Franck Pourcel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1913-08-14)14 August 1913 Marseille, France |
| Died | 12 November 2000(2000-11-12) (aged 87) Neuilly-Sur-Seine, France |
| Education | Conservatoire de Paris |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1952–1995 |
| Notable work |
|
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Classical music,popular music,easy listening |
| Instrument | Conductor |
| Labels | Pathe-Marconi,EMI |
Musical artist | |
Franck Pourcel (14 August 1913 – 12 November 2000)[1] was aFrenchcomposer,arranger, andconductor ofpopular andclassical music.
Born inMarseille, France,[1] Pourcel started learning the violin at the age of six. Later, Pourcel studied violin at the Conservatoire in Marseille, and also drums because he lovedjazz, and he spent a year inParis at the Conservatoire.
By 1931, he was working as a violinist in several theaters in Marseille, marrying Odette eight years later. He then became the musical director forLucienne Boyer, with whom he went on a world tour.
He immigrated to theUnited States in 1952 but returned to France the following year to record "Blue Tango" and the follow-up "Limelight". In 1954, Pourcel recorded his firstalbum on the Pathé-Marconirecord label, with whom he would record a total of nine albums in a three-year period. In 1956, he recorded hisversion ofThe Platters hit "Only You", which sold over three million copies by 1959, and was awarded agold disc.[2] It peaked at number 9 on theUnited StatesBillboardpopchart during a 16 weeks chart run.
Between 1956 and 1972, he was the conductor for France at theEurovision Song Contest, with the exceptions of 1957 and 1968. Four of the songs that he conducted won first place for France. As a result, France became the most successful country in the contest's early years, until Luxembourg matched its four wins in 1973.
By 1958, Pourcel startedrecordingclassical music. His series ofPages Célèbres led him to conduct theLondon Symphony Orchestra, The Society of Concerts for the Conservatoire, The BBC Orchestra at theRoyal Festival Hall, and theLamoureux Orchestra at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. In 1961, he co-composed withPaul Mauriat thehit "Chariot", which was recorded byPetula Clark and followed up byPeggy March as "I Will Follow Him". The song became the main theme for thefilm,Sister Act.
In 1975, at the request ofAir France, Pourcel composed an anthem for their new supersonic plane,Concorde.[3]
Pourcel recorded 250 albums, and over 3000 songs, and he conducted famous orchestras such as theLondon Symphonic Orchestra,BBC Orchestra andOrchestre des concerts Lamoureux. He created the seriesAmour Danse et violons (54 albums) and the classical seriesPages Célébres. His first recordings from 1956 to 1962 were released under the seriesOriginals.
Pourcel recorded until 1995 withEMI.
He died on 12 November 2000 inNeuilly-sur-Seine, at the age of 87, fromParkinson's disease. His daughter Françoise Pourcel, is taking care of his musical legacy.
He was rewarded with the following distinctions:
| Media offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Eurovision Song Contest conductor 1959 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Eurovision Song Contest conductor 1961 | Succeeded by |
