Félix Antoine Henry Mayol or Félix Mayol was a French singer/chanteur born in Toulon, Intercommunalité Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée, Arrondissement Toulon, Département Var, Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France 18 November 1872 and died there 26 October 1941.
After modest beginnings in Toulon and at the Palais de cristal in Marseille, he was hired in Paris at the Paris au Concert on 1 May 1895 where he quickly experienced success. An anecdote published in his memoirs reports that for lack of finding a camellia, which elegant men wore at the time on the lapel of their frock coats, he took a sprig of lily of the valley which became his emblem. The incredible poof of hair he wore (and which earned him the nickname "the artist with the red toupee"/l'artiste au toupet rouquin or "The Flame of Punch"/flamme de punch also becomes so famous that it inspired many imitators: Romerty (?-?), Doray (?-?), Rosel (?-?), De Certos (?-?), Elvhard (?-?); some singers began their careers in the "Mayol repertoire", like Georges Job dit Georgel (1884-1945) and Henri Allibert (1889-1951).
He had his first great success in 1896 with 'La Paimpolaise' by Jean-Baptiste-Théodore-Marie Botrel (1868-1925). In 1900, after a brief stint at the Eldorado where he sang 'À la cabane bambou', he was hired at La Scala. It was there that he created the title that made him as rich as he was famous: 'Viens, poupoule!' 1902, Based on a German song arranged by Henri Marius Christiné (1867-1941) and Alexandre Trébitsch (1862-1937).
He did it again in 1905 with 'La Matchiche', the adaptation of a fashionable Spanish song-dance. The same year, he filmed thirteen phonoscenes under the direction of Alice Ida Antoinette Guy/Alice Guy/Alice Guy-Blaché (1873-1968). He already has numerous recordings on cylinders and discs to his credit.
In 1907, his operetta 'Cinderella' at La Scala impressed no one, but one of the songs of the show, 'Les Mains de femmes' became a success on its own. 'Cousine' followed in 1908. His salary then reached the sum of a thousand gold francs, which enabled him to buy in 1910 the Concert parisien, 10, rue de l'Échiquier renamed the Concert Mayol. Mayol launched the careers of young artists, including Valentin Sardou (1868-1933) (father of Fernand Émile Sardou (1910-1976) and grandfather of Michel Charles Sardou (1947-)), Maurice Auguste Chevalier (1888-1972), Émile Marius Baptistin Audiffred (1894-1948) and Jules Auguste Muraire dit Raimu (1883-1946). He passed the property to Oscar Dufrenne (1875-1933) in 1914.
He then began a tour throughout France and French-speaking countries with the Baret tours/tournées Baret. His fame crossed borders so well that Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin KBE (1889-1977) came to listen.
The period 1914-1918 is marked, as for many artists, by many anti-German songs, intended to maintain the morale of the troops. His career marked the end of WW1. He published his 'Souvenirs' in 1929, made "seven farewells to the Parisian public" in 1938 and retired to Toulon.
He gathered there in 1932 in particular at the "Villa Fémina", on his property in Cap-Brun called "Clos Mayol", the former café-concert artist and actress Marie Brébion dite Paula Brébion (1861-1952) who lived there until her death.
Attached to his home town and particularly to his rugby club, he offered 60,000 gold francs to finance the construction of a stadium that still bears his name today: Stade Mayol, Quai Lafontan, 83000 Toulon.
The lucky lily of the valley he loved became the emblem of the club and the sumptuous dinner he offered to players to celebrate the title of 1931 has been remembered. The traditional lily of the valley buttonhole was artificial because Mayol could not bear the scent.
Mayol's alleged or real homosexuality, linked to his celibacy and his "effeminate stage play", made Mayol a target of journalists; at the time, chansonniers and other authors often alluded to it, such as the marriage between Mayol and Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois dite Mistinguett (1875-1956) invented from scratch and which made many laugh. So far, no direct published testimony has been known (interviews with journalists, memoirs, etc.), with the exception of one, in which the artist openly mentioned his sexual preferences. In his interviews, then in his 'Memoirs', Mayol evoked his "girlfriend"/petite amie. This only testimony is that of Louis Merlin (1901-1976) in his 'Memoirs': "He was devilishly spiritual and only got angry at one point, where he was intractable: the jokes made by chansonniers and journalists - Georges Gabriel Thenon dit Rip (1884-1941) in particular to whom he devoted fierce hatred - of her effeminate gender: "Je suis un mâle, que diable. Que je préfère les jeunes garçons aux jeunes filles ne regarde que moi." C'est bien pourquoi lorsque je le voyais s'intéresser soudainement à tel consommateur ou à tel passant dans le "bel âge", je prétextais un rendez-vous soudain pour ne point le gêner..."
In his songs, often very gritty, Mayol mostly uses the "we" of the male collective. These songs stage prostitutes or women who are always welcome to sexual encounters.
According to what he indicates in his memoirs, Mayol would have created during his career about half a thousand songs, 495 exactly (figure repeated in many publications). This number of around 500 creations may be put into perspective with the 2,500 songs that Jean-Paulin Habans, dit Paulus (1845-1908) claimed according to the review 'Les chansons de Paris' (1903), or five times more, for careers with identical longevity.
To sort out Mayol's confusing œuvre one should consult Gallica, the BNF's general catalog as well as the collection of score images deposited on Médihal and on the image bank of the Illustrated Sheet Music site.
After modest beginnings in Toulon and at the Palais de cristal in Marseille, he was hired in Paris at the Paris au Concert on 1 May 1895 where he quickly experienced success. An anecdote published in his memoirs reports that for lack of finding a camellia, which elegant men wore at the time on the lapel of their frock coats, he took a sprig of lily of the valley which became his emblem. The incredible poof of hair he wore (and which earned him the nickname "the artist with the red toupee"/l'artiste au toupet rouquin or "The Flame of Punch"/flamme de punch also becomes so famous that it inspired many imitators: Romerty (?-?), Doray (?-?), Rosel (?-?), De Certos (?-?), Elvhard (?-?); some singers began their careers in the "Mayol repertoire", like Georges Job dit Georgel (1884-1945) and Henri Allibert (1889-1951).
He had his first great success in 1896 with 'La Paimpolaise' by Jean-Baptiste-Théodore-Marie Botrel (1868-1925). In 1900, after a brief stint at the Eldorado where he sang 'À la cabane bambou', he was hired at La Scala. It was there that he created the title that made him as rich as he was famous: 'Viens, poupoule!' 1902, Based on a German song arranged by Henri Marius Christiné (1867-1941) and Alexandre Trébitsch (1862-1937).
He did it again in 1905 with 'La Matchiche', the adaptation of a fashionable Spanish song-dance. The same year, he filmed thirteen phonoscenes under the direction of Alice Ida Antoinette Guy/Alice Guy/Alice Guy-Blaché (1873-1968). He already has numerous recordings on cylinders and discs to his credit.
In 1907, his operetta 'Cinderella' at La Scala impressed no one, but one of the songs of the show, 'Les Mains de femmes' became a success on its own. 'Cousine' followed in 1908. His salary then reached the sum of a thousand gold francs, which enabled him to buy in 1910 the Concert parisien, 10, rue de l'Échiquier renamed the Concert Mayol. Mayol launched the careers of young artists, including Valentin Sardou (1868-1933) (father of Fernand Émile Sardou (1910-1976) and grandfather of Michel Charles Sardou (1947-)), Maurice Auguste Chevalier (1888-1972), Émile Marius Baptistin Audiffred (1894-1948) and Jules Auguste Muraire dit Raimu (1883-1946). He passed the property to Oscar Dufrenne (1875-1933) in 1914.
He then began a tour throughout France and French-speaking countries with the Baret tours/tournées Baret. His fame crossed borders so well that Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin KBE (1889-1977) came to listen.
The period 1914-1918 is marked, as for many artists, by many anti-German songs, intended to maintain the morale of the troops. His career marked the end of WW1. He published his 'Souvenirs' in 1929, made "seven farewells to the Parisian public" in 1938 and retired to Toulon.
He gathered there in 1932 in particular at the "Villa Fémina", on his property in Cap-Brun called "Clos Mayol", the former café-concert artist and actress Marie Brébion dite Paula Brébion (1861-1952) who lived there until her death.
Attached to his home town and particularly to his rugby club, he offered 60,000 gold francs to finance the construction of a stadium that still bears his name today: Stade Mayol, Quai Lafontan, 83000 Toulon.
The lucky lily of the valley he loved became the emblem of the club and the sumptuous dinner he offered to players to celebrate the title of 1931 has been remembered. The traditional lily of the valley buttonhole was artificial because Mayol could not bear the scent.
Mayol's alleged or real homosexuality, linked to his celibacy and his "effeminate stage play", made Mayol a target of journalists; at the time, chansonniers and other authors often alluded to it, such as the marriage between Mayol and Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois dite Mistinguett (1875-1956) invented from scratch and which made many laugh. So far, no direct published testimony has been known (interviews with journalists, memoirs, etc.), with the exception of one, in which the artist openly mentioned his sexual preferences. In his interviews, then in his 'Memoirs', Mayol evoked his "girlfriend"/petite amie. This only testimony is that of Louis Merlin (1901-1976) in his 'Memoirs': "He was devilishly spiritual and only got angry at one point, where he was intractable: the jokes made by chansonniers and journalists - Georges Gabriel Thenon dit Rip (1884-1941) in particular to whom he devoted fierce hatred - of her effeminate gender: "Je suis un mâle, que diable. Que je préfère les jeunes garçons aux jeunes filles ne regarde que moi." C'est bien pourquoi lorsque je le voyais s'intéresser soudainement à tel consommateur ou à tel passant dans le "bel âge", je prétextais un rendez-vous soudain pour ne point le gêner..."
In his songs, often very gritty, Mayol mostly uses the "we" of the male collective. These songs stage prostitutes or women who are always welcome to sexual encounters.
According to what he indicates in his memoirs, Mayol would have created during his career about half a thousand songs, 495 exactly (figure repeated in many publications). This number of around 500 creations may be put into perspective with the 2,500 songs that Jean-Paulin Habans, dit Paulus (1845-1908) claimed according to the review 'Les chansons de Paris' (1903), or five times more, for careers with identical longevity.
To sort out Mayol's confusing œuvre one should consult Gallica, the BNF's general catalog as well as the collection of score images deposited on Médihal and on the image bank of the Illustrated Sheet Music site.
Félix Antoine Henry Mayol or Félix Mayol was a French singer/chanteur born in Toulon, Intercommunalité Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée, Arrondissement Toulon, Département Var, Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France 18 November 1872 and died there 26 October 1941.
After modest beginnings in Toulon and at the Palais de cristal in Marseille, he was hired in Paris at the Paris au Concert on 1 May 1895 where he quickly experienced success. An anecdote published in his memoirs reports that for lack of finding a camellia, which elegant men wore at the time on the lapel of their frock coats, he took a sprig of lily of the valley which became his emblem. The incredible poof of hair he wore (and which earned him the nickname "the artist with the red toupee"/l'artiste au toupet rouquin or "The Flame of Punch"/flamme de punch also becomes so famous that it inspired many imitators: Romerty (?-?), Doray (?-?), Rosel (?-?), De Certos (?-?), Elvhard (?-?); some singers began their careers in the "Mayol repertoire", like Georges Job dit Georgel (1884-1945) and Henri Allibert (1889-1951).
He had his first great success in 1896 with 'La Paimpolaise' by Jean-Baptiste-Théodore-Marie Botrel (1868-1925). In 1900, after a brief stint at the Eldorado where he sang 'À la cabane bambou', he was hired at La Scala. It was there that he created the title that made him as rich as he was famous: 'Viens, poupoule!' 1902, Based on a German song arranged by Henri Marius Christiné (1867-1941) and Alexandre Trébitsch (1862-1937).
He did it again in 1905 with 'La Matchiche', the adaptation of a fashionable Spanish song-dance. The same year, he filmed thirteen phonoscenes under the direction of Alice Ida Antoinette Guy/Alice Guy/Alice Guy-Blaché (1873-1968). He already has numerous recordings on cylinders and discs to his credit.
In 1907, his operetta 'Cinderella' at La Scala impressed no one, but one of the songs of the show, 'Les Mains de femmes' became a success on its own. 'Cousine' followed in 1908. His salary then reached the sum of a thousand gold francs, which enabled him to buy in 1910 the Concert parisien, 10, rue de l'Échiquier renamed the Concert Mayol. Mayol launched the careers of young artists, including Valentin Sardou (1868-1933) (father of Fernand Émile Sardou (1910-1976) and grandfather of Michel Charles Sardou (1947-)), Maurice Auguste Chevalier (1888-1972), Émile Marius Baptistin Audiffred (1894-1948) and Jules Auguste Muraire dit Raimu (1883-1946). He passed the property to Oscar Dufrenne (1875-1933) in 1914.
He then began a tour throughout France and French-speaking countries with the Baret tours/tournées Baret. His fame crossed borders so well that Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin KBE (1889-1977) came to listen.
The period 1914-1918 is marked, as for many artists, by many anti-German songs, intended to maintain the morale of the troops. His career marked the end of WW1. He published his 'Souvenirs' in 1929, made "seven farewells to the Parisian public" in 1938 and retired to Toulon.
He gathered there in 1932 in particular at the "Villa Fémina", on his property in Cap-Brun called "Clos Mayol", the former café-concert artist and actress Marie Brébion dite Paula Brébion (1861-1952) who lived there until her death.
Attached to his home town and particularly to his rugby club, he offered 60,000 gold francs to finance the construction of a stadium that still bears his name today: Stade Mayol, Quai Lafontan, 83000 Toulon.
The lucky lily of the valley he loved became the emblem of the club and the sumptuous dinner he offered to players to celebrate the title of 1931 has been remembered. The traditional lily of the valley buttonhole was artificial because Mayol could not bear the scent.
Mayol's alleged or real homosexuality, linked to his celibacy and his "effeminate stage play", made Mayol a target of journalists; at the time, chansonniers and other authors often alluded to it, such as the marriage between Mayol and Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois dite Mistinguett (1875-1956) invented from scratch and which made many laugh. So far, no direct published testimony has been known (interviews with journalists, memoirs, etc.), with the exception of one, in which the artist openly mentioned his sexual preferences. In his interviews, then in his 'Memoirs', Mayol evoked his "girlfriend"/petite amie. This only testimony is that of Louis Merlin (1901-1976) in his 'Memoirs': "He was devilishly spiritual and only got angry at one point, where he was intractable: the jokes made by chansonniers and journalists - Georges Gabriel Thenon dit Rip (1884-1941) in particular to whom he devoted fierce hatred - of her effeminate gender: "Je suis un mâle, que diable. Que je préfère les jeunes garçons aux jeunes filles ne regarde que moi." C'est bien pourquoi lorsque je le voyais s'intéresser soudainement à tel consommateur ou à tel passant dans le "bel âge", je prétextais un rendez-vous soudain pour ne point le gêner..."
In his songs, often very gritty, Mayol mostly uses the "we" of the male collective. These songs stage prostitutes or women who are always welcome to sexual encounters.
According to what he indicates in his memoirs, Mayol would have created during his career about half a thousand songs, 495 exactly (figure repeated in many publications). This number of around 500 creations may be put into perspective with the 2,500 songs that Jean-Paulin Habans, dit Paulus (1845-1908) claimed according to the review 'Les chansons de Paris' (1903), or five times more, for careers with identical longevity.
To sort out Mayol's confusing œuvre one should consult Gallica, the BNF's general catalog as well as the collection of score images deposited on Médihal and on the image bank of the Illustrated Sheet Music site.
After modest beginnings in Toulon and at the Palais de cristal in Marseille, he was hired in Paris at the Paris au Concert on 1 May 1895 where he quickly experienced success. An anecdote published in his memoirs reports that for lack of finding a camellia, which elegant men wore at the time on the lapel of their frock coats, he took a sprig of lily of the valley which became his emblem. The incredible poof of hair he wore (and which earned him the nickname "the artist with the red toupee"/l'artiste au toupet rouquin or "The Flame of Punch"/flamme de punch also becomes so famous that it inspired many imitators: Romerty (?-?), Doray (?-?), Rosel (?-?), De Certos (?-?), Elvhard (?-?); some singers began their careers in the "Mayol repertoire", like Georges Job dit Georgel (1884-1945) and Henri Allibert (1889-1951).
He had his first great success in 1896 with 'La Paimpolaise' by Jean-Baptiste-Théodore-Marie Botrel (1868-1925). In 1900, after a brief stint at the Eldorado where he sang 'À la cabane bambou', he was hired at La Scala. It was there that he created the title that made him as rich as he was famous: 'Viens, poupoule!' 1902, Based on a German song arranged by Henri Marius Christiné (1867-1941) and Alexandre Trébitsch (1862-1937).
He did it again in 1905 with 'La Matchiche', the adaptation of a fashionable Spanish song-dance. The same year, he filmed thirteen phonoscenes under the direction of Alice Ida Antoinette Guy/Alice Guy/Alice Guy-Blaché (1873-1968). He already has numerous recordings on cylinders and discs to his credit.
In 1907, his operetta 'Cinderella' at La Scala impressed no one, but one of the songs of the show, 'Les Mains de femmes' became a success on its own. 'Cousine' followed in 1908. His salary then reached the sum of a thousand gold francs, which enabled him to buy in 1910 the Concert parisien, 10, rue de l'Échiquier renamed the Concert Mayol. Mayol launched the careers of young artists, including Valentin Sardou (1868-1933) (father of Fernand Émile Sardou (1910-1976) and grandfather of Michel Charles Sardou (1947-)), Maurice Auguste Chevalier (1888-1972), Émile Marius Baptistin Audiffred (1894-1948) and Jules Auguste Muraire dit Raimu (1883-1946). He passed the property to Oscar Dufrenne (1875-1933) in 1914.
He then began a tour throughout France and French-speaking countries with the Baret tours/tournées Baret. His fame crossed borders so well that Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin KBE (1889-1977) came to listen.
The period 1914-1918 is marked, as for many artists, by many anti-German songs, intended to maintain the morale of the troops. His career marked the end of WW1. He published his 'Souvenirs' in 1929, made "seven farewells to the Parisian public" in 1938 and retired to Toulon.
He gathered there in 1932 in particular at the "Villa Fémina", on his property in Cap-Brun called "Clos Mayol", the former café-concert artist and actress Marie Brébion dite Paula Brébion (1861-1952) who lived there until her death.
Attached to his home town and particularly to his rugby club, he offered 60,000 gold francs to finance the construction of a stadium that still bears his name today: Stade Mayol, Quai Lafontan, 83000 Toulon.
The lucky lily of the valley he loved became the emblem of the club and the sumptuous dinner he offered to players to celebrate the title of 1931 has been remembered. The traditional lily of the valley buttonhole was artificial because Mayol could not bear the scent.
Mayol's alleged or real homosexuality, linked to his celibacy and his "effeminate stage play", made Mayol a target of journalists; at the time, chansonniers and other authors often alluded to it, such as the marriage between Mayol and Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois dite Mistinguett (1875-1956) invented from scratch and which made many laugh. So far, no direct published testimony has been known (interviews with journalists, memoirs, etc.), with the exception of one, in which the artist openly mentioned his sexual preferences. In his interviews, then in his 'Memoirs', Mayol evoked his "girlfriend"/petite amie. This only testimony is that of Louis Merlin (1901-1976) in his 'Memoirs': "He was devilishly spiritual and only got angry at one point, where he was intractable: the jokes made by chansonniers and journalists - Georges Gabriel Thenon dit Rip (1884-1941) in particular to whom he devoted fierce hatred - of her effeminate gender: "Je suis un mâle, que diable. Que je préfère les jeunes garçons aux jeunes filles ne regarde que moi." C'est bien pourquoi lorsque je le voyais s'intéresser soudainement à tel consommateur ou à tel passant dans le "bel âge", je prétextais un rendez-vous soudain pour ne point le gêner..."
In his songs, often very gritty, Mayol mostly uses the "we" of the male collective. These songs stage prostitutes or women who are always welcome to sexual encounters.
According to what he indicates in his memoirs, Mayol would have created during his career about half a thousand songs, 495 exactly (figure repeated in many publications). This number of around 500 creations may be put into perspective with the 2,500 songs that Jean-Paulin Habans, dit Paulus (1845-1908) claimed according to the review 'Les chansons de Paris' (1903), or five times more, for careers with identical longevity.
To sort out Mayol's confusing œuvre one should consult Gallica, the BNF's general catalog as well as the collection of score images deposited on Médihal and on the image bank of the Illustrated Sheet Music site.
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