Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour ( AZ-nə-VOOR; French: [ʃaʁl aznavuʁ]; Armenian: Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրյան; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringing in its upper reaches, with gravelly and profound low notes. In a career as a singer and songwriter, spanning over 70 years, he recorded more than 1,200 songs, in various languages. Moreover, he wrote or co-wrote more than 1,000 songs for himself and others. Aznavour is regarded as one of the greatest songwriters in history and an icon of 20th-century pop culture. Aznavour sang for presidents, popes and royalty, as well as at humanitarian events. In response to the 1988 Armenian earthquake, he founded the charitable organization Aznavour for Armenia along with his long-time friend, impresario Lévon Sayan. In 2008, he was granted Armenian citizenship and was appointed ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland the following year, as well as Armenia's permanent delegate to the United Nations at Geneva. One of France's most popular and enduring singers, he was dubbed France's Frank Sinatra, while music critic Stephen Holden described Aznavour as a "French pop deity". Several media outlets described him as the most famous Armenian of all time. Jean Cocteau, who cast him in his 1960 Le Testament d'Orphée, joked "Before Aznavour despair was unpopular". Between 1974 and 2016, Aznavour received around sixty gold and platinum records around the world. According to his record company, the total sales of Aznavour's recordings were over 180 million units. He started his last world tour in 2014. In 2017, Aznavour was awarded the 2,618th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Later that year, he and his sister, Aida Aznavourian, were awarded the Raoul Wallenberg Award for sheltering Jews during World War II. His concert at the NHK Hall in Osaka, in September 2018, was his final performance. |
Birth and Death Data: Born 6th arrondissement of Paris (one of the 20 administrative districts of Paris, France), Died October 1, 2018 (Mouriès (commune in Bouches-du-Rhône, France) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1946 - 1955
Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, songwriter, composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL8189 | 10-in. | 6/27/1946 | J'ai bu | Jo Boyer ; Georges Ulmer ; Jean Valz | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | songwriter | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL8421 | 10-in. | 7/2/1947 | Départ-express | Ginette Garcin ; Jacques Hélian Orchestre ; Zappy Max | Female-male vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL8564 | 10-in. | 7/19/1948 | Il pleut | Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL8571 | 10-in. | 9/1/1948 | Cinq filles a marier | Compagnons de la Chanson | Vocal ensemble | lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL8679 | 10-in. | 5/16/1949 | C'est un gars | Aimé Barelli ; Lucienne Delyle | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL8848 | 10-in. | 7/7/1950 | C'est un gars | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL8854 | 10-in. | 7/10/1950 | Il y avait | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | songwriter | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL8976 | 10-in. | 4/13/1951 | Rien de rien | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL9007 | 10-in. | 7/4/1951 | Une enfant | Robert Chauvigny ; Choeur Raymond Saint-Paul ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra and vocal ensemble | composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL9035 | 10-in. | 10/15/1951 | Plus bleu que tes yeux | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | songwriter | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL9036 | 10-in. | 10/15/1951 | Je hais les dimanches | Robert Chauvigny ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL9065 | 10-in. | 11/8/1951 | Jezebel | Robert Chauvigny ; Choeur Raymond Saint-Paul ; Edith Piaf | Female vocal solo, with orchestra and vocal ensemble | lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL9243 | 10-in. | 6/8/1952 | Viens | Robert Chauvigny ; Jacques Pills | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL9419 | 10-in. | 12/31/1952 | Et bailler, et dormir | Jean Bretonniere ; Jacques-Henry Rys | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL9947 | 10-in. | approximately 1954 | La bagarre | Annie Cordy ; Jerry Mengo | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | CL10008 | 10-in. | 2/16/1955 | A t'regarder | Robert Chauvigny ; Jacques Pills | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Aznavour, Charles," accessed January 20, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/356040.
Aznavour, Charles. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 20, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/356040.
"Aznavour, Charles." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 20 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Charles Aznavour
Discogs: Charles Aznavour
Allmusic: Charles Aznavour
Apple Music: Charles Aznavour
Grove: Charles Aznavour
RILM: Charles Aznavour
IMDb: Charles Aznavour
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Aznavour, Charles - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85094806
Wikidata: Charles Aznavour - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1785
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/64001137
MusicBrainz: Charles Aznavour - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5f264b87-d5f6-487d-aa3e-ae4c5f0c6fc9
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/155390 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/155390
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.
