Laurent Voulzy

Despite a slim recorded output -- roughly one LP per decade on average -- Laurent Voulzy emerged as one of the most successful and acclaimed composers in contemporary French pop; often working in tandem with longtime collaborator Alain Souchon, his obsessive attention to studio detail was instrumental in shaping the sophisticated melodies and rich arrangements that are the signatures of his work. Born in Paris on December 18, 1945, Voulzy spent much of his childhood in Nogent-sur-Marne, as a child befriending fellow music devotee Christian Vander, later the frontman of the French prog rock group Magma. Voulzy formed his first band at 14, quickly abandoning the drums in favor of guitar. Beatlemania exerted a profound influence on his musical development, and a 1965 vacation to England proved little more than a record-shopping trip during which he acquired a stack of releases documenting the best of the British Invasion era. In time, Voulzy began composing his own music, and in 1967 he won a local songwriting contest with an original titled "Timide." Military service interrupted his fledgling career, however, and upon returning from duty he enrolled in law school. Law did not prove to his liking, and in 1969 Voulzy assembled Le Poing, a Paris-based rock group that toured extensively but never recorded; their two-year lifespan nevertheless honed his songwriting skills and in 1971 he recorded a demo tape that found its way to RCA. The label extended a contract offer and a year later he issued his debut single, "L'Amour Est un Oiseau" -- the record was not a hit, however, and a similarly grim fate befell its follow-up, 1973's "La Maison à Croquer." In late 1973 Voulzy began working with Souchon, a similarly frustrated singer/songwriter whose gifts as a lyricist perfectly...