Les Grands Boulevards

Born in the city of Aleppo, Syria, where his parents had emigrated from Western Armenia. In 1925 he moved to Paris. At an early age he left secondary school and went to work. Later he took up music, wrote songs and sang in cafés. By the 1940s he had already become well known in French society. He became friends with Charles Aznavour, Georges Garvarentz and Django Renard. After the war he gave a number of solo concerts. In 1954 he moved to Yerevan, where he decided to study astrophysics, but changed his mind again and continued singing. From 1956 he worked in the State Estrada (Pop) Orchestra of Armenia led by Konstantin Orbelyan. He toured many cities, where he was received with great enthusiasm. From 1959 he was a soloist of Yuri Saulsky's instrumental ensemble in Moscow, where the songs he performed immediately became hits. He sang in Armenian, French and Russian. In 1965 he moved from the USSR to France. He died in Versailles.