Henri Gabriel Salvador was born on July 18, 1917 in Sinnamary, French Guyana. In 1924, his family settled in Paris. In 1933, Henri discovered music thanks to his cousin who listened to Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington : it was the revelation. He didn't want to become a lawyer or a doctor, as his father told him. The same year, Henri got his first guitar & spent hours playing it. After hours of work, he joined a jazz quartet at the opening of Jimmy's Bar. World War II broke : Henri joined the Army in 1939 but left in 1940. He played in bands then was noticed by an orchestra leader, Raymond (Ray) Ventura & his orchestra Les Collégiens. In 1944, Henri started his solo career in Brazil. He went back to France in 1945 & released his first singles on Polydor, "Maladie D'Amour" & "Clopin Clopant". In 1950, he met a woman at the ABC : she went to see him every night. Some weeks later, on January 24, 1950, Henri married Jacqueline Garabedian. She became his wife, his artistic director & his impresario. Salvador, with his amusing laugh, worked during 20 years with Maurice Chevalier, Boris Vian & even Quincy Jones, the American producer. He got successful on TV & on radio... He also composed for Walt Disney. In 1976, Jacqueline died & Henri worked again to keep his fans faithful. On February 13, 1996, during the Victoires De La Musique, Henri received a honour prize for his career. The man in white came back in 2000 with his successful album Chambre Avec Vue. He received Victoires De La Musique in 2001 & 2002. In 2006, Henri recorded his album Révérence in Brazil. The album title was also the name of Monsieur Henri's last tour, ending on December 21, 2007. On February 13, 2008, Henri died of an aneurysm burst at 90. He was a great ambassador of French music.
Source: http://artists.letssingit.com/henri-salvador-q6b7t/biography
