Alain Bashung

While his rise to stardom wasn’t immediate, French musician and actor Alain Bashung got there eventually, and landed four Number One albums and picked up numerous awards and honors along the way. Born Alain Baschung in Paris on December 1, 1947, Bashung grew up in the countryside, where he began performing regionally as a young adult, and eventually dropped the "C" from his surname. One of his first professional performances was in the 1973 rock opera La Revolution Française, where he originated the role of Robespierre.

His first album, 1977’s Roman-photos, didn’t make much of an impact, but in 1980 when he appended his massive new wave single “Gaby oh Gaby” to his 1979 album, Roulette russe, the record rose to Number 13 on the charts. Pizza, released in 1981, kept the momentum going, and landed at Number 1. Bashung’s sudden popularity and unique style earned the attention of Serge Gainsbourg, and the two collaborated on 1982’s Play blessures, which was seen as a disappointment at the time but has risen in esteem over the subsequent decades.

Further success in the ‘80s eluded him, as his albums grew darker and more experimental. It was the release of Osez Joséphine in 1991, comprised half of original songs and half cover tunes, that brought him back into the spotlight. He used this momentum to further his acting career, and made a number of films in the ‘90s and ‘00s. He returned to the top of the charts in 1998 with Fantaisie militaire, an album lauded both upon its release and decades later as not only one of Bashung’s best, but as one of the finest in modern French music. The success kept coming, as subsequent albums L'Imprudence and Bleu pétrole both topped the charts.

During this time, Bashung worked with anti-racism and AIDS charities, and in early 2019 was granted the Legion of Honour award, the highest French order of merit. He was also a regular nominee and winner at the Victoires de la Musique awards, where he racked up 12 career wins in categories like Male Artist of the Year (three times), Song of the Year (three times), Rock Album of the Year, and other awards honoring his tours, soundtrack work, and music videos. His final three Victoires de la Musique awards came two weeks before his death on March 14, 2009, from lung cancer.