Bossa nova pioneer Henri Salvador dies at 90
CBC Arts | Posted: February 13, 2008 6:54 PM | Last Updated: February 13, 2008
Silky-voiced French singer Henri Salvador, who is credited with inspiring the bossa nova as well as bringing rock 'n' roll to France, has died at the age of 90.
Salvador died of an aneurysm at his Paris home on Wednesday, according to a spokeswoman for his music label, Polydor.
Salvador existed "at the crossroads of jazz, song and bossa nova, of Europe and the Americas," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a statement, which called the singer's death a cause for "infinite sadness."
"For more than a half-century, with humour and elegance, Henri Salvador was the incarnation of the art of song 'à la française,'" Sarkozy said.
The prolific performer and self-taught musician, who had been planning to record a new album this year, had a long and varied career during which he was credited with a number of innovations.
Brazilian officials have honoured Salvador with the country's Order of Cultural Merit, in part for creating the bossa nova genre, though the singer himself often insisted that it was the late Brazilian jazz musician Antonio Carlos who invented the musical style.
Salvador experimented across genres
Throughout his career, the French Guiana-born Salvador also tackled a number of different genres, including jazz, blues, French chanson and even rock 'n' roll, famously collaborating with songwriters Boris Vian and Jacqueline Garabedian — who also became his manager and second wife.
The savvy Garabedian also nudged Salvador toward television, and he became one of the first French musicians to set his music to televised footage, thus pioneering music videos in France.
Salvador's credits also included hosting TV variety shows in the 1960s and 1970s. He released solo albums, participated in soundtracks for children's films and toured constantly for recitals and concerts.
Among his other distinctions over the years, Salvador was honoured by France's national songwriters and composers union with a lifetime achievement award in early 2004. Just a few months later, former French President Jacques Chirac presented the singer with the Légion d'honneur, France's highest honour.