Bruno Coquatrix (5 August 1910, Ronchin,

Nord Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televisi ...

– 1 April 1979) was a French music producer, the owner and manager of the

Olympia Hall Olympia London, sometimes referred to as the Olympia Exhibition Centre, is an exhibition centre, event space and conference centre in West Kensington, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London, England. A range of international ...

in Paris from 1954 until his death in 1979.

Career

Coquatrix was first known as a song and music writer. He wrote over 300 songs, including ''Mon ange'' (1940) ; ''Dans un coin de mon pays'' (1940); ''Clopin-clopant'' (1947); ''Cheveux dans le vent'' (1949), as well as some operettas. He was also an

impresario An impresario (from the Italian ''impresa'', "an enterprise or undertaking") is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film or television producer. His ...

, representing

Jacques Pills Jacques Pills (born René Jacques Ducos; 7 January 1906, Tulle, France – 12 September 1970) was a French singer and actor. His impresario was Bruno Coquatrix. In 1959, Pills was the Monegasque entrant at the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 wit ...

and

Lucienne Boyer Lucienne Boyer (18 August 1901 – 6 December 1983) was a French diseuseMansfield News Journal 9 November 1934 pg. 20 and singer, best known for her song " Parlez-moi d'amour". Her impresario was Bruno Coquatrix. Early career Born as Émilienne ...

, among others. He managed the variety theatre Bobino before he took over the

, Europe's biggest music hall in 1954. In 1956, during a "tomorrow's number 1" audition at the Olympia, Coquatrix, Lucien Morrisse and Eddie Barclay discovered the unknown cabaret singer

Dalida Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida, was an Italian-French singer and actress born in Egypt. She sang in eleven languages and sold millions of records internationally. Her best known son ...

. He then staged all the era's celebrities, including

Georges Brassens Georges Charles Brassens (; 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981) was a French singer-songwriter and poet. As an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his elegant songs with their harmonically complex music for voice and guitar and a ...

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...

Gilbert Bécaud Gilbert Bécaud (, 24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001) was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are " Nathalie" and "Et maintenant", a 1961 release ...

Ewa Demarczyk Ewa Maria Demarczyk (16 January 1941 – 14 August 2020) was a Polish singer, generally associated with the sung poetry genre and the Piwnica pod Baranami cabaret. Demarczyk was recognized as one of the most talented and charismatic singers in ...

, Johnny Hallyday,

Violetta Villas Czesława Gospodarek (née Cieślak; 10 June 1938 – 5 December 2011), known by her stage name Violetta Villas, was a Polish and international cabaret star, singer, actress, composer and songwriter. Her voice was characterized as coloratura sop ...

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pi ...

Annie Cordy Léonie Juliana, Baroness Cooreman (16 June 1928 – 4 September 2020), also known by her stage name Annie Cordy, was a Belgian actress and singer. She appeared in more than 50 films from 1954 and staged many memorable appearances at Bruno Coq ...

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( , ; born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, hy, Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան, ; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his dist ...

Mireille Mathieu Mireille Mathieu (; born 22 July 1946) is a French singer. She has recorded over 1200 songs in eleven languages, with more than 122 million records sold worldwide. Biography and career Early years Mireille Mathieu was born on 22 July 1946 in A ...

and

Yves Montand Ivo Livi (), better known as Yves Montand (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), was an Italian-French actor and singer. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer, Ivo held stron ...

. Bruno Coquatrix co-founded a record company, the Disques Versailles. Bruno Coquatrix was the director of the casino of

Cabourg Cabourg (; nrf, Cabouorg) is a commune in the Calvados department, region of Normandy, France. Cabourg is on the coast of the English Channel, at the mouth of the river Dives. The back country is a plain, favourable to the culture of cereal. ...

(

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Nor ...

) in the 1950s, and the mayor of

from 1971 until his death in 1979.Cabourg. Une nouvelle esplanade en cœur de ville
''Ouest-france.com'', 18 July 2019 His mandate as Mayor of Cabourg was focused on the development of tourism and real estate, and the growth of Cabourg's sister cities (+11 during his mandate).

Personal life

Coquatrix was married to

Paulette Coquatrix Paulette Coquatrix (born Clara Paulette Possicelsky, 26 April 1916 – 28 May 2018) was a French costume designer. Biography At the beginning of the 1950s, she was a costume designer for the Comédie-Caumartin shows, directed by Bruno Coquatr ...

. He was the best man of Henri Betti in 1949 and

André Hornez André Hornez (12 May 1905 – 9 March 1989) was a French lyricist and screenwriter. Lyricist of Paul Misraki in the years 1930-1940 for which he writes many songs lyrics like ''Qu'est-ce qu'on attend pour être heureux?'' (1937), André Hornez ...

in 1963 who were the authors of ''

C'est si bon "" (; ) is a French popular song composed in 1947 by Henri Betti with the lyrics by André Hornez. The English lyrics were written in 1949 by Jerry Seelen. The song has been adapted in several languages. History In July 1947, Henri Betti ...

''. Coquatrix was buried in the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figure ...

(division 96). In November 2010, the newly-named street "Rue Bruno Coquatrix" was inaugurated in Paris next to the

.Une rue Bruno Coquatrix à Paris, près de l'Olympia
''Lepoint.fr'', 19 November 2011 In Calbourg where he was Mayor, the downtown square, "Place Bruno Coquatrix", was named after him, and a "Bruno Coquatrix Stèle" stands in the middle of the square. File:Olympia Paris dsc00803.jpg, Olympia's facade with "Bruno Coquatrix" in the official name, 2005. File:Panneau L'Olympia.jpg, Paris' Landmark sign mentioning Coquatrix in the history of the Olympia Hall. File:Père-Lachaise - Division 96 - Coquatrix 01.jpg, Tomb of Bruno Coquatrix,

References

Bibliography

. ''Les coulisses de ma mémoire'' (1984) Grasset & Fasquelle; * Jean-Michel Boris. ''Olympia, Bruno Coquatrix'' (2003) Hors Collection;

External links

*
Bruno Coquatrix
at the '' BnF'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Coquatrix, Bruno People from Nord (French department) 1910 births 1979 deaths 20th-century French businesspeople French songwriters Male songwriters Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 20th-century French musicians

Career

Personal life

See also

References

Bibliography

External links