Michel Jonasz

A jazz and blues singer in his own melancholy way, Michel Jonasz conquered a wide audience in the 1980s. Born in Drancy into a family of Hungarian immigrants on January 21, 1947, he learned to play the piano and left school at the age of fifteen to devote himself to music. In 1966, he joined King Set, who recorded an EP for Disc'AZ, before going solo. After several singles, in 1974 he signed with Atlantic and released his first album, from which the single "Dites-moi" and its B-side by Jean-Claude Vannier, "Super Nana", attracted radio play. The following year, "Changez tout" and the album of the same name, arranged by Gabriel Yared, Michel Bernholc and Jean-Claude Petit, further clarified the singer's artistic profile. He won over audiences with "Les Vacances au bord de la mer", while the following album, with "Du blues, du blues, du blues" and "J'veux pas qu'tu t'en ailles", showcased his love of blues, soul and minor chords. After opening for Eddy Mitchell, headlining at the Olympia and taking up residence at the Théâtre de la Ville (Paris), where he recorded his first live album, Michel Jonasz signed the album Guigui ("En v'là du slow en v'là") in 1978, and entered the new decade with a bang with Les Années 80 Commencent (1979), followed by the soundtrack to the film Clara et les Chics Types (1980). In 1982, he appeared as an actor in Elie Chouraqui's film Qu'est-ce qui fait courir David? followed by numerous other roles in film, television and theater. His career took a new turn, with a more brassy style in the albums La Nouvelle Vie (1981) and its hit "Joueurs de blues", Tristesse (1983) with "Lucille" and Unis Vers l'Uni (1985) and "La Boîte de jazz", whose popularity was confirmed by a series of sold-out concerts at the Palais des Sports in Paris. In 1988, Michel Jonasz invented his own persona on the double album La Fabuleuse Histoire de Mister Swing, followed by the soundtrack to the film Miss Missouri (1990), Où Est la Source? (1992), Michel Jonasz au Zénith (1993), Soul Music Airlines (1995), Pôle Ouest (2000), Olympia 2000 (2001) and the autobiographical Où Vont les Rêves (2002). Awarded a 7 d'or for composing the theme music for the TV show Zone interdite (1997), the singer set up his own label, MJM for Michel Jonasz Musique, releasing the self-produced albums Michel Jonasz (2005), Chanson Française (2007), devoted to cover versions, and the double live album Michel Jonasz Trio (2009). That same year, he brought the story of his grandfather, deported to the Nazi camps, to the stage in the play Abraham, which ran for two years. He then returned to the studio for the nostalgic album Les Hommes Sont Toujours des Enfants (2011). After receiving the title of Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2018), he released La Méouge, le Rhône, la Durance (2019) and Chanter le Blues (2023). In 2024, he performs his jazz, soul and blues hits in new arrangements on the album Soul, with a guest appearance by Ben l'Oncle Soul.