Ferre Grignard
Encyclopedia
Ferre Grignard was a Belgian
skiffle
-singer from Antwerp who surprised the world in 1965 with his international hits "Ring Ring, I've Got To Sing
" and "My Crucified Jesus".
, but he could play the guitar
and sing the blues
and his performances in “De Muze”, a famous Antwerp jazz café, made him well-known in the Antwerp artists world.
The young generation accepted him as the first Belgian protest singer, because of his hippie
-like appearance and the contents of his songs. In 1965 he performed at the first "Jazz-festival" at Bilzen
. He was discovered by Hans Kusters (the same man who owned the record company HKM that's now producing the music of the Belgian band Clouseau). His "Ring Ring, I've Got To Sing" and "My Crucified Jesus" conquered the world with their mixture of skiffle
, folk music
and blues
. At the height of his career he even performed at the Paris Olympia
. The Belgian artist George Smits
was a member of Ferre Grignards band around that time.
After the ensuing international success, things started to go wrong. He went to live in a mansion
, where he made music, painted and partied with the 20 friends who lived with him. He also refused to fill in his tax-forms, so after a while all royalties
went directly to tax
es. He neglected his career and was soon forgotten by his fans. A comeback in the seventies failed.
He died in Antwerp of throat cancer in 1982. At that time he was living on an attic
without heating, surrounded with empty bottles. Ferre Grignard lies buried at the Schoonselhof cemetery
, among many of Antwerp's most important citizens.
Singles
Compilations
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
skiffle
Skiffle
Skiffle is a type of popular music with jazz, blues, folk, roots and country influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a term in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, it became popular again in the UK in the 1950s, where it was mainly...
-singer from Antwerp who surprised the world in 1965 with his international hits "Ring Ring, I've Got To Sing
Ring Ring, I've Got To Sing
"Ring, Ring I've Got To Sing" was composed and performed by Ferre Grignard in the early 1960s. It became an international hit.-History:After an unsuccessful career as an artist, Ferre Grignard had learned to play the guitar and sing the blues. In 1964, “De Muze” opened in Antwerp. It was a bar...
" and "My Crucified Jesus".
Biography
Ferre Grignard renounced his middle-class origin and at the end of the 1950s he went to the Antwerp art academy. He was unsuccessful as a painterPainting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, but he could play the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and sing the blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and his performances in “De Muze”, a famous Antwerp jazz café, made him well-known in the Antwerp artists world.
The young generation accepted him as the first Belgian protest singer, because of his hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
-like appearance and the contents of his songs. In 1965 he performed at the first "Jazz-festival" at Bilzen
Bilzen
Bilzen is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. On January 1, 2006, Bilzen had a total population of 30,057...
. He was discovered by Hans Kusters (the same man who owned the record company HKM that's now producing the music of the Belgian band Clouseau). His "Ring Ring, I've Got To Sing" and "My Crucified Jesus" conquered the world with their mixture of skiffle
Skiffle
Skiffle is a type of popular music with jazz, blues, folk, roots and country influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a term in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, it became popular again in the UK in the 1950s, where it was mainly...
, folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
. At the height of his career he even performed at the Paris Olympia
Paris Olympia
The Olympia is a music hall in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Located at No. 28, Boulevard des Capucines, its closest métro/RER stations are Madeleine, Opéra, Havre – Caumartin and Auber....
. The Belgian artist George Smits
George Smits
George Smits , aka Toet, was a Belgian visual artist, experimental musician and inventor of experimental musical instruments....
was a member of Ferre Grignards band around that time.
After the ensuing international success, things started to go wrong. He went to live in a mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
, where he made music, painted and partied with the 20 friends who lived with him. He also refused to fill in his tax-forms, so after a while all royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
went directly to tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
es. He neglected his career and was soon forgotten by his fans. A comeback in the seventies failed.
He died in Antwerp of throat cancer in 1982. At that time he was living on an attic
Attic
An attic is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building . Attic is generally the American/Canadian reference to it...
without heating, surrounded with empty bottles. Ferre Grignard lies buried at the Schoonselhof cemetery
Schoonselhof Cemetery
Schoonselhof Cemetery is located in Hoboken, Antwerp, a suburb of Antwerp, Belgium.Schoonselhof Cemetery has a Jewish section plus War memorials for the graves of 1,557 British Commonwealth soldiers who died fighting in World War I and World War II.-Notable interments:*Lode Baekelmans ,...
, among many of Antwerp's most important citizens.
Discography
Albums| Year | Title | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Ring, Ring, I've Got To Sing | Fontana - 858 088 FPY |
| 1968 | Ferre Grignard | Philips - 12837 |
| 1969 | Captain Disaster | Barclay - 920 117 |
| 1972 | Ferre Grignard (1972) | Disques Motors - MT 44011 |
| 1978 | I Warned You | Philips - 6320 042 |
| Year | Title | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Ring, Ring, I've Got To Sing / Maureen | De Muze - S 50116 |
| 1966 | Hash Bamboo Shuffle 1702 / Drunken Sailor | Philips - 319 880 |
| 1966 | My Crucified Jesus / She's Gone | Philips - 319 875 |
| 1966 | Ring, Ring, I've Got To Sing / We Want War | Philips - 319870 bf |
| 1966 | Drunken Sailor / Hash Bamboo Shuffle 1702 | Philips - 319 880 |
| 1967 | A Worried Man / Maureen | Philips - 319 892 |
| 1968 | Captain Disaster / Tell Me Now | Barclay - 60 956 |
| 1968 | La, Si, Do / Yellow You, Yellow Me | Barclay - 60 847 |
| 1968 | Yellow You, Yellow Me / Close Your Noses … If La, Si, Do / Old Joe Clarck |
Barclay - 71 199 |
| 1969 | Close Your Noses … If / Old Joe Clarck | Barclay - 60 868 |
| 1969 | Yama, Yama, Hey / I Won't Have A Dance | Barclay - 61 044 |
| 1971 | Railroad Bill / Maybe Tomorrow | 6013 909 |
| 1972 | Lazy John / She's Back | Disques Motors - 4022 |
| 1973 | Knockin' Me Down / When I'm Down | Ssm - 001 |
| 1978 | I Warned You / All Right | Philips - 6021 095 |
Compilations
| Year | Title | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The Best of Ferre Grignard | Philips - 845 5442 |
| 1997 | Het beste van Ferre Grignard | Polygram - 536 0332 |
| 2002 | Lost Tracks | Nijgh & Van Ditmar - 21311 |
External links
- http://houbi.com/belpop/groups/grignard.htm
- http://rock-ola.be/hoes-gr/grignard/grignard.htm
- http://www.artiestenbiografie.nl/biografie/Ferre_Grignard.php
- http://bodink.be/mediatheque/interprete/598 Biografie (fr)
- http://www.humo.be/tws/humo-files/14567/humo-sprak-met-ferre-grignard.html