Piaf in 1962
Édith Giovanna Gassion was born in December of 1915 and was abandoned by her mother at birth. Her father, a street performer/acrobat, sent his daughter to live with his mother. Edith's paternal grandmother ran a brothel and it was here that Edith was raised. There is an interesting story about her time in the brothel in Normandy. From the age of three to about seven, Edith was supposedly blind because she suffered from keratitis, inflammation of the cornea. The prostitutes who were raising her pooled some of their money together so that young Edith could go on a pilgrimage honoring St. Therese de Lisieux. After going on this pilgrimage, Edith's sight was restored! In 1929, Edith left the brothel to join her father. At 14 she began performing on the streets with her father and a young woman named Simone "Mômone" Berteaut, who may have been her half sister. At 17, Edith and her boyfriend Louis Dupont had a daughter, Marcelle, who later died at age 2 of meningitis and neglect.
1935 was an important year for Edith. She was discovered by a night club owner named Louis Leplée. Leplée encouraged the budding artist and gave her gigs to sing in his nightclub, jump starting her career. He also is attributed with giving her the stage name "La Môme Piaf" or "The Little Sparrow" and telling her to wear a black dress, the only outfit she would ever wear during performances. Edith would eventually adopt the name Edith Piaf after Leplée's murder in 1936. Around this time Edith began recording her first records. Edith would go on to become one of France's greatest entertainers and had influence all around the world.
During World War II, Edith was sometimes called a traitor. This was because she often sang for the German forces in occupied France. She later defended her actions by stating that she was helping the French Resistance. Edith may have helped several people during the war including a Jewish man escaping German persecution. She dated a Jewish pianist during the war and with contributions from her friend and songwriter Marguerite Monnot, wrote a song in subtle protest of the war. Her songs may have been helpful in boosting the morale of French troops.
After suffering injuries caused by a car accident in 1951, Edith may have began abusing morphine and alcohol. Edith Piaf continued singing up until 1963 when she died from liver cancer. over 100,000 fans were present at her funeral in Paris. Piaf's songs are still used today in films or just for personal enjoyment. Her life also inspired several films and plays about her life.
I think Edith used her popularity appropriately, she was helpful during war times, and after the war she went on tours in the countries involved in the war including the United States and some European and Latin American countries. Her patriotism to her country is evident by her involvement in occupied France. Her popularity, even with the enemy, was helpful to the French Resistance's cause. Also the fact that she could rise above her impoverished beginnings to become a 20th century superstar is pretty amazing. I enjoyed listening to one of her songs (posted below) and I really liked how she commanded the attention of the audience with nothing but her voice. There are no distractions like crazy outfits or dubbed over voices, it is just her, in her trademark black dress.
For more about Edith Piaf visit these links!
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