Henri Salvador

Henri Salvador (born July 18, 1917, Cayenne, French Guiana, died February 13, 2008, Paris) was a French singer. His father, Clovis, and his mother, Antonine Paterne, daughter of an native Indian from the Caribbean, were both from Guadeloupe. Salvador recorded several songs written with Boris Vian with Quincy Jones as arranger. In the 60's Salvador was the television host of several popular TV variety shows on French TV. Henri Salvador and his song "Dans mon île" (1957) is said to have unwittingly inspired bossa nova in Brazil, as Carlos Tom Jobim would have exclaimed on hearing the song "This is what you have to do! Slow down the tempo of samba, add a good melody and top it with beautiful chords!" Caetano Veloso, a renowned brasilian composer and singer, made a direct reference at Salvador in his song "Reconvexo" : "quem não sentiu o swing de Heri Salvador ?" (who hasn't felt the swing of Henri Salvador ?) In (1964) Henri Salvador scored a popular French hit with "Zorro est arrivé" (which was inspired by the English song "Along Came Jones"). His song "Mais non, mais non" (1969) inspired Jim Henson' song Mahna Mahna. These kind of comedy songs made him well known in France. He is also famous for his good nature and rich, catchy laugh, which is a standalone feature in many of his humoristic songs. He has a brother, André, and a sister Alice. He became a musician and comedian. Later he uncovered new French talents Keren Ann and Art Mengo.