Charles Aznavour Biography
 Aznavour was born in Paris, the son of Armenian immigrants Michael Aznavourian and Knar Bagdasarian. His artistic parents introduced him to the world of theatre at an early age.
He began to perform when he was nine and soon took the stage name Aznavour. His big break came when the singer ?dith Piaf heard him sing and arranged to take him with her on tour in France and to the United States.
Often described as the Frank Sinatra of France, Aznavour sings mostly about love. He has written musicals and about a thousand songs, made more than one hundred records, and appeared in sixty movies, including Shoot the Piano Player, The Tin Drum and Ararat. Aznavour sings in many languages (French, English, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, Armenian, Portuguese), which has helped him perform at Carnegie Hall and other major venues around the world. He also recorded at least one song from the 18th century poet Sayat Nova, in Armenian. Que C'est Triste Venise, sung in French, Italian (Com'? Triste Venezia), Spanish (Venecia Sin Ti), English (How Sad Venice Can Be), and German (Venedig im Grau), is one of Aznavour's most famous polylingual songs.
In the 1970s Aznavour became a major success in the United Kingdom where his song She went to Number One in the charts. His other well-known song in the UK was Dance in the Old Fashioned Way.
An admirer of Quebec, where he played in Montreal cabarets before becoming famous, he has helped the career of Quebec singer-songwriter Lynda Lemay in France, and has a house in Montreal.
Charles Aznavour Statue in Gyumri, Armenia.Since the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, Aznavour has been helping the country through his charity, Aznavour for Armenia. Together with his brother in-law and co-author Georges Garvarentz he writes the song Pour toi Armenie, which topped the charts for 13 weeks. There is a square named after him in central Yerevan on Abovian Street. In 1995 Charles Aznavour was appointed an Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Armenia to UNESCO. Aznavour is a member of the Armenia Fund International Board of Trustees. The organization has rendered more than $150 million in humanitarian aid and infrastructure development assistance to Armenia since 1992. Charles Aznavour was appointed as Officier (Officer) of the L?gion d'honneur in 1997.
In 1998, Charles Aznavour was chosen as Entertainer of the Century by CNN and users of Time Online from around the globe. Aznavour was recognized as the century's outstanding performer, with nearly 18% of the total vote, edging out Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. After Frank Sinatra's death, Charles Aznavour is the last of these Greats.
Charles Aznavour, a photo by Xavier Thomas.Artists who have covered his songs range from Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby to Ray Charles and Liza Minnelli. In 1974, Jack Jones recorded an entire album of Aznavour compositions entitled Write Me A Love Song, Charlie, re-released on CD in 2006 . Elvis Costello recorded She for the film Notting Hill. Tenor Pl?cido Domingo is a good friend of Aznavour and often performs his hits, most notably Aznavour's version of Ave Maria in 1994. Also in 1994, Aznavour performed with Domingo and Norwegian soprano Sissel at Domingo's third annual Christmas concert in Vienna.
At the start of autumn in 2006, Aznavour initiated his farewell tour, performing in the US and Canada, and earning very positive reviews. For 2007, Aznavour has concerts scheduled all over Japan and Asia. The second half of 2007 sees Aznavour returning to Paris for over 20 shows at the Palais des Congr?s in Paris. He has repeatedly stated that this farewell tour, health permitting, will likely last beyond 2010. At 83, Aznavour is in excellent health. He still sings in multiple languages and without teleprompters, but typically sticks to just two or three (French and English being the primary two, with Spanish or Italian being the third) during most concerts. On September 30, 2006, Aznavour performed a major concert in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia to start off the cultural season Arm?nie mon amie in France. Armenian president Robert Kocharyan and French president Jacques Chirac, at the time on an official visit to Armenia, were in front-row attendance.
Charles Aznavour in Armenia.In 2006, 82-year old Aznavour traveled to Cuba, where he, together with Chucho Valdes, recorded his new album Color Ma Vie, presented at Aznavour's Moscow concert in April 2007. Later, in July of 2007, Aznavour was invited to perform at the Vieilles Charrues Festival, and sang his greatest hits to a thrilled audience.
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