Episode 1

Synopsis

Petula Clark presents Bonjour Mr. Aznavour.

Born in Paris, the son of Armenian immigrant parents, Charles Aznavour is now one of the last great French chansonniers. Readers of Time magazine have voted Aznavour Entertainer of the Century and in 2009 he received the lifetime achievement award from MIDEM.

From a heritage passed down through Piaf, Trenet, Chevailer and others, Charles has brought his own style to this unique musical tradition and in doing so raised it and himself to worldwide fame. After becoming Edith Piaf's protégé, Charles went on to work with artists such as Liza Minnelli and Nana Mouskouri. His songs have been covered by Julio Iglesias, Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Placido Domingo, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, Shirley Bassey, and Ray Charles.

The series will include new interviews with Charles himself, Nana Mouskouri, Josh Groban, Juliette Greco, film director Atom Egoyan, Fred Mella from the Compagnons de Chanson, Paul Gambaccini and the three lyricists that translated his songs into English, helping to bring his music to a global audience - Herbert Kretzmer, Dee Shipman and Marcel Stellman.

Coming from a musical family, it was no surprise that Charles wanted a career on the stage, and he began at an early age, enrolling in stage school and performing as a child actor. But a chance hearing of Maurice Chevalier convinced Charles that he wanted to be a singer.

It wasn't easy to begin with and it took a while to get past the critics. At first he performed as a duo with Pierre Roche and it was during this time he was spotted by Edith Piaf and publisher Raoul Breton. He and Pierre Roche toured with Piaf and the Compagnons de Chanson and later followed her to America.

He faced another struggle after deciding to go solo - he didn't look or sound like a star - but eventually, with songs like Yesterday When I Was Young and She, Charles cracked the US and UK markets. Not content with only singing, Charles has also continued with his first love of acting. Over the years he's appeared in more than 60 movies including 'Shoot the Piano Player' and 'The Tin Drum'.

Jean Cocteau once commented that "before Charles, despair was unpopular". He was referring to Charles' lyrics, and the fact that Charles rejected the traditional topics of chanson, and instead came up with his own, more realistic style. You've Let Yourself Go describes the brutal reality of an aging lover; What Makes A Man is the life of a transvestite; and I Have Seen Paris talks of war zones and Nazis occupation. It's also through his songwriting that we see how much he cares for his parents' country Armenia. They Fell describes the Armenian crisis of 1915 and Pour Toi Armenie was written after the 1988 earthquake.

It's also through his lyrics that Charles continues to be popular. Nana Mouskouri explains the continuing appeal of his songs to a younger audience. Showing no signs of stopping, Charles has a US tour planned for this year and another jazz themed album following his Duos release of December 2008, Charles explains that he "will be farewelling for a long time".

Broadcast

1. Fri 22 May 2009
   19:00
   BBC Radio 2