In the aftermath of the Second World War Bronia Rosenberg, a survivor from Auschwitz, found herself in a refugee camp with a Polish Resistance fighter by the name of Fichel Brand. The couple fell in love and headed off to Palestine to make a new life for themselves. But the ship they were travelling on was torpedoed by the British army who forced passengers to disembark in Cyprus. It was there that Bronia and Fichel's son, Moshé, was born on 1 February 1947.
Following the creation of the state of Israel Bronia and Fichel decided to remake their lives there in May 1948. They obtained visas for Haifa were about to set sail when doctors confirmed young Moshé had been born mute. Bronia hung a cardboard notice round her son's neck bearing his name and address, lest he should be lost somewhere en route, but the family eventually made it to Israel safe and sound.
Moshé finally uttered his first words at the age of 5 – and his parents breathed a deep sigh of relief. They enrolled Moshé at a local school where he soon revealed an artistic bent, showing a marked talent for drawing and singing. Indeed, Moshé's youthful vocals led to him becoming the only male member of the school choir. Moshé left school at the age of 13, however, and went on to work on the Kfar Haemek kibbutz where he spent his days looking after the animals. After that the young teenager went on to earn his living working in a series of odd jobs, repairing refrigerators, working in a garage and showing visitors round the oceanographic museum in Haifa.
Musical debutMeanwhile, Moshé's brother, Zvi, who was two years younger than him had been busy learning the accordion. Zvi went on to form his own group, the Chocolates and suggested Moshé should come on board as lead singer. Moshé was just 15 at the time but he already had an impressive stentorian voice. Before long the female population of Haifa were swooning in the audience every time Moshé appeared on stage. And, after a year of struggling to get gigs on the local music scene, the Chocolates managed to score a lucrative contract with the Dan Carmel hotel in Haifa and ended up performing at the hotel's nightclub, The Rondo, over the next fifteen months.
Noting Moshé's success with female sectors of the audience, the manager at the Rondo persuaded the Chocolates to give Moshé even greater prominence within the group. Thus it was that the Chocolates reinvented themselves as Mickaël Sela and the Chocolates. The band soon started making a name for themselves with their catchy covers of Anglo-Saxon hits such as "My Prayer" made famous by The Platters as well as Elvis Presley and Tom Jones songs. Knocking out some 150 songs a night, Mickaël Sela and the Chocolates wowed nightclub guests – who were none too worried whether the lead singer always got his phonetic pronunciation right!
Moshé's popularity soon reached such proportions that Israel's legendary music-hall director and choreographer Jonathan Karmon turned up to see him perform one night. And Karmon was suitably impressed by the young Adonis's vocals and natural stage charisma.Moshé underwent a difficult period in his personal life following the death of his father in 1967. But soon Moshé – now known as Mike Brand – embarked upon a major tour with J. Karmon's Grand Music-Hall which whisked him off for a long series of show across the United States and South Africa. This gave him the opportunity to hone his vocals and his stage act and the young singer soon began dreaming of launching a solo career and following in the footsteps of his rock star idol Tom Jones.
Paris-boundWhen he got back from his tour of South Africa and the U.S. Mike signed a new contract to perform at the Baccara Club in Teheran during the winter of '68. The natural-born showman brought the house down on a nightly basis, knocking out more than 300 songs in one show and delighting his audience with covers of songs by The Beatles, Ray Charles and Tom Jones. It was one of his shows at the Baccara Club that led to Mike's first international break. For French star Sylvie Vartan turned up to perform at the Baccara one night accompanied by her personal assistant, Carlos. The flamboyant couple were suitably impressed by Mike's performance and encouraged him to try and further his career in Paris.Mike took the couple at their word – and despite the fact he spoke only average English and not a single word of French! – once he had completed his contract at the Baccara he boarded a plane to Paris. Mike touched down in the French capital in July 1969 with little other than a suitcase and Carlos and Sylvie's phone numbers. He contacted them immediately but unfortunately both artists were away on tour and no-one returned his phone calls. After several more unsuccessful attempts, Mike was thinking of boarding a plane home to Israel when suddenly someone returned his call.Carlos immediately offered to take Mike under his wing, putting him up at his apartment and introducing him to Eddy Barclay and other big names in the French show-biz world. Despite Carlos's efforts on his behalf, Mike's career showed little sign of taking off on the French music scene. The language barrier appeared to present an insurmountable obstacle. Nevertheless, Carlos managed to get Mike performing at Le Bistingo, a fashionable cabaret frequented by leading French talent spotters such as Léo Missir (director of Barclay's Riviera label) and Monique Le Marcis (programme director on leading French radio station RTL) – but all to no avail!Summertime
Not knowing what else he could do to get his young Israeli protegé's career off the ground, Carlos commended him to Jean Renard, the artistic director responsible for Sylvie Vartan and Johnny Hallyday (who had just rocketed up the French charts with "Que je t'aime"). Renard immediately organised a meeting between Mike and Jean-Claude Vannier, the musician/arranger behind a host of leading French stars of the day. According to showbiz legend, Mike managed to win Vannier and Renard over with one chord and a single word - "Summertime"! And the result of the meeting was that Renard ended up offering his new 'discovery' a five-year recording deal.Meanwhile, in order to have Mike hone his stage act and earn a little money before he got him into the studio, Renard handed his new protegé over to Inno Saada who organised a series of shows at the Régiskaïa Club in Meudon-la-Forêt. With the help of Jean-Claude Vannier, J.C. Charvier and Gérard Tournier (his music publisher who advanced the necessary funds), Renard finally launched the recording sessions. And finally, after 260 pre-recording sessions, Mike's first single was ready. "Laisse-moi t'aimer", written by Jean Renard, arrived in record stores in February 1970 – and proved to be an instant hit! The single ended up selling over one and a half million copies and also did well as an export in Germany and Italy (thanks to the German and Italian versions Mike recorded for his foreign fans).Renard proved to be a veritable Pygmalion, not only taking the musical side of Mike's career in hand but also radically revamping his image. Renard re-invented Moshé Brand as Mike Brant, "Latin lover extraordinaire" sporting flared trousers, heeled boots and a satin shirt unbuttoned to reveal his tanned torso. Revamped as a sexy, teenage icon Mike went on to release two new singles in the spring and autumn of 1970 - "Un grand bonheur" and "Mais dans la lumière" – and the latter proved a great critical triumph, winning that year's "Grand Prix RTL International".
Thanks to this award and the support of Monique Le Marcis who adopted him as her 'next big thing', Mike ended up receiving extensive play on the French airwaves. His new-found popularity also led to regular TV appearances on music shows hosted by the likes of Guy Lux and the Carpentiers. Before long the female half of the French nation had fallen under the spell of the Israeli playboy with the sensual voice.Meanwhile, Renard proved to be the kind of Pygmalion who would stop at nothing if it guaranteed good publicity. When Mike was involved in a car crash later that year his 'manager' rushed to his bedside – not to express his concern, but to take photos of the singer lying in his hospital bed which he then sold on to French newspaper France Soir. Needless to say, Mike's car crash earned endless column inches in the French press and reams of free publicity for the release of his new single in April 1971. "Nous irons à Sligo", Mike's fourth single written by Franck Gérald, proved to be another instant hit.Mike experienced the workings of French show-biz at close hand through his relationship with Renard, who was recognised as one of the top managers of the day. The pair did not always see eye to eye, however. Renard wanted Mike to launch himself in the major venues in Paris, but the singer protested that he did not feel ready and preferred to progress steadily, playing smaller, more obscure venues in the French provinces. Meanwhile, the hits kept rolling in with "Felicita", preceded by the sexual innuendoes of "A corps perdu" in July 1971. Thanks to Mike's dark, good looks and his natural charm, offers of film roles soon began landing on Renard's desk. However, although Mike was tempted to branch out and experiment with acting he turned down a part in a Visconti film and a role in the Italian cinema version of "Hair", deciding to concentrate purely on his singing career instead.
Mike splits from his PygmalionThanks to the chart-topping success of his early singles, Mike Brant had become the new idol of French teenagers of the day. And this gave him the confidence to attack Paris at last. After long years of refusing to play at Parisian venues the singer announced he was ready to hit the French capital at last. But Renard insisted the time was not right. Mike and his manager ended up in a heated argument about the matter – and things got so bad that the pair ended up going their separate ways. Mike went on to support Dalida at the Olympia in October 1971 and Jean Renard handed over his stock of tapes to Gérard Tournier who took over as Mike's producer.Despite his split from Renard 1971 turned out to be an auspicious year for Mike. His record sales soon topped the million mark and he was invited to perform at the Olympia for an entire fortnight. Meanwhile, Mike's celebrity reached new proportions in the French media which ran story after story about the singer's supposed love affairs with young music starlets such as Dani, Nicoletta and Dalida.Tournier proved to be a temporary link between Renard and Charles Talar who took over as Mike's new producer in the early 70s. Meanwhile, Alain Krief stepped in on the musical front to replace Jean-Claude Vannier (who, showing solidarity with his old friend Renard, called a halt to his collaboration with Brant). Michel Jourdan – who had proved his worth penning hits for the likes of Charles Aznavour, Claude François and Julio Iglesias - also came on board as Mike's new songwriter. Mike returned to the recording studio soon after this reshuffle but his new single, "Une fille à aimer" (released at the end of '71) did not do as well as had been hoped.Mike was none too discouraged by this setback, however, declaring stoically that "singers are like yoyos – they shoot up the charts but then they come back down again!" Mike found himself back on the upward path in April 1972 when he shot to the no.1 spot in the French charts with "Qui saura" (a French version of José Feliciano's "Que sera" which the latter had performed at the San Remo Music Festival the previous year, as had Mike). The single proved to be a huge hit in France, selling well over 2 million copies.Meanwhile, Mike also appeared to have made it to number 1 in French music fans' hearts, usurping Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan. Mike's face was soon brandished across the cover of teenage magazines like Podium and Mademoiselle Age Tendre – which led to his detractors dismissing him as a "teenage heartthrob singing lightweight songs." Mike retorted that he did not include social and political commentary in his songs because "I leave the committed stuff to singers with weak voices!" But the singer also admitted he had had enough of "hysterical girls screaming in the front row while I'm performing." Mike Brant was obviously a singer who wanted to be taken seriously!
Meanwhile, Mike escaped from showbiz pressures playing football in the Bagatelle gardens on Sunday mornings with Adamo, Enrico Macias and a handful of other friends from the music world. For the paradoxical thing about Mike Brant was that while hordes of teenage girls would wait patiently backstage at his concerts, the singer actually found himself very alone in his personal life.Prayers answeredEager to rid himself of his image as a teenage heartthrob, Mike Brant turned his hand to composing in a bid for critical recognition. He copyrighted his first composition in September 1972, writing the music to "C'est ma prière" ("This is My Prayer", a song whose lyrics were composed by Richard Seff). The song scored an instant hit with the French public, rocketing to no. 1 in the charts.Mike's family were understandably proud of this new triumph, but at the same time they were becoming increasingly worried about the price Mike paid for his fame. The singer's punishing schedule included 250 gala performance in 1972 alone. Mike's producer, Charles Talar, had also been forced to step up security. The singer was now driven everywhere in an armour-plated car and surrounded by a team of five bodyguards. When Mike was not performing he remained locked up at home alone, the telephone his only link to the outside world. With intensive media coverage taking the very last bit of freedom he enjoyed away, the singer confided to his mother that he could take no more.
Despite the increasing misery of his personal life, Mike continued composing music for lyrics written by Michel Jourdan. This new songwriting partnership brought two new hits rolling in between the end of 1972 and the beginning of 1973 ("Que tu es belle" and "Toutes les couleurs"). Meanwhile, Mike hit the road again performing promotional tours of Europe, Japan and Australia. In April 1973 Mike brought out a new single entitled "Rien qu'une larme". The single instantly echoed the success of his old hits, rocketing to the no. 1 spot in France and several other countries. Indeed, "Rien qu'une larme" sold 120,000 copies in Canada alone. Mike went on to follow this new success with "Tout donné, tout repris", a single whose sales soon topped the million mark.Meanwhile, Mike also enjoyed a radical improvement in his personal life, after falling in love with a Danish model by the name of Grita. The pair embarked upon what appeared to be an idyllic love affair. But when Grita asked Mike to take a break from his punishing gala schedule, the singer ended up sacrificing his new girlfriend for his career.New beginnings1974 marked a new beginning in Mike's professional life. He signed to a new label, Polydor, and began working with a new producer, Simon Waintrob. The latter, who had a rather 'dodgy' reputation in the music world also worked as an agent for the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali. Mike, who actually enjoyed painting himself, found himself moving in new artistic circles. He was even invited to stay at Dali's house in Cadaques with Mick Jagger and Alice Cooper and the master also gave him several lithographs as a gift.Mike's mother was none too happy about his new circle of friends, however, dismissing them as "a bunch of vultures" who were out to profit from him. Meanwhile Mike continued to work away at his new compositions, writing music to Michel Jourdan's lyrics. He went on to release several new singles - "C'est comme ça que je t'aime", "Viens ce soir" and "Toi, mon enfant" – in May and October 1974. These went down well with the French public and the 35,000 members of the Mike Brant fanclub who continued to rush out and buy every one of the singer's new releases.
Despite these new hits, Mike seemed to be becoming increasingly fragile. And in May 1974 in the midst of performing a small concert to 4,000 fans in Boissy-Saint-Léger, the singer rushed off stage after just four songs, leaving his audience in shock. A few days later when about to go on stage in Cambrai Mike had a minor breakdown in his dressing-room, putting his fist through a mirror. It seemed that the singer's band of 'bad acquaintances', added to his own anxiety and instability, were beginning to take their toll.In June 1974 another event threatened to tip the delicate balance of Mike's emotional state a little further towards the edge. Thieves broke into his apartment and made off with sacks of valuables including his Dali lithographs and gold coins which had been given to him by the Shah of Iran. Mike was badly affected by these losses but it was the theft of a collection of family photographs and his mother's jewellery which upset him most. The singer plunged into a real depression at this point, declaring "They've stolen my life along with the rest!"Johnny Hallyday advised Mike to escape from the showbizz world for a while and the singer fled the glare of the spotlights, taking a much-needed break in Geneva. Mike failed to break out off his depression, however, and on 21 November 1974 he attempted to commit suicide by throwing himself out of his hotel window. Mike escaped with a few minor injuries, but his close friends continued to worry that he was cutting himself off from the world. Meanwhile, back in the land of showbizz Mike's latest records – including "C'est comme ça que je t'aime" – continued to sell hundreds of thousands of copies.
A Tragic EpilogueOver the next few months Mike's mental state continued to oscillate and he would swing between periods of enjoying life and then slipping back into depression again. Nevertheless Mike made his way back to the studio and January 1975 saw two new single releases: "Qui pourra lui dire" and "Elle a gardé ses yeux d'enfants" (featuring lyrics by Richard Seff and Michel Jourdan). Mike also threw himself body and soul into preparations for a new album. He met his old friend Jean Renard at a recording session and the pair decided to team up again on a new partnership.Mike's album – which featured "Dis-lui", a French adaptation of "Feelings" written by Loulou Gasté and Morris Albert – was released at the beginning of April 1975. Mike seemed happy with the result, declaring it to be his best album to date. The singer appeared to be finding a renewed taste for life – but sadly this proved to be a tragic facade.On 25 April 1975 Mike threw himself off the roof terrace of a friend's apartment and succeeded in killing himself this time. The music world plunged into shock, the singer's fan-club and hundreds of thousands of music lovers around the world lamenting the death of the Israeli idol. Mike's body was flown to Israel to be buried in Haifa on 7 May 1975. Meanwhile, Mike's new album continued to sell like hotcakes and a fortnight after his death sales of "Dis-lui" had topped the 1 million mark.*
Mike Brant's suicide remains a total enigma to many fans twenty-five years on - and all the more so as his death was followed by the suicide of his secretary, Alain Krief, in 1976 and then that of Simon Waintrob.Enthusiasm for the myth of Mike Brant and his music has not waned, however. Far from it, in fact. Compilations of the Israeli playboy's hits still sell an average 200,000 copies a year. Meanwhile, the "Mike Brant Star-Club" – regrouping some 2,000 fans across Europe – organise two or three special Mike Brant nights a year in collaboration with Mike's family, brother Zvi and old friends and collaborators such as Michel Jourdan. In accordance with the dead singer's wishes, the Mike Brant choir continues to perpetuate his memory together with the chorus-lines of his most popular hits.
L'oiseau noir et l'oiseau blanc
M. Jourdan - A. KriefL'oiseau noir et l'oiseau blanc
Au ciel vivent en paix
Ils ne font jamais semblant
De vivrent en liberté
J'aimerais pouvoir le suivre
Tout là -haut cet oiseau libre
Que j'entends chanter dans le bleu du ciel
Dès que je m'éveille
J'aimerais pouvoir le suivre
Tout là -haut cet oiseau libre
Pour voir au-dessus des nuages briller le soleil
Au royaume des étoiles
Au pays d'amour
Jamais une fleur du mal
Ne verra le jour
Ils partagent le meilleur
Dans un cri de joie
La différence de couleurs
Ça n'existe pasL'oiseau noir et l'oiseau blanc
Au-dessus des frontières
Quand ils chantent en même temps
C'est pour la terre entière
J'aimerais pouvoir le suivre
Tout là -haut cet oiseau libre
Que j'entends chanter dans le bleu du ciel
Dès que je m'éveille
J'aimerais pouvoir le suivre
Tout là -haut cet oiseau libre
Pour voir au-dessus des nuages briller le soleil
L'oiseau noir et l'oiseau blanc
Sont faits pour s'aimer
Ils traversent l'océan
Pour se retrouver
Ils ne viennent pas au monde
Dans le même nid
Mais c'est dans la même ronde
Qu'ils tournent aujourd'hui
L'oiseau noir et l'oiseau blanc
Sont faits pour s'aimerlovenote layouts
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