Album Notes

Aznavour was born Shahnour Varenagh Aznavourian in Paris, the son of Armenian immigrants. His artistic parents introduced him to the world of theatre at an early age.

He began to perform when he was nine and soon took the stage name Aznavour. His big break came when the singer Édith Piaf heard him sing and arranged to take him with her on tour in France and to the United States.


Charles Aznavour Statue in Gyumri, Armenia.Often described[citation needed] as the "Frank Sinatra of France", Aznavour sings mostly about love. He has written musicals and more than a thousand songs, made more than one hundred records, and appeared in sixty movies. Aznavour sings in six languages (French, English, Italian, Spanish, German and Russian), which has helped him perform at Carnegie Hall and other major venues around the world. He also recorded at least one song from the 18th century poet Sayat Nova, in Armenian. Que C'Est Triste Venise, sung in both French and Italian, was one of Aznavour's most famous bilingual songs.

In the 1970s Aznavour became a major success in the United Kingdom where his song "She" went to Number One in the charts. His other well-known song in the UK was "Dance in the Old Fashioned Way".

An admirer of Quebec, he has helped the career of Quebecoise singer-songwriter Lynda Lemay in France, and has a house in Montreal.


Charles Aznavour (forefront) performs as Armenian clergy from Echmiadzin look on.Since the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, Aznavour has been helping the country through his charity, Aznavour for Armenia. There is a square named after him in central Yerevan on Abovian Street. Aznavour is a member of the Armenia Fund International Board of Trustees. The organization has rendered more than $150 million in humanitarian aid and infrastructure development assistance to Armenia since 1992.

Charles Aznavour was appointed as "Officier" (Officer) of the Légion d'honneur in 1997.

In 1998, Charles Aznavour was chosen as Entertainer of the Century by CNN and users of Time Online from around the globe. Aznavour was recognized as the century's outstanding performer, with nearly 18% of the total vote, edging out Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. After Frank Sinatra's death, Charles Aznavour is the last of these "Greats". According to an Internet poll recently undertaken by Time magazine and CNN, Aznavour was chosen as "The Entertainer of the Century", surpassing Elvis Presley, Charlie Chaplin and John Lennon.

Artists who have covered his songs range from Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby to Ray Charles and Liza Minnelli. Elvis Costello recorded "She" for the film Notting Hill. Tenor Plácido Domingo is a good friend of Aznavour and often performs his hits, most noteably Aznavour's version Ave Maria in 1994.

At the start of autumn in 2006, Aznavour initiated his farewell tour, performing in the US and Canada, and earning very positive reviews. For 2007, Aznavour has concerts scheduled all over Japan and Asia. He has repeatedly stated that this farewell tour, health permitting, will likely last beyond 2010. At 82, Aznavour is in excellent health. He still sings in multiple languages and without teleprompters, but typically sticks to just two or three (French and English being the primary two, with Spanish or Italian being the third) during most concerts. [2] On September 30, 2006, Aznavour performed a major concert in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia to start off the cultural season "Arménie mon amie" in France. Armenian president Robert Kocharian and French president Jacques Chirac, at the time on an official visit to Armenia, were in front-row attendance. [3]