Daniel Bevilacqua (13 October 1945 – 16 April 2020), better known by the stage name Christophe, was a French singer and songwriter.
Born in the Paris suburb of Juvisy-sur-Orge to an Italian father, Bevilacqua was rebellious at school and started leading a pop group when in his mid-teens. His first single, "Reviens Sophie" (1963), was unsuccessful, but after changing his name to Christophe, his second single, "Aline" (1965), rose to the top of the French pop music charts.
He continued to have success in France through the 1960s and early 1970s. His hits include the songs "Marionettes", "J'ai entendu la mer", "Excusez-moi Monsieur le Professeur", and "Oh!... Mon Amour" which he sang in French and Italian. After a small break, he returned in 1971, with Francis Dreyfus launching the Motors record label (Disques Motors) and becoming the producer of Christophe records. The result was the 1973 album Les Paradis perdus. In 1974, he recorded "Les mots bleus", with lyrics by Jean-Michel Jarre.
In 1978, he came back with "Le Beau Bizarre". In 1983, Christophe released another single, "Succès fou", followed by "Clichés d'amour" in 1984 in which he sang 1940s and 1950s classics such as "Arrivederci Roma" and "Dernier baiser", a French version of the Mexican classic "Besame mucho". In 1985, he wrote "Ne raccroche pas" a song which is believed to be about the Princess Stephanie of Monaco. The following year, he wrote the song "Boule de flipper" for Corynne Charby.
In 1996, after a break, he returned with his album Bevilacqua. In 2001, he released another album Comm' si la terre penchait. In February 2002, Christophe performed, in Clermont-Ferrand, his first live concert in more than two decades, followed by two appearances at the Olympia in March 2002.
Christophe's 1970s song "Les mots bleus" was covered by Thierry Amiel in 2003. In 2011, Christophe took part in a tribute album for Alain Bashung two years after the latter's death. He sang "Alcaline", a song written by Bashung in 1989 for his album Novice.
In 2016, Christophe collaborated with Jean-Michel Jarre on the album "Electronica 2: The Heart of Noise" with the song "Walking The Mile". And collaborated with Alan Vega on the album "Les Vestiges Du Chaos" with the song "Tangerine".
In 1971, Christophe married his girlfriend Véronique and fathered his daughter Lucie.
He died after being in critical condition due to COVID-19 associated with a previous comorbidity (COPD) on 16 April 2020.
Source: Article "Christophe (singer)" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
