Enrico Macias

Enrico Macias drew on the traditions of his native North Africa to become one of the most popular and influential French recording artists of his generation -- a pioneering force in the development of what would eventually fall under the umbrella of world music, he remains a vital link to an Algerian culture decimated by colonial aggression and abuse. Born Gaston Ghrenassia in Constantine, Algeria, on December 11, 1938, he was the product of a Jewish family and at 15 made his professional debut as a guitarist with malouf master Cheikh Raymond Leyris' orchestra. Though something of a child prodigy, Ghrenassia later turned his back on music to begin a new career as a schoolteacher. In the meantime, the Front National de Libération continued its fight for Algerian independence from France, and in time the situation deteriorated into a state of guerrilla warfare -- on June 22, 1961, Cheikh Raymond was shot to death, and with wife Suzy (the bandleader's daughter), Ghrenassia fled to Paris, where he reignited his dormant music career playing contemporary interpretations of classic malouf melodies. Dissatisfied with the end result of the experiment, he began writing original songs based on his own experiences as an Algerian refugee. After a series of little-noticed gigs across the cabaret circuit, in 1962 Ghrenassia was hired to headline the Drap d'Or, where he captured the attention of Pathé Marconi label exec Raymond Bernard. His debut single, "Adieu Mon Pays," written in part on the ship that delivered him to France, immediately vaulted the newly rechristened Enrico Macias to fame within the growing Algerian expatriate community, and at year's end he was featured on the television program Cinq Colonnes à la Une. After touring in support of Paola and Billy Bridge in early...