Edith Piaf
Édith Giovanna Gassion (19 December 1915 – 10 October 1963), known as Édith Piaf (French: [edit pjaf]), was a French singer and lyricist best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres. She is widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer and one of the most celebrated performers of the 20th century. Having begun her career touring with her father at age fourteen, she was discovered in 1935 in Paris by night club owner Louis Leplée, and achieved her first successes in the "Theatre de l'ABC" among others with the song "Mon Légionnaire". Owner of the ABC music hall Mitty Goldin also wrote songs for her, e.g. "Demain", and produced some of her songs. Her fame increased during the German occupation of France, shortly after which (in 1945) she wrote the lyrics to her signature song, "La Vie en rose" ('life in pink'). She became France's most popular entertainer in the late 1940s, also touring Europe, South America and the United States, where her popularity led to eight appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Piaf continued to perform, including several series of concerts at the Paris Olympia music hall, until a few months before her death in 1963 at age 47. Her last song, "L'Homme de Berlin", was recorded with her husband Théo Sarapo in April 1963. Since her death, several documentaries and films have been produced about Piaf's life as a touchstone of French culture. Piaf's music was often autobiographical, and she specialized in chanson réaliste and torch ballads about love, loss and sorrow. In addition to her signature song, her most widely known songs include "Non, je ne regrette rien" (1960), "Hymne à l'amour" (1949), "Milord" (1959), "La Foule" (1957), "L'Accordéoniste" (1940), and "Padam, padam..." (1951). |
Birth and Death Data: Born Paris (capital city and largest city of France), Died October 10, 1963 (Grasse (commune in Alpes-Maritimes, France) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1941 - 1955
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, lyricist, songwriter, composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 123 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | E0VB-4719 | 10-in. | 5/31/1950 | La vie en rose | Tony Martin ; Henri René | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
| Victor | E0VB-5124 | 10-in. | 7/24/1950 | La vie en rose | Ralph Flanagan Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
| Victor | D7VB-1853 | 10-in. | 11/6/1947 | You're too dangerous, cherie | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Stuart Wade | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
| Columbia | CO44682 | 10-in. | 11/30/1950 | Chante moi | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, composer | |
| Columbia | CO44683 | 10-in. | 11/30/1950 | Autumn leaves | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
| Columbia | CO44684 | 10-in. | 11/30/1950 | Don't cry | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, composer | |
| Columbia | CO44720 | 10-in. | 12/12/1950 | My lost melody | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
| Columbia | CO44738 | 10-in. | 12/14/1950 | I shouldn't care | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
| Columbia | CO44739 | 10-in. | 12/14/1950 | 'Cause I love you | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, composer | |
| Victor (Canada) | 9562 | 10-in. | before July 1948 | La vie en rose | Lucio Agostini ; Alys Robi | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CLX2465 | 12-in. | 6/25/1946 | Les trois cloches | Compagnons de la Chanson ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo and vocal ensemble | vocalist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CLX2466 | 12-in. | 10/8/1946 | Mariage | Guy Luypaerts ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CLX2467 | 12-in. | 10/8/1946 | Le petit homme | Guy Luypaerts ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CLX2468 | 12-in. | 10/9/1946 | J'm'en fous pas mal | Guy Luypaerts ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CLX2530 | 12-in. | 10/6/1947 | Mariage | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CLX2531 | 12-in. | 10/7/1947 | Un homme comme les autres | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CLX2532 | 12-in. | 10/7/1947 | C'est pour ça | Robert Chauvigny ; Compagnons de la Chanson ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with vocal group | vocalist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CLX2600 | 12-in. | 4/15/1948 | [Piaf medley] | Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CLX2601 | 12-in. | 4/30/1948 | Les yeux de ma mère | Compagnons de la Chanson | Female vocal solo, with orchestra and vocal ensemble | songwriter | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CLX2633 | 12-in. | 7/21/1948 | Il a chanté | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CLX2841 | 12-in. | 5/5/1951 | C'est toi | Robert Chauvigny ; Eddie Constantine ; Edith Piaf | Vocal duet, with orchestra | vocalist, lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CLX2842 | 12-in. | 5/5/1951 | Chanson bleue | Robert Chauvigny ; Choeur Raymond Saint-Paul ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra and vocal ensemble | vocalist, lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL7498 | 10-in. | 10/2/1941 | Un coin tout bleu | Pierre Chagnon ; Damia | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL7499 | 10-in. | 10/2/1941 | Tu es partout | Pierre Chagnon ; Damia | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL7569 | 10-in. | 1/22/1942 | Mon amour vient de finir | Pierre Chagnon ; Damia | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Piaf, Edith," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/337595.
Piaf, Edith. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/337595.
"Piaf, Edith." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Édith Piaf
Discogs: Edith Piaf
Allmusic: Edith Piaf
Grove: Edith Piaf
RILM: Edith Piaf
IMDb: Edith Piaf
Britannica: Edith Piaf
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Piaf, Edith, 1915-1963 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50010718
Wikidata: Édith Piaf - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1631
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/141145970358932252843
MusicBrainz: Édith Piaf - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/4f8ef4a3-40fa-46b5-8773-97686a8424f4
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/3170 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/3170
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.
