Léo Marjane

about

Léo Marjane (Thérèse Maria Léonie Gendebien, 26 August 1912 - 18 December 2016) was a French singer who reached the peak of her popularity in the late 1930s and early 1940s before her career went into sharp decline after the end of World War II. Born in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais, Léo Marjane began her career in the early 1930s singing in cabarets in Paris. She was noticed for her warm contralto voice and the clarity of her diction, and in 1936 was signed to a contract with the Pathé-Marconi label. Her early recordings – a mixture of original songs and standards of the era such as "Begin the Beguine" and "Night and Day" – were well received and popular. The peak of Marjane's career came in the early 1940s, when she was regarded as one of France's biggest female singing stars. In 1941,she recorded her signature song, the Charles Trenet-penned "Seule ce soir" ("Alone Tonight"), which captured the feelings of the many who were experiencing wartime separation and became one of the best-loved songs of its time. Marjane's success came to an abrupt halt following the Liberation of France in August 1944. She was accused of having appeared many times at venues frequented by German officers, and her numerous performances on German- and collaborator-controlled Radio Paris were also held against her. Marjane maintained that she had been no more than naïve; nevertheless, in the immediate aftermath of the end of World War II, the allegations and negative publicity in France led her

top songs

albums

La chapelle au clair de lune

Soir indigo

Best of Léo Marjane

Léo Marjane : Seule ce soir (Histoire Française)

▥

Jazz Café Paris

▥

Classic French Movie Songs

Essentiel

Donne-Moi Paris

▥

Café De Paris - 50 Original Recordings

Vintage French Song Nº 78 - EPs Collectors, "La Moisson"

▥

Les grandes dames de la chanson française : Léo Marjane, Vol. 1

▥

Vintage French Song Nº 58 - EPs Collectors, "Monsieur Monpassé"

similar artists