Jacques Canetti Productions | Meet the star-maker with a playlist by Françoise Canetti!

1953. In Paris, Jacques Canetti has just received a demo of a young, completely unknown Belgian singer. From the first listen, he’s captivated! Jacques Brel must be convinced to come and try his luck in France. And while the artist is reluctant at first, he eventually accepts… It must be said that Jacques Canetti is no ordinary man. This artistic director has already brought the biggest jazz celebrities to France before inventing, among other things, radio talent shows (radio singing competitions) and the radio jingle.

And for several years now, as artistic director of Polydor and Philips, he has devoted himself to his great passion: discovering young talent. To achieve this, Jacques Canetti has a real asset. He created the Théâtre des Trois Baudets, which allows “his” artists to work on their songs and hone their skills on stage. In fact, whether they are successful or not, they sing every evening in the Trois Baudets shows or in the “Canetti Tours” to create their audience.

As Canetti says, you have to “give each artist time to grow” and his role is “to nurture their talent, to defend them, and to instill in them his unshakeable confidence.” When Canetti believes in a singer’s talent, he fights tooth and nail for them! This is what he does with Jacques Brel. Five years after his difficult beginnings, Brel finally found success with his song “Quand on n’a que l’amour.” Brel wasn’t the only one to benefit from Canetti’s work. In all, around a hundred artists, including many singer-songwriters, made their debut with him at Les Trois Baudets, from Brassens to Anne Sylvestre, including Boris Vian, Serge Gainsbourg and Michel Legrand. And later, starting in 1962, it was thanks to his label, “Les Productions Jacques Canetti,” the first independent label in France, that other artists, such as Serge Reggiani, Jacques Higelin and Jeanne Moreau, were able to shine in the music world. One thing is certain: French music owes a lot to this guardian angel!

Jacques Canetti has definitely left his mark on French music! To convince yourself, listen to the playlist “L’esprit chanson française”  created by his daughter Françoise Canetti for What the France, which pays tribute to his hard work and also includes more recent releases from the label, still active in 2025.

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Jacques Canetti présente : L’Esprit chanson...

Listen to a selection of made in France songs by "Les Productions Jacques Canetti"

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