Sacha Distel
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox musical artist Alexandre "Sacha" Distel (29 January 1933 – 22 July 2004) was a French musician and singer who had hits with a cover version of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" in 1970, which reached No 10 in the UK Charts,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Roberts">Template:Cite book</ref> "Scoubidou", and "The Good Life". He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur in 1997.<ref name="loh">Template:Cite journal</ref> He had also scored a hit as a songwriter when Tony Bennett recorded Sacha's song for "The Good Life" in 1963. It peaked at #18 on [[Billboard Hot 100|BillboardTemplate:'s Hot 100]] chart and Top 10 on the Easy Listening chart.
CareerEdit
Distel was the son of Russian-French émigré Léonide Distel who was born in Odessa, Ukraine and French-Jewish pianist Andrée Ventura (1902–1965), born in Constantinople.<ref name="telegraph obit">Template:Cite news</ref> His uncle was bandleader Ray Ventura.<ref name="Harris">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After Ventura settled in Paris with his orchestra Les Collégiens, Distel gave up piano and switched to guitar.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
During his career, Distel worked with Kenny Clarke, Jimmy Gourley, Lionel Hampton, Slide Hampton, Bobby Jaspar, Barney Kessel, John Lewis, Pierre Michelot, Bernard Peiffer, Henri Renaud, Fats Sadi, Art Simmons, Martial Solal, René Urtreger, and Barney Wilen.<ref name="New Grove">Template:Cite book</ref>
As well as his musical career he also did some acting, primarily on French television. He had a cameo appearance in the 1960 film Zazie dans le Métro. He appeared in "Fallen Angels" by Noel Coward on British television in 1974.
Personal lifeEdit
After Brigitte Bardot accepted Distel's invitation to his birthday party in Saint-Tropez in 1958, the two began a much-publicized relationship that lasted until 1959. <ref name="ind obit" /> In 1963, he married champion Olympic skier Francine Bréaud.<ref name="ind obit" /> Distel publicly stated that he remained faithful to his wife: "Anything I want in a woman I can get at home."<ref name="ind obit">Template:Cite news</ref>
DeathEdit
Distel died of cancer at the age of 71 on 22 July 2004 at his mother-in-law's home in Rayol-Canadel, near Saint-Tropez, France.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
DiscographyEdit
- Afternoon in Paris with John Lewis (Atlantic, 1957)
- Everybody Loves the Lover (Philips, 1961)
- From Paris with Love (RCA Victor, 1962)
- Les Filles Moi J'Aime Ca! (RCA, 1963)
- The Good Life (Kapp, 1969)
- Back to Jazz with Slide Hampton (La Voix de Son Maitre, 1969)
- Sacha Distel (Warner Bros., 1970)
- Close to You (Warner Bros., 1970)
- More and More (Warner Bros., 1971)
- Love Music (Polydor, 1973)
- Swing with Sacha Distel (Contour, 1973)
- Love Is All (Pye, 1976)
- Forever and Ever (Carrere, 1978)
- From Sacha with Love (Mercury, 1979)
- Amour Tout Court (DRG, 1982)
- My Guitar and All That Jazz (Pablo, 1983)
- Move Closer (Towerbell, 1985)
- Ecoute Mes Yeux (Arcade Music, 1998)
- But Beautiful (Mercury, 2003)