Ferre Grignard (13 March 1939 – 8 August 1982) was a Belgian skiffle-singer from Antwerp, Belgium. He had success with a number of songs, such as "Ring Ring, I've Got To Sing", "Yama, Yama, Hey", and "My Crucified Jesus".
Biography Ferre Grignard was born in Antwerp in 1939. He learned to play the harmonica and guitar when he was young. At the end of the 1950s, he went to an Antwerp art academy where he formed a skiffle group. He was unsuccessful as a painter, but he could play the guitar and sing the blues and his performances in "De Muze", an Antwerp jazz café, made him well known in the Antwerp artists' world. He went to the United States for a time but was expelled for being an anarchist.
The young generation accepted him as the first Belgian protest singer, because of his hippie-like appearance and the content of his songs. In 1965 he performed at the first "Jazz-festival" at Bilzen. He was discovered by Hans Kusters (who owned the record company HKM). His first single "Ring Ring, I've Got to Sing" was released and charted in Belgium and the Netherlands. Other songs such as "Yama, Yama, Hey", "Drunken Sailor", "My Crucified Jesus" also charted with their mixture of skiffle, folk music and blues. At the height of his career he performed at the Paris Olympia. The Belgian artist George Smits was a member of Ferre Grignard's band around that time.
After the ensuing international success, things started to go wrong. He went to live in a mansion, where he made music, painted and partied with the 20 friends who lived with him. He also refused to fill in his tax-forms, so he was ordered to pay the taxes and large part of the royalties from his music went directly to taxes. He neglected his career and was soon forgotten by his fans. A comeback in the 1970s failed.
He died in Antwerp of throat cancer in 1982. At that time he was living in an attic without heating, surrounded by empty bottles. Grignard was buried at the Schoonselhof cemetery, among many of Antwerp's most notable citizens.
Discography
+ Albums Year Title Label Cat. No. 1966 Ring, Ring, I've Got To Sing Fontana 858 088 FPY 1968 Ferre Grignard Philips 12837 1969 Captain Disaster Barclay 920 117 1972 Fērrē Grignard Disques Motors MT 44011 1978 I Warned You! Philips 6320 042
+ Compilation albums Year Title Label Cat. No 1991 The Best of Ferre Grignard Philips 845 5442 1997 Het beste van Ferre Grignard Polygram 536 0332 2002 Lost Tracks Nijgh & Van Ditmar 21311 2014 Integraal Universal 4702435
Sources: + Singles Date A-side B-side Label Cat. No. Album 1965 "Ring Ring, I've Got To Sing" "Maureen" De Muze S 50116 Non-album Single Mar 1966 "Ring, Ring, I've Got To Sing" "We Want War" Philips 319 870 BF Ring, Ring, I've Got To Sing Jul 1966 "She's Gone" "My Crucified Jesus" Philips 319 875 BF Oct 1966 "Hash Bamboo Shuffle 1702" "Drunken Sailor" Philips 319 880 BF Jan 1967 "A Worried Man" "Maureen" Philips 319 892 BF Sep 1967 "La, Si, Do" "Yellow You, Yellow Me" Barclay 60 847 Non-album singles Nov 1967 "Close Your Nose… If" "Old Joe Clark" Barclay 60 868 Aug 1968 "Captain Disaster" "Tell Me Now" Barclay 60 956 Captain Disaster Apr 1969 "Yama, Yama, Hey" "I Won't Have A Dance" Barclay BE 61044 Aug 1971 "Railroad Bill" "Maybe Tomorrow" Disques Motors MT 4010 Non-album Single May 1972 "Lazy John" "She's Back" Disques Motors MT 4022 Fērrē Grignard Dec 1973 "Knockin' Me Down" "When I'm Down" Philips 6021 098 Non-album Single Mar 1978 "I Warned You" "All Right" Philips 6021 195 I Warned You! + EPs Year Title A-side B-side Label Cat. No Album 1966 Ring, Ring, I've Got To Sing 1 – "Ring, Ring, I've Got To Sing" 2 – "We Want War" 1 – "My Crucified Jesus" 2 – "She's Gone" Philips 434.330 BE Ring, Ring, I’ve Got To Sing 1966 Hash Bamboo Shuffle 1702 1 – "Hash Bamboo Shuffle 1702" 2 – "The Zoo" 1 – "Diggin' My Potatoes" 2 – "Drunken Sailor" Philips 434.337 BE 1968 La, Si, Do 1 – "Yellow You, Yellow Me" 2 – "Close Your Nose… If" 1 – "La, Si, Do 25" 2 – "Old Joe Clark" Barclay 71 199 Non-album EP
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