Ferre Grignard born13 March 1939

Ferre Grignard (13 March 1939 – 8 August 1982) was a Belgian skiffle-singer from Antwerp, Belgium. He had success with a number of songs, such as "Ring Ring, I've Got To Sing", "Yama, Yama, Hey", and "My Crucified Jesus". 

Ferre Grignard was born in Antwerp in 1939. He learned to play the harmonica and guitar when he was young. At the end of the 1950s, he went to a Antwerp art academy where he formed a skiffle group. He was unsuccessful as a painter, but he could play the guitar and sing the blues and his performances in "De Muze", an Antwerp jazz café, made him well known in the Antwerp artists' world. Later on his record label stated that Ferre went to America and lived in the Ghetto’s before being expelled for being an anarchist, but according to his brother Roger, none of this was true. “Ferre has never, ever been to America. He even had a devilish fear of flying! " 

The young generation accepted him as the first Belgian protest singer, because of his hippie-like appearance and the content of his songs. In 1965 he performed at the first "Jazz-festival" at Bilzen. He was discovered by Hans Kusters (who owned the record company HKM). In an interview with Manu Adriaens, Hans said, “Nobody in the then rigid milieu of the record boys wanted anything to do with that unshaven, unwashed, gin-drinking, banned cigarette smoking, poorly dressed artist who came barefoot in their Brussels offices to sign his contract. But I am from South Holland, I loved both carnival music and Dixieland, which is related to skiffle. And Grignard played blues with a skiffle line-up. When I heard it for the first time, I knew I had met a demigod.” 

A record deal with Philips was quickly closed and Ferre’s first single  'Ring Ring, I’ve Got To Sing' was canned. Hans later admitted that when he heard 'Ring Ring' for the first time, he did not realize that the song was so commercial. On April 2, 1966, 'Ring ring' is listed in 10th place in the BRT top thirty. That same year Ferre Girgnard also records an entire LP with of course 'Ring ring' and the traditional 'Drunken sailor' which also hits as a single and at the end of 1966 it reaches number 16 on the national charts. 

                    

Other songs such as "Yama, Yama, Hey" and "My Crucified Jesus" also charted with their mixture of skiffle, folk music and blues. At the height of his career he performed at the Paris Olympia.Shortly afterwards he sued French star Johnny Hallyday, who had made an adaptation of his second hit “My crucified Jesus”. He didn't care much about the plagiarism itself, but the fact that Halliday had made a text out of it, which was insulting to hippies in general and Grignard in particular. 

Ferre's career was launched like a rocket, but it went much too fast for him. From one day to the next he had become a rich boy who goes to live in the mansion where Peter Benoit was born and surrounds himself with about 20 comrades with whom he paints, but above all throws parties and literally drinks himself to death. That rich existence curses with his vagabond soul. He really wanted to live! He wanted to remain the casual singer for whom he was regarded and adored, but everything he earned at concerts was immediately squandered. He also refused to fill in his tax-forms, so he was ordered to pay the taxes and large part of the royalties from his music went directly to taxes plus he also got into trouble with his record company Philips. 

His manager Louis de Vries got him a contract with the large French record label Barclay, which then leads to a process that dragged on for two years, a period in which Ferre is not allowed to record new songs and no more records are released. In 1969 Barclay released the album 'Captain Disaster, which you could say was the start of his downfall. He neglected his career and was soon forgotten by his fans. Suddenly Ferre finds himself  back where it started. He returns to square one and again lives very modestly. Fortunately, his mother and an aunt help him and ensure that he has some money to make ends meet. 

Heavy smoking and drinking now took their toll and he died in in the University Hospital of Edegem, Antwerp of throat cancer 8 August 1982. At that time he was living in an attic back in De Muze without heating, surrounded by empty bottles. Grignard was buried at the Schoonselhof cemetery, among many of Antwerp's most notable citizens. 

That Grignard has earned and left his spurs in Flanders is beyond dispute. A number of groups from the Antwerp pop and rock scene in particular admit that they have been influenced by Ferre Grignard, with dEUS and Zita Swoon leading the way. In 2002 Wigbert Van Lierde and Bart Plouvier wrote the book 'Captain Disaster' about the ups and downs of De Ferre. The Ferre Grignard park near Zwaantjesstraat is named after him and even the humble asteroid, YP 5, bears his name. Add to that his Hall of Fame award for his most famous song 'Ring ring I've got to sing' and you have concrete proof that de Ferre is not forgotten. 

(Edited from Wikipedia & Rock-Ola, Belgium)