Jacqueline Boyer born 24 April 1941

Jacqueline Boyer (born 23 April 1941) is a French singer and actress.

The daughter of top French performers Lucienne Boyer and Jacques Pills and stepdaughter of Edith Piaf, Boyer was born Jacqueline Ducos in Paris. She had her career traced in the music hall like her parents, and made some appearances in recitals of her mother from adolescence. Her father is best known for having been the husband for four years of the famous Edith Piaf , leaving Jacqueline Boyer's mother for her. At the age of 15 she made the first of several stage appearances alongside Marlene Dietrich at the Théâtre de l'Étoile and faced with a positive reception decided to continue as a performer by taking singing lessons.

In 1959, her father was chosen to represent Monaco at Eurovision, and finished last. At the same time Jacqueline released her first album. The following year, it was Jacqueline who left for Eurovision, but this time for France where she won the song contest singing "Tom Pillibi", with music composed by André Popp and lyrics by Pierre Cour. The resulting single reached #33 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1960. At 18 years and 341 days of age at the time of her victory, Boyer was the first teenager to win the contest and is currently the oldest living Eurovision winner.

                            

As well as French, she released a German version which became a big hit. From then on, she led a double career, in France and in Germany. She performed in tours, shows and galas in both countries. In November 1960, Jacqueline married the French singer François Luciana.

Jacqueline & Francois

Since “Tom Pillibi,” the singer has travelled the world from New York City to Japan, singing as the opening act at various concerts of famous international artists such as Marlène Dietrich, Charles Aznavour or Jacques Brel in Paris, London or Montréal and reached the top of the German music charts in 1963 with her international smash, "Mitsou Mitsou". Her other hit singles include "Amis," "Butterfly," "Little Little China Girl," and "Si Quelqu'un Vient Vous Dire," while she has also made a number of movie appearances, including Das Rätsel der Grünen Spinne, Der Nächste Urlaub Kommt Bestimmt, and Diabolo Menthe.

In 1966, Jacqueline was the victim of a serious car accident. She suffered a severe brain shock, which caused her temporary memory loss. She had to interrupt her career and stop singing for three years. In 1969, she resumed her career and released a new album before going on tour around the world.

In 1979 she left France for New York, to give a new artistic impulse to her career, recording under the name of  Barbara Benton, which led in 1983 to the release of the single "Life Is New" and in 1984 the album "Time And Time Again" but in 1988, recorded a new album in French under her own name.

In 2010, Jacqueline published the book “Story of three extraordinary lives” which consists of a tribute to the worldwide famous French singer Edith Piaf and to her mother Lucienne Boyer. It includes mixed anecdotes about Edith Piaf, Lucienne Boyer and her father Jacques Pills, who married both women, and her own renditions of some of the songs they created.

Jacqueline Boyer is the President of the Friends of Edith Piaf society, besides being involved, together with Eurovision representatives Serge Lama and Isabelle Aubret, in an association which deals with the difficulties encountered by artists who have suffered from any accidents.

When asked whether winning the Eurovision Song Contest has not been too much of a burden to bare for the young singer she used to be, Jacqueline Boyer admits that though she did reach international stardom thanks to her victory, especially in Germany and Japan where she regularly toured, it did not make things easier for her music career in France. Nevertheless, she still enjoys singing Tom Pillibi, and still now performs it.

(Edited from Melody tv, Wikipedia, & esctoday.com )