The Life and Influence of Edith Piaf Edith Giovanna Gassion better known as Edith Piaf was born on December 19, 1915 in Belleville, France. She was a singer and songwriter who rose to fame all around the world in the 1930s. From an early age, Edith was well renowned for her voice and she joined a circus with her father at only 7 years of age. Edith’s singing was very powerful considering her petite stature. She preferred to sing about tragedy and heartbreak and the harsh reality of poverty. This reflected much of her own experiences growing up. For example, she lost her only child at just three years old. She dealt with substance abuse, loss of lovers, and even survived car accidents. Much of Edith’s peak in her singing career happened
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She released a single called “La Vie en Rose” which became an instant American hit. However she was not quickly accepted in America. She wore a simple black dress and didn’t look like the sophisticated French woman everyone expected. It wasn’t until she performed at an elegant New York supper club that she became the talk of Manhattan and soon after, Hollywood. Edith became main influence of international singers. She toured through Europe, South America, and the United States after the war. She was a top performer for German soldiers in France and she eventually became so big that she performed several televised sets on the Ed Sullivan Show throughout the 1950s. After many successful years as a singer and actress, Edith’s career slowly began to fade, due to drug use and mental instability around the mid-1950s. She continued to have successful music and movies but long periods of illness and injury damaged her career. A series of car accidents lead to a morphine dependence and it was said that at the end of her career she was so deeply dependent that she needed shots just to get up on stage. Rumors sprang up that she had died but in 1959, Edith recorded a song called “Milord” which went on to become one of her greatest hits. She returned to Paris on December 29, 1960 and performed at the Paris Olympia Theater proving her abundant fame in France. She went on tour, married for the second time but soon
She released a single called “La Vie en Rose” which became an instant American hit. However she was not quickly accepted in America. She wore a simple black dress and didn’t look like the sophisticated French woman everyone expected. It wasn’t until she performed at an elegant New York supper club that she became the talk of Manhattan and soon after, Hollywood. Edith became main influence of international singers. She toured through Europe, South America, and the United States after the war. She was a top performer for German soldiers in France and she eventually became so big that she performed several televised sets on the Ed Sullivan Show throughout the 1950s. After many successful years as a singer and actress, Edith’s career slowly began to fade, due to drug use and mental instability around the mid-1950s. She continued to have successful music and movies but long periods of illness and injury damaged her career. A series of car accidents lead to a morphine dependence and it was said that at the end of her career she was so deeply dependent that she needed shots just to get up on stage. Rumors sprang up that she had died but in 1959, Edith recorded a song called “Milord” which went on to become one of her greatest hits. She returned to Paris on December 29, 1960 and performed at the Paris Olympia Theater proving her abundant fame in France. She went on tour, married for the second time but soon