Once known as the French Elvis Presley, Johnny Hallyday became one of France's most successful singing stars and one of the few French-language singers to gain popularity in English-speaking countries.
Raised in Paris, he was strongly influenced by 1950s rock & roll - particularly Elvis Presley - and swiftly adapted it to French, releasing his first album 'Hello Johnny' in 1960 and selling a million copies with his cover of 'Let's Twist Again' which topped the charts all over Europe. He subsequently became a phenomenon, his stage shows causing near-hysteria among audiences as he achieved iconic status in France. He continued to record successful albums in the ensuing decades including 'Gang' in 1986, 'Rough Town' in 1994, 'Ce Que Je Sais' in 1998, 'A La Vie a La Mort' in 2002 and 'Ma Verite' in 2005. He also established a parallel movie career, acting in a succession of French films. He released 'Tour 66: Stade de France 2009', a live album recorded on his farewell tour, a decision he made to retire after being diagnosed with colon cancer. He came out of retirement just two years later however to record 'Jamais Seul' with Matthieu Chedid. 'L'Attente' which came out in 2012 followed by two further live albums 'On Stage' and 'Born Rocker Tour'. He released 'Rester Vivant' and 'De L'Amour' in 2014 and 2015 and embarked on another tour which prove to be his final farewell. He passed away at the age of 74 in 2017.
Artist biography compiled by BDS/West 10. All rights reserved
