Charles Aznavour

Charles Aznavour, the French/Armenian singer, songwriter, and public activist, in a career spanning over 80 years wrote more than 1,200 songs sun in eight languages, sold more than 200 million records in 80 countries, and appeared in more than 60 films. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest songwriters in the history of music, an icon of 20th-century pop culture, and has been described by the music critic Stephen Holden as a "French pop deity". Aznavour was born on May 22 1924, he was named Shahnour Vaghinag Azavourian by his parents, Armenian immigrants who fled from persecution. Aznavour exemplified his humanitarianism at an early age by taking part in his family’s efforts to protect Jews and others persecuted by the Nazis during World War II. Charles’ parents hid Jews in their homes during the Nazi occupation of France. He and his sister Aida gave up their beds for the new guests. Charles was introduced to music at a young age, he dropped out of school at age nine, and took the stage name "Aznavour". As a child, Aznavour earned roles in a play called Un Petit Diable à Paris and a film entitled La Guerre des Gosses. He then turned to professional dancing and performed in several nightclubs. In 1944 Aznavour began to write and perform his own songs, Aznavour wrote his first song entitled J'ai Bu. Aznavour later opened for Edith Piaf at the Moulin Rouge, it was Piaf who advised Aznavour to pursue a career in singing.

Aznavour was often described as "France's Frank Sinatra", he sang frequently about love. He wrote or co-wrote musicals, and more than one thousand songs, and recorded ninety-one studio albums. Aznavour also spoke and sang in many languages, this helped him secure performance spots at Carnegie Hall, in the US, and other major venues around the world. One of Aznavour’s hits from the 1960s was "Que C'est Triste Venise", ("How Sad Venice Can Be") sung in French, Italian, Spanish, English, and German. In 1972 Aznavour released his 23rd studio album, Idiote je t'aime..., which contained two of his classics - "Les plaisirs démodés" (Old-Fashioned Pleasures) and "Comme ils disent" (As They Say). It was in 1974 however, when Aznavour’s hit "She" reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks during a fourteen-week run. His other well-known song in the UK "The Old Fashioned Way", was on the UK charts for 15 weeks. Aznavour often would collaborate and performed with other prominent artists of the time including Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Andrea Bocelli, Bing Crosby, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Liza Minnelli, and more. When Bob Dylan was asked who some of his favorite musicians are, he stated, "I like Charles Aznavour a lot. I saw in him sixty-something at Carnegie Hall, and he just blew my brains out. Sting has also mentioned that "To me, he [Aznavour] is an icon. Not only as singer, but as an actor, as a personality, as master of 'chanson'." And Liza Minnelli, daughter of the famous Judy Garland stated on Aznavour, "I wasn't a good singer. I was not. And I knew because my mom was the best in the world. But I went to see Charles Aznavour, and he sang a song — but it wasn’t his voice that got me. What got me was why he was singing it. I just thought, ‘That’s what I wanna do!’ He told that story through the song.”

Aznavour’s philanthropic achievements continued throughout his life. In response to the 1988 Armenian earthquake, he co-founded Aznavour for Armenia, a charitable organization to help the victims and in 2009 was appointed ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland, as well as Armenia's permanent delegate to the United Nations at Geneva. He sang for presidents, popes, and royalty and received numerous awards and recognitions. In 1998. Aznavour was well known for being a lifelong and active supporter of civil rights, fighting for equality among all races, religions, and nationalities. He was an early supporter of LGBT rights, and in 2004, Aznavour received the title of National Hero of Armenia, Armenia's highest award.

Aznavour also earned countless professional achievements throughout his musical career, in a 1998 poll conducted by CNN and Time Online, Aznavour was recognized as Entertainer of the Century, with nearly 18% of the total vote, edging out Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Bob Dylan. In August 2017, at age 93, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Aznavour has sold more than 200 million albums, making him on the best-selling music artists of all time, and has been widely regarded as one of the most famous Armenians of his time. At the 2022 Winter Olympics American figure skater, Nathan Chen performed his team event short program on February 4, 2022, to Aznavour's La Boheme.