Louise Cordet
Birth nameLouise Boisot
Born (1945-02-08) 8 February 1945
Wraysbury, Berkshire, England
GenresPop
Occupation(s)Singer, actress, publicist
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1962–1964
LabelsDecca

Louise Cordet (born Louise Boisot,[1] 8 February 1945)[2] is an English pop singer who also sang in French, best known as a one-hit wonder for her 1962 single, "I'm Just a Baby".[3]

Early life

Louise Cordet is the daughter of Captain[4] Marcel Boisot of the Free French Air Force and the French-born Greek actress Hélène Cordet.

In 1940, as a trainee cadet pilot with no more than 20 hours' flying time, her father flew a Morane 315 training aircraft without navigation equipment or maps from Meknès in Morocco to Gibraltar in response to Charles de Gaulle's appeal of 18 June.[5][6]

Her mother's parents helped Prince Andrew and Princess Alice of Greece after their exile in 1922, resulting in a lasting friendship between the two families.

Cordet is a goddaughter of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,[7][8] and was educated first at the French Lycée in Kensington, London,[9] and then at a convent school.[3]

Music career

When she began singing she took her stage name from her mother, Hélène Cordet, who had adopted the surname early in her own professional career, as an actress and TV hostess.[2]

After signing to Decca Records, she released "I'm Just a Baby" in 1962, which hit No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart.[10] The song was composed by Jerry Lordan and produced by the former Shadows drummer Tony Meehan.[1][3]

She also appeared in the films Just For Fun (1963) and Just for You (1964).[10]

Cordet undertook tours with the Beatles, Roy Orbison and Gerry and the Pacemakers. Gerry Marsden is said to have initially written the song "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" for Cordet,[3] although the Gerry and the Pacemakers recording was released almost simultaneously, in April 1964.[11] She recorded a four-track EP for French Decca – three tracks in French (including a French-language version of the English song, "Around and Around", plus her version of the Beatles' song "From Me to You").[11] Her final single was a cover version of the Motown tune "Two Lovers".[3][11] Composed by Smokey Robinson, "Two Lovers" featured Jimmy Page on guitar on Cordet's version. She also toured in 1963 with Paul & Paula, Tony Meehan and Jet Harris, with the concert promoter Arthur Howes,[12] but by 1965 she had stopped recording.[10]

She served as the French pronunciation adviser at Marianne Faithfull's 11 May 1965, Decca Records recording session.[3]

Personal life

She is married to a Greek national and has three children. Her eldest son is the singer Alexi Murdoch.[9] She now lives in Greece, but also has a home in London.[9] Her late brother, Max Boisot, was an architect, and professor of strategic management at the ESADE business school in Barcelona.

Discography

Singles

  • Decca F11476 (1962): "I'm Just a Baby" / "In a Matter of Moments" UK No. 13[1]
  • Decca F11524 (1962): "Sweet Enough" / "Someone Else's Fool"
  • Decca F11673 (1963): "Around and Around" / "Which Way the Wind Blows"
  • Decca F11824 (1964): "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" / "Loving Baby"
  • Decca F11875 (1964): "Don't Make Me Over" / "Two Lovers"
  • Decca (France) EP 454.089 (1962): "I'm Just a Baby", "In a Matter of Moments", "Sweet Enough", "Someone Else's Fool"
  • Decca EP DFE 8515 (1962) and 454.096 (1963, France): The Sweet Beat of Louise Cordet: "She's Got You", "We Know Why", "Everytime", "Crazy Kind of Love"
  • Decca (France) EP 454.100 (1963): Louise Cordet: "Faire le Grand Voyage", "Que m'a-t-il-Fait?", "From Me To You", "L'amour Tourne en Rond"[2]
  • Decca (France) EP 457.022 (1964): "Pour Toi", "Laisse le Soleil Sécher tes Larmes", "J'Aime Trop Johnny", "Dix Mille Fois"

Compilation albums

  • Harkit HRKCD 8358 (2010): I'm Just a Baby[13]
  • RPM Retro 890 (2011): The Sweet Beat of Louise Cordet: Complete UK Decca Recordings[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 121. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. 1 2 3 "Louise Cordet". 45-rpm.org.uk. 8 February 1945. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Biography by Bruce Eder". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  4. ↑ "Conférence sur le capitaine Jean MARIDOR à l'Aéro-Club du Havre". Jean-maridor.org. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  5. ↑ Henri Lafont. "Naissance des Forces aériennes françaises libres". La Fondation Charles de Gaulle. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  6. ↑ Vital Ferry (2005). "Annexe 1 Evasions aériennes depuis et vers lAfrique". Croix de Lorraine et Croix du sud, 1940–1942: aviateurs belges et de la France libre en Afrique. Paris: Éditions du Gerfaut.
  7. ↑ Madame Anna Foufounis (6 April 1954). "The Boy Who Married the Queen". Look.
  8. ↑ "Louise Cordet". IMDb.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 Creasy, Martin (2010). Beatlemania! The Real Story of the Beatles UK Tours 1963-1965. London: Omnibus Press. p. 94. ISBN 9781849386593.
  10. 1 2 3 Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 127. ISBN 0-7535-0149-X.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "The Sweet Beat of Louise Cordet: Complete UK Decca Recordings". Allmusic. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  12. ↑ Tim Sendra (3 June 2003). "This Guitar Kills: More 60s Groups & Sessions – Jimmy Page | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  13. ↑ "I'm Just a Baby". Allmusic. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
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