Inspired by the songwriting aesthetic of Bob Dylan growing up, during secondary school Cabrel taught himself to play the guitar. Growing in confidence and skill, the singer subsequently formed the cover band Maïna Pub and began performing songs by the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and the Rolling Stones. Following the band’s ultimate demise, Cabrel devised a plan for a solo career and entered a talent contest in southwest France which he went on to win. Upon being blown away by the songwriter, Cabrel was invited to record an entire LP, which surfaced in 1977 as “Les Murs de Poussière”.
Whilst failing to attract a national audience, the undeterred singer moved to Paris and recorded his sophomore album “Les Chemins de Travere”. The record’s second single “Je l’Aime à Mourir” subsequently rose to recognition in France and led to a successful run of albums in the 1980s including 1980’s “Fragile”, 1981’s “Carte Postale”, 1983’s “Quelqu’un de l’Intérieur”, 1985’s “Photos de Voyages”, and 1989’s “Sarbacane”. Following the latter release the singer moved away from his label CBS and signed with Columbia Records, at the same time as developing a considerable following in Quebec.
The 1990s gave Cebrel a new perspective and the singer-songwriter moved back to the south of France and began writing and recording at his own pace. Featuring a laid-back Cebrel, the singer issued the three-disc live set “d’Une Ombre à l’Autre” in 1991, followed by the full-length “Samedi Soir sur la Terre” in 1994. Whilst the musician has garnered a string of accolades over the years for his album releases, Cabrel is best known for his hit singles "Petite Marie” “"Je l'aime à mourir”, "L'Encre de tes yeux”, "La corrida”, and "Je t'aimais, je t'aime, je t’aimerai”.
Following a five year hiatus, the naughties brought more success for the singer who collaborated with the artists Patrick Verbeke, Tanya Saint Val, and David Johnson for the concert series Autour du Blues, before releasing his 10th album, “Les Beaux Dégâts” in 2004. Featuring re-visioned versions of Bob Dylan songs and Creedence Clearwater, Cebrel’s 11th studio album “Des Roses et des Orties” arrived in 2008.
French singer/songwriter Francis Cabrel has a career spanning back to the 70s and over that time he has spread his music across the globe. With an intelligent mixture of folk, pop and blues and a sturdy guitar playing ability running through the centre. He has a great mentality when it comes to the live performance. He clearly has a confidence after being onstage for almost four decades and he is totally at home in the live environment and is a complete natural when interacting with his fans.
He greets his audience like an old friend and immediately brings warmth to the venue. They cheer him on loudly throughout the show but only at the end of each track as the music is very important so the crowd are assured to not to break the atmosphere. The lights are perfect for the show as each musician is illuminated and it really compliments the acoustic tones of the slower music. The French language music may not be understandable to the whole audience yet Francis's tone has retained all these years later so you can still enjoy the great tones. With millions of albums sold and a large fanbase, you begin to see why Cabrel continually tours around into his 60s.
sean-ward
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