Paul Mauriat
French composer/conductor Paul Mauriat is a classically trained musician who decided to pursue a career in popular music. His first major success came in 1962, as a co-writer of the European hit "Chariot." In 1963, the song was given English lyrics, renamed "I Will Follow Him," and became a number one American hit for Little Peggy March. Mauriat is best remembered for his 1968 worldwide smash "Love Is Blue."
Mauriat's ancestors were all classical musicians and he originally planned to follow in their footsteps, studying the music as a child and enrolling in the Conservatoire in Paris when he was ten years old. As a teenager, he became infatuated with jazz and popular music, which made him stray from his initial career path. At the age of 17, he formed an orchestra and began touring concert halls throughout Europe. These concerts earned him the attention of vocalist/songwriter Charles Aznavour, who hired Mauriat as an arranger and conductor. Through Aznavour, he began working with a variety of other French artists. For the remainder of the '40s and the '50s, he worked primarily as an arranger for other musicians.
Mauriat began a solo career in the early '60s, recording a series of instrumental albums that were distinguished by their sweeping, melodic strings and gently insistent contemporary rhythms. Using the pseudonym Del Roma, he co-wrote "Chariot," which became a hit for Petula Clark in 1962. The following year, the song was given a new, English lyric by Arthur Altman and Norman Gimbel and was recorded by Little Peggy March as "I Will Follow Him"; it became a number one hit in the U.S.
Throughout the '60s, Mauriat continued to record his pop instrumental albums, which became more popular as the decade progressed. His popularity peaked in 1968, when his version of "L'Amour Est Bleu" (Love Is Blue), which was Luxembourg's submission to the 1963 Eurovision Song contest, became an international hit, reaching number one on a number of charts, including America. The single was supported by Blooming Hits, an album that featured a selection of '60s pop hits; the album was massively popular and it is estimated that it sold in excess of two million copies worldwide. Mauriat became an international recording star, touring North and Latin America, Europe, and Japan, and making television appearances in several countries.
Although Mauriat's popularity dipped in the early '70s -- he only had two other U.S. hit singles, "Love in Every Room" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," which were both minor -- he continued to sell respectably throughout the world, particularly in Europe. After the '80s his recorded output slowed as his Western audience dwindled, but in the Far East he found a loyal following. Tours of Russia, China, and Japan would continue until 1998 when the conductor gave his last live performance in Osaka. A year later, former lead pianist Gilles Gambus would become conductor of the orchestra, and then in 2005 French horn player Jean-Jacques Justafre would be handed the baton. On November 3, 2006, Mauriat died in the southern French city of Perpignan.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Kenneth M. Cassidy /TiVo
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Popular Songs
Film Soundtracks - Released by Popular Songs on 6 Nov 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Essential Collection
Film Soundtracks - Released by Essential Collection on 16 Oct 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Last Lullaby
Pop - Released by classics & more on 7 Nov 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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In The Middle
Film Soundtracks - Released by Sandmann & Walther on 20 Jun 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Long Play
Pop - Released by playersparty remastered on 8 Nov 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
À Malypense (Mono version)
French Music - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Der Gendarm vom Broadway (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Raymond Lefevre, Geniève Grad, Paul Mauriat
Film Soundtracks - Released by Playtime on 1 Jan 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas In The Old Home
Pop - Released by Christmas In The Old Home on 3 Dec 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Black Guitarist
Film Soundtracks - Released by Black Guitarist again on 18 Apr 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Amigo Dance
Film Soundtracks - Released by Amigo Dance on 18 Nov 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Usignolo
Jazz - Released by Black & Partner Licenses LLC on 31 Mar 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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