Brassens, Georges |
| SINGER, SONGWRITER, POET (FRANCE) |
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BORN 21 Oct 1921, Sète, Hérault: 54 rue de l'Hospice (now: rue Georges-Brassens) - DIED 30 Oct 1981, St.-Gely-du-Fesc. Hérault BIRTH NAME Brassens, Georges Charles CAUSE OF DEATH cancer GRAVE LOCATION Sète, Hérault: Cimetière Le Py |
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George Brassens was the author of more than 200 songs. He was the son of a French father, the masonry contractor Jean Louis Brassens (1881-1965), and an Italian mother, Elvira born Daragosa (1887-1962). He grew up in Sête. Inspired by his teacher Alphonse Bonnafé he tried his hand on poetry from 1936. In 1938 he committed several thefts with his friends and they were eventually caught. This resulted in a suspended prison sentence. In 1940 he went to Paris to stay with his aunt Jeanne. There he learned himself to play the piano and he spent a lot of time reading. In 1943 he was sent to Germany where he worked at the BMW aircraft engine factory near Berlin. In 1944 he fell ill and he was allowed to return to Paris for fifteen days. He refused to return to Berlin and went into hiding. After the war he was involved with libertarian activists. In 1947 he met Joha Heiman (1911-1999). They started an affair, but they never lived together. He wrote several songs for her. In 1951 he met the singer-songwriter Jacques Grello who gave him valuable advice. In 1952 he was accepted to perform at Patachou's cabaret in Montmartre. Jacques Canetti noticed him. He was contracted by Polidor and soon appeared on television. His career took off and he released many albums during the following years. At the time he was already suffering from kidney stones. After a successful career of twenty years, he started suffering from abdominal pains. He was diagnosed with bowel cancer around 1979. He underwernt surgery in Montpellier and again in Paris in 1980. In 30 October 1981 he died from the cancer. He was buried in the family grave in his native Sète. Joha Heiman was buried in the same grave after her death in 1999. |
| Images | |
 The grave of Georges Brassens at Cimetière Le Py in Sète, Hérault. Picture by Androom (10 Nov 2024) |
 The grave of Georges Brassens at Cimetière Le Py in Sète, Hérault. Picture by Androom (10 Nov 2024) |
