Raymond Lefèvre (20 November 1929 – 27 June 2008) was a French

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

leader,

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

Biography and career

Born on 20 November 1929 in

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

, France, Raymond Lefèvre is best known for his interpretation of the 1968

theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical appearance for certain software. * Theme (linguistics), topic * Theme ( ...

" Soul Coaxing (Ame Caline)" (composed by

Michel Polnareff Michel Polnareff (born 3 July 1944) is a French singer-songwriter who rose to prominence in the 1960s. He is noted for integrating rock and pop elements into his early work. He wrote pop hits such as "La Poupée qui fait non" and "Love Me, Ple ...

), which became an international hit. He also wrote

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

s for

movies A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...

with

Louis de Funès Louis Germain David de Funès de Galarza (; 31 July 1914 – 27 January 1983) was a French actor and comedian. He is France's favourite actor, according to a series of polls conducted since the late 1960s, having played over 150 roles in fi ...

such as ''La Soupe Aux Choux'' (1981) or the series ''Le Gendarme de Saint Tropez''. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he accompanied

Dalida Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida (, ; ), was an Italian naturalized French singer and actress. Leading an international career, Dalida has sold over 140 million records worldwide. Some ...

on most of her

recordings A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

(''Bambino'', ''Por Favor'', ''Tu peux tout faire de moi'', ''Quand on n'a que l'amour''), amongst many others. He started his musical career in 1956 on the

Barclay Records Barclay is a French Universal Music Group record label, originally owned by Eddie Barclay in 1953. Barclay previously established Riviera-LM Records in 1951. Eddie was a bandleader, pianist, producer and nightclub owner. With his wife and voc ...

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product. Labels are most often affixed to packaging and containers using an adhesive, or sewing when affix ...

. His recordings were released in the United States on the Kapp and Four Corners record labels until 1969.

Early career

He was accepted at the

Paris Conservatory The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

when 17 years old. During the early 1950s he played the piano for the

Franck Pourcel Franck Pourcel (14 August 1913 – 12 November 2000) was a French composer, arranger, and conductor of popular and classical music. Biography Early life Born in Marseille, France, Pourcel started learning the violin at the age of six. Later ...

orchestra. In 1953 he played the piano at the Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. He started his musical career in 1956 on the Barclay label and recorded his debut album that year. He worked on the French television programmes ''Musicorama'' (1950s) and ''Palmarés des Chansons'' (1965, 1966, 1967) accompanying such famous artists as

Claude François Claude Antoine Marie François (; 1 February 1939 – 11 March 1978), also known by the nickname Cloclo, was a French pop singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, drummer and dancer. François co-wrote the lyrics of " Comme d'habitude" ( ...

, Richard Anthony, with his own orchestra. His recording of " The Day the Rains Came" was a best seller in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1958. The song "Ame câline" (Soul Coaxing) became an international hit in 1968 and "La La La (He Gives Me Love)" – an instrumental adaptation of 1968's

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

's winning song by Spanish singer

Massiel María de los Ángeles Felisa Santamaría Espinosa (born 2 August 1947), known professionally as Massiel (), is a Spanish pop and protest singer. She won the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 with the song " La, la, la", being the first performer ...

– was a minor hit in 1968 in Canada and the United States. In 1969, his recording of "La Reine de Saba" (Queen of Sheba) became a big hit in Japan. From 1972 until the early 2000s, he undertook several successful tours of Japan. He worked on the soundtracks of many

movies.

Eurovision

Lefèvre conducted entries four times at the

, three times for

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

(in

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

, and

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

), and once for

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

Death

Raymond Lefèvre died in Seine-Port, France on 27 June 2008 at the age of 78.

Discography

Film music (excerpt)

* 1957 – ''Fric-frac en dentelles'' with Peter van Eyck. * 1964 – Le gendarme de St. Tropez * 1965 – Le gendarme à New York (with

Paul Mauriat Paul Julien André Mauriat ( or ; 4 March 1925 – 3 November 2006) was a French orchestra leader, conductor of Le Grand Orchestre de Paul Mauriat, who specialized in the easy listening genre. He is best known in the United States for his mill ...

) * 1967 – Les grandes vacances * 1968 – Le gendarme se marie * 1970 – Le gendarme en balade * 1979 – Le gendarme et les extra-terrestres * 1981 – La soupe aux choux * 1982 – Le gendarme et les gendarmettes

Records

Albums

* 1965 – Palmares des chansons * 1966 – Palmares des chansons No.2 * 1967 – Palmares des chansons No.3 * 1967 – Palmares des chansons No.4 * 1967 – Raymond Lefevre No.5 * 1968 – Raymond Lefèvre No.6 * 1968 – Raymond Lefèvre No.7 * 1968 – Joyeux Noels * 1968 – Christmas Symphonies * 1968 – Palmares des chansons * 1968 – Raymond Lefèvre No.9 * 1969 – Raymond Lefèvre No.10 * 1969 – Musique de films * 1969 – Great Strauss Waltzes * 1969 – Raymond Lefèvre Plays the Hits * 1970 – Raymond Lefèvre No.12 * 1970 – Concerto pour une voix * 1971 – Raymond Lefèvre No.13 * 1971 – Soul Symphonies * 1971 – This is Raymond Lefèvre * 1971 – Golden Prize * 1972 – Raymond Lefèvre No.14 * 1972 – Raymond Lefèvre No.15 * 1972 – Raymond Lefèvre No.16 * 1972 – Live in Japan * 1972 – Oh Happy Day * 1972 – Mamy Blue * 1973 – Festival de Sanremo 1973 * 1973 – Soul Symphonies No.2 * 1973 – Raymond Lefèvre No.17 * 1974 – Raymond Lefèvre No.18 * 1974 – Raymond Lefèvre No.19 * 1974 – Live in Japan 1974 * 1974 – Best of Raymond Lefèvre * 1975 – Stereo Laboratory Vol. 10 Strings * 1975 – Emmanuelle Golden Prize * 1975 – Raymond Lefèvre No.20 * 1976 – Raymond Lefèvre No.21 * 1976 – French Love in Hi-Fi * 1976 – Les plus grands succes 76 * 1976 – Love Symphonies * 1976 – 16 musiques de films * 1977 – Rock and Rhythm in Hi-Fi * 1977 – Love in Stereo Nº 1 * 1977 – Live in Japan 1977 * 1977 – El nuevo sonido de Raymond Lefèvre * 1977 – Eux * 1978 – Festival des meilleurs musiques des films * 1978 – Soul Symphonies No.3 * 1978 – Holiday Symphonies * 1978 – Grandi temi da film * 1978 – Film Symphonies * 1978 – Romance * 1979 – Live in Japan 1978 * 1979 – Tomorrow's Symphonies du Futur * 1979 – Disco Symphonies * 1979 – Pop Symphonies * 1979 – Love World * 1980 – Concerto * 1980 – The Best of Raymond Lefèvre * 1980 – 16 grands succes * 1981 – Suite latine * 1982 – Demonstration * 1982 – Operamania * 1983 – Digital Parade * 1984 – Lefèvre Meets Chiharu * 1984 – Les plus grands succes de Julio Iglesias * 1984 – Live in Japan 1984 * 1984 – Plays Chinese Songs * 1986 – Back to Bach * 1988 – Music of the Night * 1988 – Les plus grands succes de Raymond Lefèvre Vol. 3 * 1989 – Mull of Kintyre * 1991 – Canzone * 1993 – Sous le ciel de Paris * 1993 – Les plus grands succes de Raymond Lefèvre Vol. 5 * 1995 – Plein soleil * 1995 – Autumnal Player (When Richard Meets Raymond) * 1995 – Japon mon amour (with Richard Clayderman) * 1998 – Lacrima cristi * 2002 – De temps en temps * 2009 – Raymond Lefèvre et son Grand Orchestre * 2010 – A mon pere

Singles

* ''The Day That Rains Come'' (US #30, 1958) * ''What God does it to Me'' (1960) * ''Spanish Eyes'' (1966) * ''Groovin (1967) * ''Whiter Shade of Pale'' (1967) * ''Soul Coaxing'' (US #37, AC #4, 1968) * ''La La La'' (US #110, AC #23, 1968) * ''Delilah'' (1969) * ''Mammy Blue'' (1972)

References

External links

*
soundtrack-record listingnews of his deathGrand Orchestra – the best orchestras of the world!
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lefevre, Raymond 1929 births 2008 deaths Easy listening musicians French film score composers Monument Records artists Dalida Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 20th-century French conductors (music) French male film score composers 20th-century French male musicians