Jacques Joseph Victor Higelin (born 18 October 1940 in Brou-sur-Chantereine

Brou-sur-Chantereine

Brou-sur-Chantereine is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-External links:* * *...

, Seine-et-Marne, France) is a French pop singer who rose to prominence in the early 1970s. Early in his career, many of Higelin's songs were effectively blacklist

Blacklist

A blacklist is a list or register of entities who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. As a verb, to blacklist can mean to deny someone work in a particular field, or to ostracize a person from a certain social circle...

ed from French radio because of his controversial left wing political beliefs, and his association with socialist groups. He and his wife, Kuelan, are the parent of actor Ken Higelin, he also has a daughter Izia Higelin (singer) with Aziza and an elder son Arthur H (famous French singer) with Nicole Courtois.

Higelin's entertainment career began at age 14, when he left school to work as a stunt double

Stunt double

A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts...

. While playing a number of small roles in various motion pictures, Higelin was taught to play the guitar by Henri Crolla

Henri Crolla

Henri Crolla was a French jazz guitarist and film composer.Born in Naples, Campania, Italy, to a family of itinerant Neapolitan musicians, he moved with his family to Porte de Choisy in France in 1922 following the rise of fascism in Italy...

, an French-Italian jazz guitarist and film composer. By the early sixties, Higelin was attending the René Simon drama school, where he won the François Perier award.

For two years starting in 1961, Higelin served in the French military

Military of France

The French Armed Forces encompass the French Army, the French Navy, the French Air Force and the National Gendarmerie. The President of the Republic heads the armed forces, with the title "chef des armées" . The President is the supreme authority for military matters and is the sole official who...

 in various countries. Upon returning to France, he resumed his cinematic career, but increasingly began to focus on music over film. By the end of the decade, he was also very active in the artistic underground in Paris, and he began to channel his music towards radical militancy. He began attracting popular attention through his live concerts, typically held in smaller venues, and released his first solo album

Solo album

A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...

, in 1971. By the middle of the 1970s, Higelin had become one of France's most successful musicians, and he remains influential to this day. In 1995 Jaques participated in "The Somebody Help Me Project" created by Laramy Smith a CD recording to aid homeless people worldwide. The CD featured performances by: Nina Hagen

Nina Hagen

Nina Hagen is a German singer and actress.-Early years:Hagen was born as Catharina Hagen in the former East Berlin, East Germany, the daughter of Hans Hagen , a scriptwriter, and Eva-Maria Hagen, an actress and singer...

, Tore Kunda, Trio Esperança

Trio Esperança

Trio Esperança is a Brazilian vocal trio, formed in the city of Rio de Janeiro in 1958, by the siblings Mário, Regina and Evinha Correia José Maria...

, Princess Erika

Princess Erika

Princess Erika , is a French singer and actress with Cameroonian origins. She is particularly known for her ragga songs "Trop de bla-bla" ou "Faut qu'j'travaille".-Biography:...

, Spencer Davis

Spencer Davis

Spencer David Nelson Davis is a British musician and multi-instrumentalist, and the founder of the 1960s rock band, the Spencer Davis Group.-Early life:...

, Amina

Amina

Amina Sukhera was a Hausa Muslim Warrior Queen of Zazzau , in what is now north central Nigeria. She is the subject of many legends, but is widely believed by historians to have been a real ruler, though contemporary evidence about her is limited...

, Sneaky Pete Kleinow

Sneaky Pete Kleinow

Peter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow was an American country-rock musician, songwriter, and a motion picture special effects artist...

, Annette Austin, and a 72 voices of members of "The Genesis Choir" and "The Reverend Martin Luther King Choir" recorded at studio "Z", Sacramento, California. European performer's recorded at Ferber Studios, Paris France.

Discography

• 1969 – Higelin et Areski (with Areski Belkacem)
• 1970 – Inédits 1970 (with Areski Belkacem)
• 1971 – Jacques "Crabouif" Higelin
• 1973 – Jacques Canetti présente Jacques Higelin
• 1974 – BBH 75
• 1975 – Irradie
• 1976 – Alertez les Bébés
• 1978 – No Man's Land
• 1979 – Caviar Pour les Autres and Champagne Pour Tout le Monde
• 1982 – Higelin 82
• 1985 – Aï
• 1988 – Tombé du Ciel
• 1990 – Follow the Live
• 1991 – Illicite and Au Coeur d'Higelin
• 1992 – Le Rex
• 1994 – Aux Héros de la Voltige
• 1995 – The Somebody Help Me Project (with Laramy Smith)
• 1998 – Paradis Païen
• 2000 – Higelin Live 2000
• 2005 – Entre Deux Gares
• 2006 – Amor Doloroso
• 2010 – Coup de foudre