Death of François Hadji-Lazaro, figure of French punk-rock
Audio 01:20
File photo taken July 15, 2012: French singer Francois Hadji-Lazaro of the band Pigalle performs on stage during a concert for juniors as part of the Francofolies, in La Rochelle, western France.
AFP - XAVIER LEOTY
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
He was one of the central figures of French alternative rock in the 1980s-1990s.
François Hadji-Lazaro died on the night of February 25 to 26 at the age of 66.
Founder of Garçons-Bouchers, Los Carayos and Pigalle, all groups that marked this bubbling scene, he also created the independent label Boucherie Productions, revealing many emerging artists including Mano Negra.
Advertisement
Read more
For many, the cheeky voice of François Hadji-Lazaro will remain attached to the success of “Dans la salle du bar-tabac de la rue des martyrs”, a title released in 1990 with the Pigalle group.
But the influence of “Gros François”, as he was affectionately nicknamed in the middle of alternative rock, went far beyond that.
Alongside Bérurier Noir or the Wampas, this real Parisian titi with the physique of a wrestler and a shaved head, a teacher for a time, was one of the essential figures of the French punk-rock scene.
With Les Garçons Bouchers, Los Carayos or Pigalle, he played all the instruments, from the violin to the accordion and bagpipes.
►
To read also
: Pigalle is an unclassifiable group, on RFI Musique
Manu Chao's developer
François Hadji-Lazaro will also create the mythical independent label Boucherie Productions which allows many artists ignored by the majors to release their first album, such as Mano Negra with Patchanka, which revealed Manu Chao to the general public.
His face and his extraordinary physique will also offer him some beautiful supporting roles in the cinema, as in "The city of lost children" by Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
Musics
France
Culture