France's first rock singer, Gélou was born Geneviève Cognet in Lille on August
10, 1937. Attracted to acting as a teenager, she took drama classes at the Lille
Conservatoire, where she won first prize, and then at the Cours Simon in Paris.
In a bet with friends, she entered and won the Numbers of Tomorrow singing
competition organized by Europe No. 1 radio. Signed to the Barclay label, she
recorded her first successful EP with the title "Œil de verre, jambe de bois"
(1957), followed two years later by "Java partout". Although she wanted to
change her repertoire and move into rock...