Biography
Born Elli Robert Fitoussi on January 1, 1947, in Menzel Bourguiba, Tunisia, the Paris-based singer and composer known as F.R. David is widely viewed as a one-hit wonder for never matching the impact of his 1982 smash “Words,” a track that reached the top spot in twelve European nations and climbed to number two in Great Britain. His professional path opened in the early 1970s when he served as guitarist for Vangelis, after which he took the role of lead singer with the French rock outfit Les Variations. Once that group disbanded, he relocated to the United States for five years, contributing as a session player to recordings by the Doobie Brothers, the O’Jays, and Toto. During the same period he issued the album King of Hearts under the name Robert Fitoussi. Returning to Europe, he emerged as a key architect of Eurobeat, the dance-music strain that swept across the continent throughout the 1980s. German producer and songwriter Dieter Bohlen, renowned for his work with Modern Talking, repeatedly named F.R. David’s hit “Pick Up the Phone” among his formative influences. In 1986 the artist released Sahara Night on CBS, an album that blended an array of musical approaches, and followed it the next year with Reflections. With the 1994 album I’ll Try to Love Again he signaled a deliberate return to his rock origins. Subsequent projects encompassed I’m Not In Love, tracked at New York’s Hit Factory in 1997, a series of classical sessions with the London Symphony Orchestra, and a retrospective compilation of his best-known material.
Singles
