Later that summer, he embarked on his first French tour, appearing on the bill with French singers [[Dario Moreno]], [[Philippe Clay]], and [[Catherine Sauvage]].<ref name="rfi"/> By the end of the year, Philips released his debut album, a nine-song, 10-inch LP called ''[[Jacques Brel et ses chansons]]'' ("Jacques Brel and His Songs").<ref name="ruhlmann"/>

[[File:Jacques Brel 1955.jpg|thumb|left|Jacques Brel, 1955]]
In February 1955, Brel met Georges "Jojo" Pasquier, who would become the singer's closest friend, manager, and personal chauffeur. He began singing with a number of Christian associations, which later led to his nickname of Abbé ("Abbot") Brel.<ref name="rfi"/> In March Brel's wife and children joined him in France and the family settled in the Paris suburb of [[Montreuil-sous-Bois]] on the Rue du Moulin à vent. In June he toured France again with Canetti's show ''Les Filles de Papa'', which included [[Françoise Dorin]], Perrette Souplex, and [[Suzanne Gabriello]].<ref name="jacquesbrel2"/>

In March 1956, Brel performed in North Africa, Amsterdam, [[Lausanne]], and throughout [[Belgium]].<ref name="jacquesbrel1"/> In July, while visiting [[Grenoble]], he met [[François Rauber]], a classical pianist who would become his accompanist on future recordings. Rauber played a major role in providing Brel with the formal musical training he was lacking and was responsible for Brel's musical arrangements.<ref name="rfi"/> In September Brel recorded "Quand on n'a que l'amour" ("When You Only Have Love"), which would prove to be his commercial breakthrough. The song was released in November on a Philips 7-inch EP ''Quand on n'a que l'amour''. The song reached number three on the French music charts.<ref name="ruhlmann"/>

In February 1957, Brel performed at the [[Alhambra (Paris)|Alhambra Theatre]] with [[Maurice Chevalier]],  [[Michel Legrand]], and ballet dancer [[Zizi Jeanmaire]]. In April he released his second studio album, ''[[Quand on n'a que l'amour]]'', which contained the popular title song.<ref name="rfi"/><ref name="jacquesbrel1"/> The album was recorded at the [[Apollo (Paris)|Théâtre de l'Apollo]] in Paris, with André Popp and Michel Legrand conducting.<ref name="discogs-quand"/> In June he won the prestigious [[Grand Prix du Disque]] from the [[Académie Charles Cros]]. In September he appeared on the bill in the Discorama programme ''Au Palace d'Avignon'' with [[Raymond Devos]], Pierre-Jean Vaillard, and Les Trois Ménestrels. In November he met [[Gérard Jouannest]], another talented pianist, who would accompany the singer on his many concert tours. Brel and Jouannest would also collaborate on many of Brel's future classic songs, such as "[[Madeleine (song)|Madeleine]]", "La Chanson des vieux amants" ("Song of the old lovers"), and "Les Vieux" ("The old folks").<ref name="jacquesbrel1"/>

In February 1958, Brel's wife Miche and their two children returned to live in Belgium, while Brel rented a room near [[Place de Clichy]] in Paris—a place to stay on those rare occasions when he was not touring. In March and April, he recorded his third album, ''[[Au printemps (album)|Au printemps]]'' ("In the spring"), which would be released later that year. In May, while touring Canada for the first time, he met [[Félix Leclerc]]. On 23 August, his third daughter, Isabelle, was born back in Belgium. In November he gave a recital at the Halles d'Arlon in [[Luxembourg (Belgium)|Belgian Luxembourg]] with Stéphane Steeman. In December Brel appeared at the [[Olympia (Paris)|Olympia]] in Paris as the supporting act to [[Philippe Clay]]. The pianist Gérard Jouannest and [[François Rauber]] joined Brel on stage for this performance.<ref name="jacquesbrel1"/> Brel's incredibly emotional performance brought the house down.<ref name="rfi"/>

In January 1959, Brel signed a new recording contract with Philips Records. He continued to tour extensively throughout the year. On 22 February, he performed at the Bolivie Gala in the Solvay Casino in [[Couillet, Belgium|Couillet]]. In March he starred at the Trois Baudets with [[Serge Gainsbourg]]. In September he recorded his fourth album, ''[[La Valse à mille temps]]'' (The thousand-beat waltz), with François Rauber and his orchestra. On 14 October, he appeared at the Eden in [[Mouscron]] with [[Raymond Devos]]. On 20 November, he sang with [[Charles Aznavour]] at the [[Ancienne Belgique]] in Brussels.<ref name="jacquesbrel2"/> By the end of the decade, he had gained an impressive and enthusiastic following across France. He was so popular that he was invited to headline the end-of-year concert at the renowned Bobino in Paris. The concert was an enormous success. During these appearances, he stopped accompanying himself on the guitar to concentrate entirely on his increasingly theatrical vocal performances.<ref name="rfi"/>

===1960–1967===
[[File:TV-uitzending Domino Jacques Brel tijdens de opname in Amsterdam, Marcanti, Bestanddeelnr 914-8399.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Jacques Brel, 1963]]
In January 1960, Brel's new impresario, Charles Marouani, organised a series of international concert tours for the singer that would take him from the French provinces to the then [[Soviet Union]], the Middle East, Canada, and the United States. From 19 to 24 March, he appeared at the [[Ancienne Belgique]] in Brussels. On 19 October, he performed at [[Shepheard's Hotel]] in [[Cairo]]. The year's concert tours brought him international recognition and popularity.<ref name="rfi"/><ref name="jacquesbrel2"/> His appearances initiated the first United States release of a Jacques Brel recording, ''American Début'', released on [[Columbia Records]]. It was a compilation of previously released Philips tracks.<ref name="ruhlmann"/>

In January 1961, Brel made a triumphant return to the Bobino. By now, the accordionist Jean Corti had joined his touring group. Between 22 February and 12 April, he recorded his fifth album for Philips simply titled ''[[5 (Jacques Brel album)|No. 5]]'', which introduced the future Brel classics "Marieke" and "Le Moribond" (The dying man).<ref name="rfi"/> In March he toured Canada again. In [[Montreal]] he met French actress and singer [[Clairette Oddera]] at her club on the Rue Saint-Jacques. They would become good friends. While in Montreal, he appeared with [[Raymond Devos]] at La Comédie Canadienne.<ref name="jacquesbrel1"/> In May Brel performed at the [[Kurhaus of Scheveningen]] in [[The Hague]] in the [[Netherlands]]. From 12 to 29 October, he returned to the [[Olympia (Paris)|Olympia music hall]] in Paris with star billing, after [[Marlene Dietrich]] cancelled at the last minute. Many critics point to these inspired performances as the turning point in his career. The audiences responded with rapturous applause and the critics proclaimed him as the new star of French [[chanson]].<ref name="rfi"/>

In March 1962, Brel left Philips Records and signed a five-year contract with [[Barclay Records]]. The contract was to be renewed in 1967 for another six years. His first album release for his new label was a live album, ''[[Olympia 1961]]'', recorded the previous year.<ref name="ruhlmann"/> On 6 March, he recorded his first song for Barclay, "Le plat Pays" (The flat country). During the second week of March, he recorded the remaining tracks for his sixth studio album, ''[[Les Bourgeois]]'' (The bourgeois). In addition to the title song and "Le plat Pays", the new album contained the future Brel classics "Madeleine", "Les Biches" (The does), and "La Statue" (The statue).<ref name="jacquesbrel3"/> In October, Brel set up his own music publishing company, Arlequin, which was soon renamed Éditions Musicales Pouchenel. Brel's wife Miche was appointed company director.<ref name="rfi"/> In November he recorded "Les Bigotes", "Quand Maman reviendra" (When mother returns), "Les Filles et les chiens" (Girls and dogs), and "La Parlote" (The gossip) as singles.<ref name="jacquesbrel2"/>

[[File:TV-uitzending Domino Jacques Brel tijdens de opname in Amsterdam, Marcanti, Bestanddeelnr 914-8400.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.35|Jacques Brel, 1963]]
In April 1963, Brel performed again at the Bobino in Paris. In July he headlined at the Casino in Knokke for the fifth Coupe d'Europe de Tour de Chant. During this engagement, he performed the classic "[[Mathilde (song)|Mathilde]]" for the first time.<ref name="jacquesbrel2"/> He also returned for another triumphant engagement at the Olympia in Paris, performing with [[Isabelle Aubret]], who was the support act. Once again, his performance was a critical and artistic success, with the audience leaping up from their seats in a standing ovation following his emotional rendering of "[[Amsterdam (Jacques Brel song)|Amsterdam]]".<ref name="jacquesbrel2"/>

The year 1964 brought a mix of personal tragedies and professional triumphs. On 8 January, Brel's father, Romain, died of bronchial pneumonia. Only two months later, on 7 March, his mother, Élisabeth (nicknamed Mouky), also died. At the same time, he was given the Gold Medal of Brussels from the Tourist Information Bureau and won a prize from the Société d'Auteurs Belge/Belgische Auteurs Maatschappij ([[SABAM]]). He was also awarded the French Academy's Grand Prix du Disque. He continued his ambitious touring schedule. By the end of the year, he released a new live album, ''[[Olympia 1964]]''.<ref name="rfi"/> That year, he discovered a new passion, aviation. After taking flying lessons with Paul Lepanse, he purchased a small plane.<ref name="jacquesbrel4"/> In the United States, his audience was growing. American poet and singer [[Rod McKuen]] began translating Brel's songs into English, and the [[Kingston Trio]] recorded one of his English versions on their ''Time to Think'' album, "[[Seasons in the Sun]]", based on Brel's "Le Moribond" (The dying man).<ref name="ruhlmann"/>

In 1965 [[Reprise Records]] licensed tracks from Barclay for a United States album titled ''Jacques Brel''.<ref name="ruhlmann"/> On 25 March, he performed at the [[Kurhaus of Scheveningen]] in the [[Netherlands]]. In October he completed a successful five-week tour of the [[Soviet Union]], which included a week's engagement at the Estrada Theatre in Moscow. On 6 November, he was back in France, recording the songs "Fernand", "Les Désespérés" (The despaired), and "[[Ces gens-là (song)|Ces gens-là]]" (These people) for Barclay. On 4 December, he appeared at the prestigious [[Carnegie Hall]] in New York City. His performance was received with high public and critical acclaim.<ref name="rfi"/>

[[File:TV-uitzending Domino Jacques Brel tijdens de opname in Amsterdam, Marcanti, Bestanddeelnr 914-8402.jpg|thumb|Jacques Brel, 1963]]
By 1966 Brel had grown increasingly weary of his grueling concert schedules. In April he toured [[Djibouti]], Madagascar, [[Réunion|Reunion Island]], and [[Mauritius]]. On 21 August, while on tour in [[Vittel]], he revealed to his musicians his decision to retire from touring.<ref name="jacquesbrel4"/> In subsequent public statements, Brel stated that he had nothing more to give to the music world and that he wanted to devote more time to other projects.<ref name="rfi"/> In October 1966, he gave a series of farewell concerts at the Olympia in Paris. Thousands of devoted fans flocked to see these final performances, which took place over the course of three weeks. On 1 November, he gave his final concert at the Olympia. After a highly emotional and stunning performance, the audience's standing ovations prompted him to return to the stage seven times for his final bows.<ref name="rfi"/> He spent the next six months fulfilling his concert commitments. On 15 November, he gave his farewell performance at the [[Palais des Beaux-Arts]] in Brussels. Later that month, he gave his final UK performance at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London. During these last months of his world tour, many of his close friends, including [[Charles Aznavour]], urged him to reconsider his decision to retire from singing, but he was adamant about his decision.<ref name="rfi"/> On 4 December, he returned to [[Carnegie Hall]] in New York City and gave inspired performances before enthusiastic fans. By then, several English recordings of his songs were on the charts, including [[Damita Jo DeBlanc|Damita Jo]]'s "If You Go Away" (based on "Ne me quitte pas"), [[Judy Collins]]' "The Dove" (based on "La Colombe"), and [[Glenn Yarbrough]]'s "The Women" (based on "Les Biches").<ref name="ruhlmann"/>

In January 1967, Brel finished recording songs for a new studio album, ''[[Jacques Brel 67]]'', which was released later in the year. The album included "Mon Enfance" (My childhood), "Fils de..." (Sons of...), "Les bonbons 67" (The candies 67), and "La Chanson des vieux amants" (Song of the old lovers).<ref name="jacquesbrel3"/> In late January, he returned to [[Carnegie Hall]] and gave one final performance. While in New York, he went to see ''[[Man of La Mancha]]'', a musical based on [[Miguel de Cervantes]]' novel ''[[Don Quixote]]'', at the [[ANTA Washington Square Theatre]] in [[Greenwich Village]]. Moved by the experience, he began planning a French language production of the musical for Europe. He returned to France in the spring and, on 16 May 1967, he gave his final concert performance in [[Roubaix]] in northern France.<ref name="rfi"/><ref name="ruhlmann"/> Toward the end of the year, with vague plans of sailing around the world, Brel purchased a yacht.<ref name="jacquesbrel4"/>

===1968–1972===
[[File:Jacques Brel 1971 2.jpg|thumb|Jacques Brel, 1971]]
Following his retirement from the concert stage, Brel's professional life focused on film. He would record only four more studio albums in the last decade of his life. In September 1968, he recorded the songs for the album, ''[[J'arrive]]'' (I'm coming), which was released later in the year. In addition to the title song, the album included "[[Vesoul (song)|Vesoul]]", "Je suis un soir d'été" (I am a summer's evening), and "Un Enfant" (A child). In October 1968, his musical ''L'Homme de La Mancha'' (''Man of La Mancha'') premièred in [[Brussels]], with Brel playing [[Don Quixote]] and [[Dario Moreno]] playing Sancho Panza. Moreno would die tragically only ten days before the musical's Paris première.<ref name="rfi"/> From 23 to 27 November, Brel and his fellow cast-members recorded the studio album ''[[L'Homme de la Mancha]]''. He adapted the book, translated the lyrics, directed the production, and played the lead role. This was the only time he ever adapted songs by other writers or appeared in a stage musical. The album contains his classic performance of "[[The Impossible Dream (The Quest)|La Quête]]" (The quest). Moreno was replaced by Robert Manuel, and the first performance at the [[Théâtre des Champs-Élysées]] in Paris went ahead as planned on 11 December 1968.<ref name="jacquesbrel5"/> Brel's performance received unanimous praise. After 150 performances of ''L'Homme de La Mancha'', he gave his final performance in the role of Don Quixote on 17 May 1969. He was never replaced.<ref name="rfi"/>

In March 1970 Brel gave a one-off performance at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. Unusually this did not involve singing but instead recitation. In the first half of the performance he recited [[Sergei Prokofiev]]'s famous story, ''[[Peter and the Wolf]]''. In the second half he told the tale of Jean de Brunhoff's ''[[Babar the Elephant]]''.

In 1972 Brel signed a special 30-year contract with [[Barclay Records]]. Although there were no new songs to record, Barclay persuaded him to return to the studio to re-record 11 of the better-known songs he cut for [[Philips Records]] during the early years of his music career. The result was the album ''[[Ne me quitte pas (album)|Ne me quitte pas]]'' (Don't leave me), which contained [[Ne me quitte pas|the title track]], "Marieke", "Les Flamandes" (Flemish women), "Quand on n'a que l'amour" (When you only have love), "Les Biches" (The does), "Le Moribond" (The dying man), "La Valse à mille temps" (The waltz in thousand time), and "Je ne sais pas" (I don't know). His earlier youthful energy was now lovingly harnessed by his longtime colleagues, arranger François Rauber and pianist Gerard Jouannest.<ref name="rfi"/><ref name="ruhlmann-ne-me-quitte"/>