Having sold more than 110 million albums across the globe, Johnny Hallyday was
one of France's most successful singing stars for decades, as well as one of the
few French-language singers to gain popularity in English-speaking countries.
Born as "Jean-Philippe Léo Smet" in Paris on June 13, 1943, he grew up loving
1950s rock & roll - particularly Elvis Presley - and swiftly adapted the style
to French, releasing his first album Hello Johnny in 1960 and selling a million
copies with his cover of "Let's Twist Again," which topped the charts in France
and Belgium. He subsequently...