Anne Sylvestre

The daughter of politician Albert Beugras and sister of writer Marie Chaix, Anne Sylvestre (born Anne-Marie Thérèse Beugras on June 20, 1934) was a French singer-songwriter who enjoyed a great deal of popularity in the 60s and 70s writing songs for both adults and children. An early advocate for social causes, her lyrics touched on delicate subjects such as abortion, homelessness, and sexual violence. Beugras grew up in Tassin-la-Demi-Lune, a suburb of Lyon, and then relocated to Paris with her family, where she studied literature at the Sorbonne University before deciding to pursue a career in music in the late 50s. A staple of the Parisian cabaret scene, she was discovered by Michel Valette and soon made her way into TV and radio, gaining a considerably wider audience. Her studio debut Anne Sylvestre Chante… saw the light in 1961 and was quickly followed by La Femme du Vent (1962), which included a preface by none other than George Brassens, an artist she was often compared to. That same year, Sylvestre released Fabulettes, her first children’s album. In the following years, she teamed up with singer-songwriter Boby Lapointe for the comedy duet “Depuis l’temps que j’l’attends mon prince charmant,” included in her 1969 album Aveu, and released Les Pierres Dans Mon Jardin (1973), the first full-length under her own record label. She spent most of the 80s and 90s touring with the live spectacles Gémeaux croisées (1987-1988), Détour de chant (1990-1992),  and the children’s play Lala et le Cirque du vent (1992-1996). During the 2000s and 2010s, Sylvestre delivered the albums Sur les Chemins du Vent (2003), Bye Mélanco (2007), the Agnes Bihl duet Carré de Dames (2012), and Juste Une Femme (2013), which would be her latest studio offering. Florilège, a compilation celebrating 60 years of music, came out in 2018, and a homage by the SACEM arrived only a year later. On November 30, 2020, the seasoned chanteuse suffered a stroke that ended her life at the age of 86.