Serge Lama

Serge Lama ranks among the most traditionally minded French songwriters. His strong, powerful voice, combined to his very intense and theatrical stage persona, has often earned him comparisons to Jacques Brel. The title of a book he has written speaks for Lama's lyricist orientations: Sentiment, Sexe et Solitude (Feeling, Sex and Solitude). He had some hit singles during the late '60s and '70s, the most famous one being "Je Suis Malade," and had a popularity peak in the '80s with the success of his musical, Napoléon. Born Serge Chauvier in 1943, Lama was raised in a musical atmosphere, his father having been a lyrical singer. Seing him give up his career to put enough food on the table has been a marking experience for Serge, swearing since then he'd succeed where his father hadn't. Writing a lot, Lama quickly tried to find dates and places to perform and was quite soon spotted by Barbara herself, who obtained regular shows for him in her usual Parisian cabaret, L'Écluse. This was a major step in Lama's career, and he began recording as soon as 1964, releasing a debut four-song EP. Things only got better when he was offered to open for Georges Brassens, alongside Barbara, in Bobino that same year. A new single, "Les Ballons Rouges," came out in 1965. But tragically, this lightning-fast ascension was stopped by a car accident, costing Lama the loss of his girlfriend and leaving him crippled, having lost the use of almost all of his body. The way he came back to activity in the following months, with the help of Georges Brassens, certainly added to his aura. He went back to recording as soon as 1967, and since then, and through the '70s, built up a writing team composed of Yves Gilbert and Alice Dona for compositions and Jean-Claude Petit for arrangements, singing a...