by Olivier Duboc
French singer-songwriter Michel Fugain (born in Grenoble, France, 1942) was best known for his early 70s outings with Big Bazar, which singles Fais comme l'oiseau or Une belle histoire were instant hit Hippie tunes. Letting down his medical studies, he moved to Paris to become a songwriter in 1964, penning songs for well selling artists such as Dalida or Hugues Auffray. In 1972, he formed the hippie collective set of artists and musicians Big Bazar, before leaving it in 1976 to create a new collective under his own name, La Compagnie Michel Fugain. After a 70s peak, his career went on at a slower pace, until he quit the music business consequently to the loss of his daughter Laurette in 2002. In 2005, TV channel M6 offered him a comeback with ‘Attention Mesdames et Messieurs' (one of his many hit singles' title), but Fugain quickly lost interest in it, feeling betrayed and hurt. As for a cleansing purpose, he released Bravo et merci in 2007, comprised a covers of his favourite artists' songs, from Charles Aznavour to Maxime LeForestier, which tasted like a farewell album.