Georges Chelon

Georges Chelon is a French singer/songwriter who emerged in the mid-'60s to significant acclaim, and while his career underwent ups and downs, he remained active throughout the rest of the century and beyond. Born on January 4, 1943, in Marseilles, France, he made his recording debut in 1965 with the 45 rpm single "15, 20 et Plus" on EMI Pathé Marconi, followed later in the year by the full-length album Père Prodigue. From 1965 until 1971, he released new full-length recordings annually on the label, in addition to a steady stream of 45 rpm singles. His full-length releases from this period include 15, 20 et Plus (1966), Bobino 67 (1967), Tu Sais (1968), Sampa (1968), Chelon 1969 (1969), Vengeance (1970), and Olympia 71 (1971). He subsequently moved to the label Barclay and released albums with less frequency and to less success. Moreover, he changed his style somewhat in accordance with the times. His full-length releases from this period include Ouvrez les Portes de la Vie (1973), Si Demain (1975), Commencer à Revivre (1977), Tous les Deux...Comme Hier (1979), and Orange et Citron (1982). In the 1980s Chelon found his audience diminished and his commercial fortunes in question. After leaving Barclay, he returned to EMI Pathé Marconi for one album, Poète en l'An 2000 (1983); re-recorded a self-titled album's worth of his greatest hits, Georges Chelon (1987); and finally found a stable outpost for himself on the label EPM Musique, where he debuted in 1989 with L'Enfant du Liban. He remained active on EPM Musique throughout the remainder of the century and beyond, releasing latter-day albums with remarkable regularity, most notably a multi-volume series titled Charles Baudelaire: Les Fleurs du Mal that began in 2004. A comprehensive compilation of his late-'60s output on EMI Pathé Marconi, Suppose Que (2004), was released around this same time.