Eddie Barclay

See also: Barclay

Eddie Barclay (Edouard Ruault) (January 26th, 1921 12th district of Paris - May 13rd, 2005 Boulogne-Billancourt) is the one of most important editor and Music producer French between the Années 1950 and the Années 1980 called “the emperor of the microgroove”.

Biography

Childhood

Wire of a father boy of coffee and a mother employed of the stations come from Auvergne towards Paris with his/her 7 year old brother his elder (Paul who will become prefect of police of Versailles). His/her parents open the “Coffee of the Post office” Boulevard Diderot vis-a-vis the Gare de Lyon.

He hates the school and is large fan of music to the radio for which he is endowed with a musical memory out of the commun run. He can reproduce with the Piano in an instinctive way and autodidact the tubes of Jazz which he hears during the Entre-deux-guerres without being up to all the tricks. He works with the brewery of his parents or he plays for the customers then becomes Pianiste of bar, Compositeur and Leader of his own group of jazz.

Large amateur of festivals, very charismatic, it organizes during the Occupation clandestine festivals in a cellar of the Rue Saint-Beno4it cheese with Saint-Germain-of-Meadows where youth Zazou comes to listen to it to play of the American jazz prohibited at the time with his/her friends of its group of jazz Django Reinhardt, Boris Vian, Henri Salvador and Moustache… and to listen to 78 turns of jazz on Juke-box.

Release

With the Release, it américanise its name in Eddie Barclay, creates for itself a look with the Clark Gable and bases one of the first Discothèques of Paris (the “Barclay' S club”) on the model of the American “clubs” Rue Pierre-Charon with Saint-Germain-of-Meadows. Its club quickly becomes one of the highest places Paris iens of Jazz of the “All-Paris” Existentialiste where he plays with his friends Boris Vian, Henri Salvador, Michel Legrand, Stephan Grappelli, Quincy Jones (then trumpet player of Lionel Hampton)… and accompanies with its orchestra Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Sacha Distel, Glenn Miller… He organizes festivals for the stars of the moment Edith Piaf, Charles Trenet, Charles Aznavour, Francis Blanche…

Years 1950 music producer

In 1949, it launches out in the production and edition musical with his first Nicole wife (disappeared from a overdose) and founds the label “Blue Star”. It rents the studio of Pathé Marconi (thanks to the relations of his/her Paul brother, prefect of police with Versailles) to record its first discs 78 turns of Jazz with Renee Lebas which it takes under contract. It piles up the discs in the bath-tub of its small Parisian studio of the 54 Rue Pergolèse which is used to him of office and warehouse, and that it will place him even in the bicycle in the record dealers. It sells of it a record number for the time of 200.000 specimens. Then it produces the American singer Eddie Constantine which makes its fortune thanks to its phenomenal success. He then moves in one three parts Rue Chambiges

In 1951 it founds with Nicole, the “Phonographic Company French” and joins the American firm Mercury Records of which it distributes works in France. It to create an important network of relation to discover new talents and has in heart to know all the artists of the Show-business Paris IEN. He is large friend with the most important diffusers of music of Paris of which Bruno Coquatrix (director artistic of the Olympia, temple of the popular music of the time) and Lucien Morisse (fanatic of music and director of the programs of Europe 1, more important radio station of France of the time)

In 1953 Eddie Barclay discovers Dalida with his/her large friend Lucien Morisse.

Foundation of the Barclay Label

In 1954 and “Jazz Magazine” with Nicole and Jacques Souplet founds as well as the label “Barclay Records” which joins together its three labels “Blue Star” (varieties), Mercury Records (jazz) and Riviera (tango, Valse, Paso doble…) and becomes the most important label of French varieties, of Rock and other Yéyé… It launches very many artists between the Années 1950 and the Années 1980 which it discovers during hearings and thanks to its important networks of friends of the Show business, with its exceptional artistic sense of smell and its faculty to guess what will like the public, of which Dalida, Henri Salvador, Charles Aznavour, Charles Trenet, Brigitte Bardot, Jacques Brel and Juliette Gréco (when those leave Philips), Léo Ferré , Hugues Aufray, Jean Ferrat, Frank Alamo, Francoise Hardy, the Black Socks, Eddy Mitchell, Michel Delpech, Nicoletta, Michel Sardou, Nicole Rieu, Daniel Balavoine, Mireille Mathieu, Maxime the Forester, Daniel Guichard, Gilbert Mountain, Patrick Juvet, Danielle Licari, Claude Nougaro, Bernard Lavilliers, Serge Salted, Khaled, Rachid Taha, Zebda, Alain Bashung, Black Desire, Björk and Tricky… Its sense of smell is to him seldom safe lacking for Johnny Hallyday, Bob Marley, Pierre Perret or Michel Sardou (four years after having discovered it tells him “My little old woman, write songs if you want, but especially does not sing them. You do not have any talent! ”).

To the Quebec, the Diane Dufresne, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Robert Charlebois, Claude Dubois, Claude Léveillée, Isabelle Pierre, Stephan Venne and Renee Claude pass a whole long period of their respective career at Barclay Records.

Launching of the microgrooves in France

In 1955 an American friend speaks to him about the new invention new yorkaise of the long-playing records 45 turns and 33 turns able to record one hour of music by vis-a-vis the place from 3 to 5 minutes for the 78 turns. Eddie and Nicole immediately leave to get the technique of manufacture of this revolutionary invention which they report in France whereas nobody is still equipped with record player S (of which it imports 3000 specimens of the United States). It also benefits from its voyages to sign some contracts with stars American of the jazz of the time that it distributes in France under the labels Érato and Mercury Records and who take part in his fulgurating success whose The Platters and their important tube Only You sold to 15 million specimens, Charlie Parker, Ray Charles, Erroll Garner, Dizzy Gillespie… It also sells 10.000 specimens of the Fugue S of Bach in 33 turns. It then is called “the emperor of the microgroove”.

In 1958 Barclay recruits at Barclay Records Quincy Jones like arranger and artistic director, Boris Vian as director of the varieties, Frank Ténot and Daniel Filipacchi like persons in charge of the Jazz, Raymond Lefevre and Michel Legrand as orchestrateurs and Philippe Bouvard as press attaché… He is large friend with the Music producer Jacques Canetti of the theater of the Three Donkeys.

Years 1980 reprocesses tropezienne

In 1979, old of 58 years and patient of a Cancer of the throat, there sell 80% of Barclay Records with Polygram (heir to Philips and future Universal) while remaining chairman of Barclay during 5 years and owner of 20% of the shares. It founds some companies in the Luxe, the televisual Production and the organization of festivals. Celebrate Dandy Parisian nights tropéziennes and ladies' man with 8 marriages, Jet-set unrepentant tor fêtard it to create the famous “Sleepless nights” sumptuous in its villa which it is made build with Cape Camarat with Saint-Tropez at the edge of the beach of Pampelonne close to Ramatuelle or it invites guests of the Show international business of which his/her friends of the “Barclay clan” of which Stephan Collaro, Carlos, Darry Cowl, Alain Delon, Thierry the Lad, Johnny Hallyday, Eddy Mitchell, Olivier de Kersauson…

In 1988 it publishes an autobiography That the festival continues with the editions Robert Laffont.

Disappearance

He dies on May 13rd, 2005 with 0:30 with the hospital Ambroise-Avoided with Boulogne-Billancourt the 84 years age, where he had been allowed two weeks earlier. He had already undergone, in March 1994, a quadruple Pontage following a mild heart attack, after having fought with a savage will against his Cancer of the throat since 1979.

Its Obsèques is celebrated with the Église Saint-Sulpice of Saint-Germain-of-Meadows and it is Inhumé the following day with Saint-Tropez or its coffin is carried by his/her son and his friends Eddy Mitchell, Johnny Hallyday, Carlos, Olivier de Kersauson and Stephan Collaro.

Quotations

Orlando (brother of Dalida): “It broke the image of the producer sitting behind his office by creating friendly relations with the artists”.

“Here how I became so-called “the emperor of the microgroove”! In fact, there was no other claiming! ”

“I walked during years with two or three contracts in my pockets, ready to be used of day like night, but preferably as night, late, very late in the night. To be billionaire, one never should sleep. ”

Marriages

Celebrate tempting ladies' man until its last days, it married eight times:
  • Michelle (1945-1948)
  • Nicole (1949-1963) singer of jazz under the name of Eve Williams
  • Marie-Christine (1965-1970)
  • Beatrice (1970-1972) (which will marry Guy Marchand later)
  • Michelle (1973-1981)
  • Danièle (1982-1983)
  • Cathy (1984-1987)
  • Caroline (1988-1998)
  • Tiare (which he did not marry)

Some produced artists

France:

Quebec:

Type-setter and interprets film music

Type-setter and interprets Jazz at his beginnings, it wrote the original soundtracks of several films, of which

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