Barrière, Alain, 1935-2019

Born in Brittany to a family of fishmongers, Alain Barrière was a French singer, active from the 1950s. His real name was Bellec. He studied engineering and while a student bought a guitar and started to write songs. He graduated in 1960 and moved to Paris to work. He began performing in the evenings at small clubs around the capital and won a song contest in 1961 with his song "Cathy". His style was chanson-based, and Barrière was soon signed to a recording contract and released singles, which allowed him to give up his job and make a modest living from music.

In 1963, his song "Elle était si jolie” was chosen as the French representative in the eighth Eurovision Song Contest in London and it became a best seller. His singing career reached its peak in the latter part of the decade with a string of hits establishing him as one of France's biggest stars and a sell-out live attraction. His most famous success was the song "Mon Vieux”.

In 1975 he opened a nightclub-restaurant in Brittany. It proved popular but he soon faced severe tax problems as a result of dubious advice. In 1977 he moved to the United States. Four years later he returned to France and made several failed comeback attempts.

After a period in Québec he went back to France. His career was unexpectedly rejuvenated in 1997 by the release of a CD containing remastered versions of his old hits. An album of new material also sold well. He published his autobiography in 2006 and continued to release both retrospective and newly recorded albums until his health failed and he died aged 84.