Editing Jacques Brel (section)

===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"/>