Alain Barrière (18 November 1935 – 18 December 2019) was a French singer, who was active from the 1950s until his death and was known for participating in the Eurovision Song Contest 1963. He became one of the best-known and well respected singer-songwriter in all French countries over the world.
Alain Bellec was born in La Trinité-sur-Mer and grew up in Brittany as the son of hardworking fishmongers. Once Alain finished his secondary education, he left for Angers, where he enrolled in the École nationale supérieure d'arts et métiers. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to a future career in engineering, but in 1958 he was bitten by the music bug. The young student promptly went out, bought a guitar and began composing his first melodies. The following year, he went on to discover the modernist poetry penned by the likes of Francis Carco and Robert Desnos. This inspired him to begin setting words to his music and he soon started playing his early compositions to student friends. After graduating in 1960, he landed his first job, working for a tyre manufacturer in the Paris suburbs. Meanwhile, Alain, still gripped by his musical passion, spent his evenings performing at a small cabaret in the city centre.
In 1961, Alain Bellec adopted his stage name, Alain Barrière, and entered the "Coq d’or" young talents contest. The final of the competition was held at the prestigious Olympia music-hall in Paris where the young singer-songwriter scooped first prize with his song, "Cathy." Rock and 'yéyé' (French rock'n'roll) were just beginning to take off on the French music scene, but Alain Barrière fitted into neither category. Nevertheless, French record companies took an interest in the young singer's original 'chanson' style and he soon went on to sign his first record deal.
This allowed him to leave his day job and earn a living performing at smaller venues on the Paris circuit. It was not until 1963 that Alain Barrière's career really took off in earnest, however, with the release of the single "Elle était si jolie." The young singer-songwriter was chosen to represent France at that year's Eurovision Song Contest and, although he finally finished fifth overall, this gave him access to a much wider audience. Barrière went on to support Paul Anka on a concert tour – and realised it was time to perfect his live technique!
Alain Barrière went on to release his debut album at the end of 1964. It bore the title of one of his most popular songs, "Ma vie" (My Life). He found himself performing as the headlining act at the Olympia and the entire French nation soon had his song on their lips. Barrière had turned into one of the fastest-rising stars of the day, but he appeared to be uncomfortable about fitting into the commercial system. Instead of playing the rock star and living it up with a champagne and drugs lifestyle, he used the proceeds from his debut album to buy an old millhouse in the Yvelines region.
He lived here as a recluse over the next few years, with no-one but his dogs
for company and worked on new material at night. In 1965 he was offered, and accepted, a leading role in a
heist thriller, Pas de panique, alongside Pierre Brasseur. This would be his
only venture into acting, but his singing career reached its peak in the latter
part of the decade with a string of hits making him one of France's biggest
stars and a sell-out live attraction.
Barrière had gained a reputation for being uncompromising and at times difficult to work with. In the early 1970s he left his record company to set up his own label. He kept his fanbase, which ensured his records and concerts continued to provide a good living, despite his being overlooked by sections of the French broadcast media. "Tu t'en vas", a 1975 duet with fellow Eurovision veteran Noëlle Cordier, topped the French chart, and was the third biggest-selling single of the year in Switzerland.
Barrière married in 1975, and he and his wife opened a nightclub-restaurant in a converted castle in Brittany. Although it proved a successful and popular venue, Barrière soon found himself facing severe tax problems as a result of dubious advice. In 1977 he took his family to the United States, where they remained for four years.
After returning to France, Barrière made several comeback attempts, to little avail. After another period spent overseas, this time in Quebec, the family were back in Brittany when Barrière's career was unexpectedly rejuvenated by the 1997 release of a CD containing remastered versions of his old hits, which proved to be a money-spinner. Shortly afterwards, Barrière released an album of new material, which also sold well. In September 2003, the singer performed his final farewell concert in "Le Stirwen," bowing out after a career spanning four decades. He published an autobiography in 2006 and continued to release both retrospective and newly recorded albums.
Barrière died of cardiac arrest at Carnac, Morbihan, in France on the 18th December 2019, at the age of 84.