Johnny Hallyday: the making of France's rock king

Contemporary Review, Sept, 2004 by Barnett Singer

But that record was a little in the future, and so were many other French versions of American hits. What first catapulted Johnny to fame was homegrown fare--Souvenirs, Souvenirs and the romantic Pourquoi cet amour, released in June 1960 and making Hallyday a hot item. His French rock worked, he fell on the ground, banged his guitar, sang with urgent vibrato, was handsome, blond, tall.

A new impresario, Georges Leroux, getting him out on tour, saw Johnny spark the same kind of wild fan response that had met Elvis. Of course he still had a formidable chaperon, stipulating that Leroux keep him from liquor and other temptations. Sometimes Helene bustled out to do the job herself!

At the dawn of European rock Johnny now appeared in venues previously reserved for Aznavour or Becaud. On 20 September 1960 he made it to Paris' Alhambra and spent three weeks drawing raves there. His old inconditionnels from Le Golf Drouot came out to cheer. The youth gulf was widening--and this was one of Ortega's dissociative generations, not the kind that follows the old guard. Newspapers might at first sniff, but the tidal wave continued when Johnny assaulted the Alcazar in November--a Marseilles music hall where Yves Montand had got his start. Then came a riotous response at a Paris rock festival, and Bruno Coquatrix of the Olympia finally decided that this new star might fit, after all, in his august surroundings. More and more doors opened up.

This made Johnny want better musicians and other things that Vogue wouldn't or couldn't give. The result was a 'war of contracts', starting with an offer from Eddie Barclay of that record label--himself an old jazz pianist, he would understand the young star's needs. Vogue tried to cement what it had, even locating an elusive Leon Smet! Then came Philips, known for topflight recording facilities. Lee liked their pitch, and having promised himself to Barclay, Johnny asked double from Philips and got it! Held to the deal by Lee, Johnny signed guiltily 19 July 1961.

A new manager came with the territory, Johnny Stark, smoothing out the Hallyday image, and becoming another father-figure. He was by Johnny's side for their next recording date at the classy Fontana studios in London (Fontana under Philips' umbrella).

The movie world came calling too, in the form of a meeting with Roger Vadim and Charles Aznavour. The idea was to put Johnny into a film called Parisiennes and have him do a couple of songs. Aznavour went into his lyric notebooks, locating a snippet that began as Retiens la nuit. With his Armenian brother-in-law, Georges Garvarentz, they put together one of Johnny's greatest hits, full of longing, and tailor-made for his more melancholy, yearning side.

In February 1962 Johnny and Stark travelled to the American Mecca, with Stark dropping a bundle in Vegas, before garnering seasoned musicians for a recording session in Nashville. An album composed of Be Bop a Lula etc. was called Johnny Hallyday Sings America's Rockin' Hits. He also got to meet idols like Jerry Lee Lewis, and to sing for the Francophile Kennedys.