Georges Brassens was born in Sète, a small harbour town on the French Mediterranean coast, on October 22 1921. His father, Louis Brassens, a builder and local entrepreneur, married Elvira Dagrosa (recently widowed in the First World War) in 1919 and Georges was brought up with his nine-year-old half-sister, Simone, the child from his mother's previous marriage.

Although his parents had fundamentally different points of view on many issues including religion (Elvira was an extremely pious woman, whereas Louis was a notorious anti-cleric) Georges grew up in a happy family environment. Music filled the Sète household throughout Georges's childhood. Indeed, his mother, greatly influenced by her Neapolitan origins, had a veritable passion for traditional Italian folk songs and mandolin music. The young Georges was encouraged to play the mandolin from an early age and it was on this instrument that he learnt the simple chords he would later develop on the guitar.

Georges was an average pupil at school, but his French teacher Alphonse Bonnafé (who would go on to write the first Brassens biography in 1963) soon introduced him to poetry, which was to become the young Georges's overwhelming passion in life. Georges soon began writing poems and song lyrics in his spare time, setting these to the fashionable tunes of the day. Georges then went on to form his own group, "Jazz", a small orchestra which performed at local fetes and cultural events. (Georges was the drummer).

By this time Georges had proved that his talents were definitely not related to his school studies. His future was decided for him when, following a theft at his school in the autumn of 1938 (a theft in which Georges was implicated without actually having been involved) he was obliged to leave the school. Georges had already outgrown the small town of Sète anyway and he was thinking of packing his bags and moving to Paris. But when war broke out at the end of the year (an event which did not really affect life in Sète) Georges continued working with his father, delaying his plans for a while. In February 1940, howeevr, he finally arrived in the capital, where he lived with his aunt, Antoinette Dagrosa, for the first few months, and worked at the Renault car factory to earn his living.

Georges continued writing poetry, however, and he would frequently return from work and sit down at his aunt's piano to compose new songs. When Paris was bombarded later that year he returned to Sète for a few months, but he was back in the capital by September. From this point on Georges devoted all his time and energy to his poetry and by 1942 he had succeeded in publishing two short collections of poems, "A la venvole" and "Des coups d'épée dans l'eau".

In March 1943 Brassens was sent to Germany to work as an S.T.O. (an obligatory war worker) at Basdorf. It was here that Brassens met fellow S.T.O. Pierre Onténiente, who would become one of the singer's lifelong friends. In 1956 Onténiente (whom Brassens who had a penchant for nicknames always referred to as "Gibralter") would become his private secretary and closest confidant.

Brassens, the ever-faithful friend

Brassens placed enormous importance on friendship and throughout his life he would remain faithful to his childhood friends from Sète and the new friends he made in Germany. Brassens was also close friends with numerous celebrities (including the writer René Fallet, Belgian singer Jacques Brel, the French comedian Raymond Devos and the actor Lino Ventura).

In March 1944 Brassens returned home on leave. Vowing that he would never go back to Germany he went into hiding in Paris in the home of Jeanne and Marcel Planche, a couple to whom Brassens remained devoted for the rest of his life. Indeed, in the course of his career, Brassens would devote numerous songs to the Planches, such as "La canne de Jeanne" (in 1953) and "Chanson pour l'auvergnat" for Marcel (in 1955). The singer would end up living with the couple until 1966.

It was while living in the Planches's home, surrounded by the cats he adored, that Brassens composed many of his classic songs. The singer would rarely compose his work by picking out chords on his guitar. Instead, he would begin by creating rhymes in his texts, tapping out a rhythm on his desk by hand. He would then pick out a simple melody on the piano, fitting the lyrics around the notes. Although his melodies always appeared exceedingly simple, they were generally fairly complex compositions. Brassens, having received no formal musical training created his own rules as he went along.

In 1946 Brassens began to earn a living by publishing articles in the anarchist review "Le Libertaire". While Brassens may not have expressed his personal form of anarchy in a political way, such as the famous French protest singer Léo Ferré did, his songs were openly irreverent and anti-conformist. Brassens was already ready to attack hypocrisy and social coventions, and particularly eager to launch attacks on his bête noire, religion. Brassens would also write numerous songs about society's underclass, peopling his lyrics with tramps and prostitutes.

In 1947 Brassens published his first novel "La lune écoute aux portes". At this point in his career Brassens was still continuing to devote time and energy to his songwriting career. Indeed, he penned some of his most famous songs during this period (such as "Brave Margot", "La mauvaise réputation" and "Le Gorille", a fervent plea against the death penalty which remained banned from French airwaves for several years).

It was in also around this time that Brassens met and fell in love with Joha Heiman, the Estonian woman with whom he would share the rest of his life. Although the couple never married or lived in the same house, they were devoted to one another. Georges nicknamed Joha Püppchen (Little Puppy) and once said of her, "Joha's not my wife, she's my goddess".

1952 - Brassens meets the famous music-hall star Patachou

Brassens's vertiginous rise to fame did not actually begin until the 1950's. In the early days of his career Brassens had to struggle to get his work accepted on the cabaret circuit. However, thanks to Jacques Grello, a singer already known on the cabaret scene, Georges managed to place a few songs at the Caveau de la République, Milord l'Arsouille, la Villa d'Este and the famous Lapin Agile cabaret in Montmartre. But audiences were not really interested in his lyrics.

The songwriter was beginning to lose hope of ever making a living on the cabaret circuit when, in 1952, he auditioned for the singer Patachou, who owned one of the most fashionable night-spots in Paris. There were very few people in the audience on March 6th when Brassens sang his material, but the few there were greeted his performance with rapturous applause and Patachou engaged him on the spot. (Thanks to this audition Brassens would also meet Pierre Nicolas, who would become his loyal double-bass player for the rest of his career). Patachou, greatly impressed by Brassens's work, finally managed to persuade him that he should be up on stage singing his work rather than her. In spite of the fact that Brassens was an extremely timid man who had never imagined himself as anything but a simple songwriter, he would finally overcame his stage fright and begin singing on the cabaret circuit.

Brassens went on to prove an enormous hit, both with cabaret audiences and the music critics and Jacques Canetti, artistic director of the Polydor label and owner of Les Trois Baudets cabaret immediately offered the singer a permanent spot. Canetti was also keen to get Brassens into the recording studio. But first he sent the singer off on a summer tour so that he would gain the experience necessary to confront major Parisian audiences when he supported Henri Salvador. Canetti needn't have worried, Brassens proved an enormous hit with audiences when he performed with Salvador later that year. Nothing could stop Brassens's rise to fame now - not even controversial songs like "Le Gorille" (which openly denounced the death penalty).

Brassens's lyrics also caused a few problems when it came to recording some of his songs, but thanks to Jacques Canetti's unbending will, Brassens' first 45rpm and 78rpm singles came out on the Polydor label in 1952.

1953 - Concert debut at the Bobino

On October 16 1953, Georges Brassens gave his first major concert in Paris, performing at the Bobino Theatre. (Brassens's name would remain inextricably linked to the Bobino's history, for the singer performed there no less than 13 times). 1953 also saw the publication of Brassens's new novel "La Tour des miracles". In December of that year Brassens's début album was released, under the humourous title "Georges Brassens chante les chansons poétiques (et souvent gaillardes) de ... Georges Brassens". ("Georges Brassens sings the poetic (and often rather risqué) songs of Georges Brassens"). In 1954 Brassens also performed at the Olympia for the first time (appearing at the legendary Paris music-hall twice in February and returning for another successful concert in September).

1954 also saw the publication of "La mauvaise réputation", a collection of poems and lyrics which proved that Brassens was not only a talented singer with an innovative singing style, but also a gifted poet with absolute mastery of the French language. Brassens's exceptional talent was recognised later that year when he was awarded the "Grand Prix de l'Académie du Disque Charles Cros" for his album "Le parapluie". Brassens would also go on to set the work of other French poets to music (François Villon in the song "Ballade des dames du temps jadis", Victor Hugo in "Gastibelza" and his friend Paul Fort in the song "Le petit cheval").

Following the release of his second album in 1954, Brassens, now under Canetti's judicious management, set off on numerous tours of Europe and North Africa. In 1955 the newly-created radio station Europe 1 was the first French station to dare to play Brassens's controversial song "Le Gorille", which had previously been banned from the nation's airwaves. After the release of his third album in April 1955, Brassens set off on tour, once again giving a memorable performance at the Olympia in October. (Later that year the singer would buy Jeanne and Marcel Planche’s home for them, purchasing the neighbouring house for himself).

After a series of concerts at the Bobino in January 1956, Brassens was offered a role in René Clair's film "Portes des Lilas". In his first and only film role Brassens was perfectly cast, playing a character very similar to himself. At the start of 1956 Brassens's old friend Pierre Onténiente became his private secretary, helping him set up his own recording company "Les Editions Musicales 57". Meanwhile Brassens continued with his busy live schedule, performing at the Olympia in May, L’Alhambra in October and the Bobino (from November 29 to December 18). The singer spent the following year on tour (only returning to Paris for a brief appearance at the Olympia (between October 22 and November 17).

Later that year Brassens, who had continued living with his old friends Marcel and Jeanne Planche, bought a mansion in Crespières (in Northern France).

In 1959 the ever-energetic Brassens embarked upon a new tour and gave another memorable performance at the Olympia in November. But while the singer was holidaying in Biarritz that year he became violently ill (an incident which would later inspire his song "L’Epave" ("The Wreck").

In fact ever since the end of the war Brassens had been suffering from renal colic and kidney stones, and he was often in such pain that he would have to leave the stage in mid-performance.

1960 proved to be a somewhat happier year for Brassens, beginning with a successful series of concerts at the Olympia (January 21 - February 15), followed by a stint at Bobino in April. (It was during one of his concerts at the Bobino that Brassens would learn of the death of one of his closest friends, the poet Paul Fort, on April 20). The following year Brassens flew off to Canada on an extensive tour which lasted through October and November. The singer then returned to give another successful show at the Olympia.

December 1962 was marked by two major events, the release of "Les trompettes de la renommée", Brassens's ninth album and the death of his mother Elvira on December 31st.

The following year Brassens was taken into hospital for a kidney operation on January 16th 1963, just a few weeks before his old teacher Alphonse Bonnafé published his first official biography. Later that year a boxed set of 10 records was released to mark the tenth anniversary of Brassens's singing career.

1964 - Brassens writes the theme song "les Copains d'abord"

In 1964 Brassens renewed his links with French cinema, writing the theme song "Les Copains d'abord" for Yves Robert's film "Les Copains". This song was included on Brassens's new album released in November of that year. The release coincided with an extremely successful series of concerts at the Bobino (from October 21 1964 - January 10 1965), 120,000 fans flocking to see Brassens in concert.

On March 28 1964 Brassens lost his father, and this sad event was soon followed by the death of his old friend Marcel Planche.

On October 12 1965 Brassens got the chance to perform with one of his greatest idols, Charles Trenet, when the pair sang together on the radio programme "Musicora", recorded live at the ABC. The following year after an extensive national tour, Brassens went on to appear in concert with Juliette Gréco at the Théâtre National de Paris (September 16 - October 23).

After living in Jeanne and Marcel Planche's tiny house in impasse Florimont for more than 20 years, Brassens finally moved out to live in a more modern appartment. Modern flats were obviously not to his taste however for he moved out shortly afterwards to buy a house in the 15th arrondissement in 1969.

Following a series of concerts at the Bobino and another successful tour, Brassens was taken back into hospital where he underwent another operation on May 12 1967. Later that year Brassens was honoured by the French Academy who awarded him the prestigious "Prix de poésie de l'Académie Française". The writer René Fallet also paid tribute to his old friend, publishing a biography of the singer.

Georges Brassens was forced to watch the revolutionary events of May 1968 from his hospital bed, where he was recovering from another attack of renal colic. Later that year news of a far less happy event reached the singer when he learnt of the death of his old friend Jeanne Planche (who died on October 24 1968).

By the end of the 60's, however, Brassens was firmly back at the forefront of the music scene. Joined on stage by his faithful double-bass player Pierre Nicolas and a new musician, young guitarist Joël Favreau, Brassens threw himself back into his live performances with passion.

1969 - the legendary interview with Brel and Ferré

On 6 January 1969 Brassens was invited to take part in a legendary programme organised by the French music magazine "Rock et Folk" and the radio station RTL who got Brassens into the studio with the two other most important stars of French chanson, Léo Ferré and Jacques Brel. Brassens's work was also honoured in the education system that year, his texts included in the entrance exam for the prestigious Ecole Normale Supérieure. Brassens ended the year with a series of triumphant concerts at his favourite venue, the Bobino (October 14 1969 - January 4 1970). After two concerts at La Mutualité in March Brassens embarked upon another extensive tour in 1970.

In 1972 a boxed set of 11 albums and a complete collection of Brassens's poems and lyrics were released to mark the 20th anniversary of his career. Later that year Brassens was to buy a house in the country, in Lézardrieux (near Paimpol) in Brittany. Brassens, born on the Mediterranean coast, had discovered Brittany through his old Breton friend Jeanne Planche. Over the years Brassens grew to love this region where the picturesque ports filled with the chatter of fishermen reminded him of his childhood in the harbour town of Sète. He even went so far as to learn the Breton dialect.

From October 1972 through to January 1973 Brassens performed another long series of concerts at the Bobino (supported by a host of young up-and-coming stars such as Maxime Le Forestier, Henri Tachan, Yves Simon and Philippe Chatel who went on to write a book about Brassens). Although Brassens was only 51 at this point, the singer, who had been considerably weakened by his health problems, had already started to find his touring schedule exhausting. Brassens's 1973 tour of France and Belgium was to prove his last. Fortunately, Brassens's concert at the Sherman Theatre at Cardiff University on October 28 of that year was recorded (one of the very few live Brassens recordings ever made) and released as the "Live in Great Britain" album in 1974.

In 1975 Brassens was awarded the "Grand Prix de la ville de Paris".

1977 - the final farewell at the Bobino

Brassens recorded his last album in 1976. On March 20 1977 the singer gave a final performance at the Bobino (the last in a series of 'farewell' concerts which had been attended by thousands of fans).

In 1979 Brassens's old musician friend Moustache persuaded him to return to the studio, to take part in recording an album of jazz versions of his most famous songs. Brassens, who had been a great jazz fan since his youth, readily accepted and joined a host of famous American jazz musicians in the studio as they recorded "Chanson pour l'auvergnat", "le Pornographe", "la Chasse aux papillons" and "Elégie pour un rat de cave" (the only non-instrumental track on the album). Later that year Brassens would also sing on Philippe Châtel’s album "Emilie Jolie", performing "La Chanson du hérisson" as a duet with Henri Salvador.

At the end of the year Jacques Chirac, mayor of Paris at the time, presented Brassens with the coveted "Grand Prix du Disque" for his outstanding contribution to French music. In 1980, the singer, already very sick, made a final trip to the studio to record a series of old French chanson classics (Charles Trenet, Jean Boyer, Paul Misraki and his own works) to raise money for the "Perce Neige" charity for handicapped children set up by his old friend Lino Ventura.

In November Brassens, diagnosed as suffering from cancer, underwent a third kidney operation. The following year death, which he had so often depicted in his poetry and his songs, finally caught up with him on October 29 1981. Brassens died in the tiny village of Saint-Gely-du-Fesc, near his hometown Sète, at the house of his doctor and lifelong friend Maurice Bousquet. The singer was buried in Sète in the Cimetière du Py, known locally as the "Cemetery of the Poor".

Georges Brassens's modest simplicity made him one of the best-loved figures on the French music scene. His repertoire of classic songs, often controversial but never gratuitously provocative, painted a telling portrait of the society he lived in. Brassens poetry and songs live on today, studied by millions of French school children as part of the national curriculum and covered by singers and musicians the world over. Graeme Allwright has recorded Brassens’s songs in English, while Sam Alpha has sung them in Creole and Paco Ibanez in Spanish. A host of famous French stars have, of course, covered the most famous Brassens classics (Maxime Le Forestier, Renaud, Barbara and the Frères Jacques have all devoted an entire album to Brassens songs). A special tribute album, "Chantons Brassens", the brainchild of Joël Favreau, also included contributions from actors and singers such as Michel Fugain, Manu Dibango, Philippe Léotard and Françoise Hardy.

Remembered as the 'famous singer with the moustache', as well as a compassionate humanist concerned for his fellow men, Brassens has become a legendary part of French musical heritage.

- rfimusique.com