Jean Tranchant

Composer of several hits for other voices, Jean Tranchant went on to perform his own songs. Born in Paris on February 4, 1904, he studied law, then took up painting, fashion, decoration and poster design before turning to song. Trained as a pianist, he composed melodies and wrote songs for Lucienne Boyer, Joséphine Baker, Lys Gauty, Gilles et Julien, Elyane Célis, Marlene Dietrich, Marianne Oswald, Léo Marjane and Nane Cholet, whom he married. In 1934, he became a performer of lighter songs himself, achieving his greatest success with "Ici, l'on pêche", alongside other fantasies such as "Il existe encore des bergères" (the same year), "Les Prénoms effacés" (1936), "Voulez-vous danser madame?" (1937), "Allons à la mairie" and "Le Ciel est un oiseau bleu" (1938) and "Les Jardins nous attendent" (1941). Accompanied by the Quintette du Hot Club de France, which included Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, Jean Tranchant saw his favorite song "Ici l'on pêche" adapted by René Jayet in 1941 for a film in which he played. Part of the songwriting revival of the time, the singer-songwriter was banned from the airwaves and from recording for two years after the Second World War, due to his high profile during the Occupation. He left for neighboring Switzerland and Belgium, then spent eighteen years in South America, composing songs under the pseudonym Teleco-Teco and running cabarets. Returning to France in 1963, he wrote a number of new songs for himself and for Juliette Gréco. He made a few stage appearances before passing away on April 8, 1972 at the age of 68.