Émilienne-Henriette Boyer, known professionally as Lucienne Boyer, was a French diseuse and singer, renowned for her enchanting voice and captivating stage presence. Born on August 18, 1901, in Montparnasse, Paris, France, she began her career as a part-time model, singing in cabarets at the tender age of 16.
As she honed her craft, she transitioned to singing in major Parisian music halls, adopting the stage name Lucienne Boyer. Her breakthrough came in 1927, when she performed at a concert by the illustrious Félix Mayol, captivating the attention of American impresario Lee Shubert, who promptly offered her a contract to perform on Broadway.
Boyer spent nine months in New York City, returning to Paris and South America numerous times throughout the 1930s. By 1933, she had made a significant number of recordings for Columbia Records of France, including her signature song, "Parlez-moi d'amour" (Speak to Me of Love),written by Jean Lenoir. This iconic song won the first-ever Grand Prix du Disque of the Charles Cros Academy.
Boyer's life was not without challenges. She lost her soldier father in World War I, forcing her to work in a munitions factory to support her family. In 1939, she married cabaret singer Jacques Pills, with whom she had a daughter, Jacqueline, born on April 23, 1941. Jacqueline followed in her parents' footsteps, becoming a successful singer who won the 1960 Eurovision Song Contest.
During World War II, Boyer continued to perform in France, but her Jewish husband faced immense difficulties. Following the Allied Forces' liberation of France, her cabaret career flourished, and she maintained a loyal following for another thirty years. At the age of 73, she sang with her daughter at the famous Paris Olympia and appeared on several French television shows.
Lucienne Boyer passed away on December 6, 1983, in Paris, and was interred in the Cimetière de Bagneux in Montrouge, near Paris.
