Herbert Léonard

Herbert Léonard, the French crooner born in Strasbourg in 1945, began performing as guitarist with Les Lionceaux during the mid-'60s, then launched a solo career once he completed two years of military service. Recognition arrived through his French-language adaptations of Gene Pitney's "Something's Got a Hold of My Heart" ("Quelque Chose Tient Mon Coeur") and Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love" ("Pour un Peu d'Amour"), yet he found it hard to maintain momentum in the '70s and turned instead to writing books on his other great enthusiasm, Russian aircraft from World War II. His triumphant return occurred in 1981 with the album Pour le Plaisir, and he has stayed visible ever since by recording the theme for the soap opera Chateauvallon, portraying Frollo in the musical Notre-Dame de Paris, and taking part in the Age Tendre et Tetes de Bois nostalgia tour.