A Radlett musician and writer has published his first-ever book, relating to the history of pop music in France.
Gareth Jones, who lives in the village, will publish his debut work French Pop: from Music Hall to Yé-Yé on February 28 and hopes to share his musical knowledge with readers far and wide.
Gareth, who is an NHS HR manager, told RadlettNews: “I am a passionate francophile and a very eclectic collector of music. Over three decades, I have acquired a large amount of French pop music, learned a lot about it and wanted to share some of my knowledge with the world.
“I’ve always enjoyed writing – right back to when I was at school in the seventies – and I’ve written the odd magazine article over the years and it’s always been a dream to write a book – or books.
“Although I listen to music from all over the world, this was an area I have learned a lot about, and there didn’t seem to be much available in English, so it seemed like a nice little niche to go to work in.”
French Pop: from Music Hall to Yé-Yé is Gareth’s first of at least two books, and covers the period from the end of the war to 1963. He says his next book will cover the rest of the sixties.
Gareth explained: “It’s the story of how the French got from accordions to electric guitars, and from Édith Piaf to Johnny Hallyday, and covers not just traditional French chanson but all the various other strands of French pop: rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, folk, and the music hall songs and yé-yé (a French spin on rock ‘n’ roll or pop music) of the title.”
To find out more about the book and purchase a copy, visit www.whsmith.co.uk/products/french-pop-from-music-hall-to-yeye/gareth-jones/paperback/9781739966706.html
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