Léo Ferré

French singer Léo Ferré was born in Monaco in 1916 and became one of France's best-loved and well known chanson artists. In 1935 he went to Paris with ambitions of being a lawyer and initially studied law. France was in political turmoil at the time but Ferré remained oblivious to the huge social and economic changes the country was going through and instead concentrated on perfecting his piano technique. Later in his career he would actively embrace politics and he became a supporter of the French communist movement and his connection with the radical left would often cause controversy for him.

After starting his musical career in Paris, Ferré befriended artists such as Edith Piaf and Charles Trénet, both of whom proved pivotal in his early development. Ferré would go on to become one of the country's most diverse and interesting talents, constantly changing styles and breaking down cultural barriers. As well as being involved in the world of traditional and classical music he also loved rock and at one stage in his career was scheduled to record with Jimi Hendrix (who cancelled due to illness) and he also recorded with drummer Billy Cobham and John McLaughlin. When he died in 1993 Ferré was 76 and left behind an extraordinary legacy of recorded material with more than 50 albums to his credit.