French violinist Franck Pourcel is best-known for his jazzy string arrangements of pop hits, as well as his lush easy listening arrangements and film scores.
Initially, Pourcel studied classical violin at the Paris Conservatoire, but he found the allure of jazz irresistible. In particular, he was an idol of Stephane Grappelli. Following his studies, he joined a number of jazz combos, which led him to his role as the leader of the French Fiddlers, who he joined in the late '40s. The French Fiddlers were a group of violinists that performed jazzy versions of classical numbers or classical arrangements of pop and jazz tunes. They signed to Pathe-Marconi and continued to refine their sound so they could reach a broader audience. The group earned their first hit in 1952 with a version of "Blue Tango."
In 1959, the French Fiddlers had a hit with an easy listening version of the Platters' "Only You" that featured a prominent beat; appropriately, it was credited to Franck Pourcel and His Rockin' Strings. It was a sound that became quite popular during the '60s, though frequently other musicians were more successful with it than Pourcel. Indeed, "Only You" was his only U.S. Top Ten hit. Nevertheless, he and the Fiddlers -- who recorded under a variety of names -- sold over 15 million records internationally by the early '70s. Pourcel continued to record easy listening albums and compose film scores throughout the '70s and into the '80s.
A very discreet man, he never played up his personal or professional life. His record company has always had difficulty to write a biography mentioning how many records he sold (the sales if they were to be piled, one on top of the other, would represent 20 times the height of the Eiffel Tower), or how many gold records he got throughout the 58 countries where his albums were released. He was proud of his trophies, but didn’t talk about them. He smashed all sales records for Europeans orchestras without fanfare or boosting. He rather preferred to show his back directing the orchestra than his face to a camera. He rarely put his picture on the front of a cover "to recognize someone you have to appear on TV or movies. The public knows my name, I was the first one to do this kind of music in Europe."
WE HAVE BEGUN A MAJOR LABOUR OF LOVE TO REVISIT, REISSUE AND RESTYLE THIS MAN'S INCREDIBLE BODY OF WORK.
*R*E*M*I*X*E*R*S**W*A*N*T*E*D*
IF WE HAVE CONTACTED YOU, OR ATTEMPTED TO ADD YOU AS A FRIEND, IT IS BECAUSE WE ARE FANS OF YOUR WORK. TRULY RESPECT AND ADMIRE WHAT YOU HAVE GIVEN US AND HAVE BEEN ENJOYING YOUR GIFT OF MUSIC FOR QUITE SOME TIME. WE WOULD BE HONORED, OVERJOYED, TO HAVE YOU CONTRIBUTE REMIXES FOR THIS PROJECT. FRANCOISE (FRANCK'S DAUGHTER) IS IN FRANCE WITH THE LAWYERS RIGHT NOW GETTING THE BUSINESS DETAILS WORKED OUT AND I HAVE BEEN WITH THE MONUMENTAL TASK OF DECIDING WHICH TRACKS TO CHOOSE REMIXES FROM.
HIP HOP (OLDSCHOOL, NEW SCHOOL), R&B/SOUL, DISCO, HOUSE, TECHNO, TECH-HOUSE, DUB, DANCE-ROCK, PUNK-FUNK, ELEKTRO, ABSTRACT, BREAKS, BROKEN BEAT, AMBIENT, JAZZ, NU-JAZZ, MICROJAZZ, DOWNTEMPO, POP, MODERN CLASSICAL ... WE LOVE IT ALL.
GET IN TOUCH.
many thanks and
warmest regards, Dd.
([email protected])
