Sunday, March 11, 2018

Johnny Hallyday

Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (1943 –2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, considered to be a legend in France and credited for having imported rock and roll there. However, his musical universe continued to be centred on the blues.
During a career spanning 57 years, he released 79 albums and sold 110 million copies worldwide, mainly in the French-speaking world, making him one of the best-selling artists in France and in the world.
Hugely popular in France, he was usually referred to as simply "Johnny" and seen as a "national monument" (the only one since Edith Piaf) and a part of the French cultural legacy. His exceptional longevity in public life made him a familiar figure for four generations and a symbol of the Thirty Glorious Years when he emerged in 1960. More than 2,500 magazine covers and 190 books have been dedicated to him during his lifetime.
He remained largely unknown in the English-speaking world where he was dubbed "the biggest rock star you've never heard of" and introduced as the French version of Elvis Presley.

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