Bruno Coquatrix (; 5 August 1910, Ronchin, Nord – 1 April 1979) was a French record producer, the owner and manager of Olympia in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

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 Italian ''impresa'', 'an enterprise or undertaking') is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, Play (theatre), plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film producer, film or ...

, representing Jacques Pills and Lucienne Boyer, among others. He managed the variety theatre Bobino before he took over the Olympia Hall, 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

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

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, Ewa Demarczyk,

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, Violetta Villas,

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, Annie Cordy,

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and

Yves Montand Ivo Livi (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), better known as Yves Montand (), was an Italian-born French actor and singer. He is said to be one of France's greatest 20th-century artists. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Stignano, a ...

. Bruno Coquatrix co-founded a record company, the Disques Versailles. Bruno Coquatrix was the director of the casino of Cabourg ( Calvados) in the 1950s, and the mayor of Cabourg 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 A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there ar ...

(+11 during his mandate).

Personal life

Coquatrix was married to Paulette Coquatrix. He was the best man of Henri Betti in 1949 and André Hornez in 1963 who were the authors of '' C'est si bon''. Coquatrix was buried in the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...

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

* Paulette Coquatrix. ''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 male songwriters French songwriters Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 20th-century French musicians

Career

Personal life

See also

References

Bibliography

External links