F.R. David

80s

F. R. David was born Elli Robert Fitoussi in Menzel Bourguiba, then in the French protectorate of Tunisia, to a Tunisian Jewish family.[1][2] In Paris, David began his music career as Robert Fitoussi.[1] He first performed with French garage band Les Trèfles.[1] After one EP, they mutated into Les Boots, but achieved very little commercial success. Adopting his new stage name, he went solo in 1967 and recorded some orchestral pop psych with Michel Colombier, including a version of the Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever (Il Est Plus Facile). He enjoyed minor hits with the Éric Charden penned Symphonie and a cover of the Bee Gees' Sir Geoffrey Saved the World, but this success did not last. He then created Aztec Records with Sonopress & Carrer and started producing with Michael Haubrich and they wrote and produced several groups. The first was called Cockpit, followed by David Cast, Doc & Prohibition Group, Ragga, Alain Maria, Freddy Meyer, and DD Daughterdydawn with Vangelis Papathanassiou. During the early 1970s, David formed the progressive rock group David Explosion but their one album was not a success. He was a guitarist for Vangelis in the early 1970s.[1] With Vangelis, he also appeared as vocalist on some of his early 1970s albums. David's voice is also heard on the 1974 single Who by Vangelis under the name 'Odyssey'. David then joined French rock band Les Variations, appearing on their final album Café De Paris (1975), which featured an early rock-disco crossover ...