Edith Piaf

Edith Piaf

Edith Piaf's, born Edith Giovanna Gassion, lived between the years of 1915 and 1963. Her mother gave birth to her December 19th, 1915 on the streets under a lamp-post in Paris France. Being an only child, Edith Piaf grew up very lonely. Her mother left her to her father who later gave her to her grandmother not too long after her birth. In order to provide food, her father was a street performer and not too long after Edith followed in her father’s foot step and began performing under the name Line Marsa. Edith enjoyed performing and went on to impact the world with her musical inspiration.
Piaf’s main occupation was singing. Starting at a very young age, the French singer gained plenty experience along the way. She began singing with her father at the age of 14 but later went her own way once she turned 16, becoming a solo street singer. In 1935, Piaf was discovered by Louis Leplée, a nightclub owner. Piaf performed at his night club often and was dawned the name ‘Little Sparrow’ due to her little physique. Her acts at the night club lead to her becoming an instant success and paved the way to her promising career.
Piaf made her dramatic debut in 1935, and with a short amount of time, she was performing to large audiences in famous music halls in Paris, France. Her career specialties were chanson and ballads. The songs sung by Piaf seemed to reflect her life and the things that she went through at an early age. She wrote songs that expressed how her mother left her right after birth and how she was taken in by her grandmother, who raised Piaf in a prostitution house. Her songs expressed love, loss and sorrow and some examples are "La Vie en rose", and "Non, je ne regrette rien".
When World War 2 started Piaf became a regular performer at German Forces social gatherings in occupied France. Through her performances and heart felt acts; Piaf gained the trust of Nazi commanders. Performing for German commanders later gave Piaf the ability to...