Eddie Barclay

Notorious for his big cigars, his numerous marriages (9 wives, one more than Mickey Rooney!) and the lavish parties he gave for years in Saint-Tropez, Eddie Barclay was first and foremost one of France's most important music producers and publishers. The son of a café waiter and of a post office worker, Edouard Ruault (his real name) began as a jazz pianist before opening what was, according to him, the first discotheque ever in France. Having founded Barclay Records, he launched or helped boost the career of popular singers like Henri Salvador, Dalida, Johnny Hallyday, Eddy Mitchell and of such great artists such as Jacques Brel, Claude Nougaro, Léo Ferré. In addition to all his activities, he found the time to compose the score of a handful of films, among which Bob the Gambler (1956) and The Dictator's Guns (1965).