... a toast to Michel
KCRw's Music eNewsletter
December 2004
On a sad note, I wanted to mention the passing of an artist whose name may not be immediately
familiar, but who influenced a remarkable amount of music that you¹ve heard on KCRW. Musician,
composer and arranger Michel Colombier passed away after a battle with cancer on November 14, at
the age of 65, in his home in Santa Monica. He began his music career in his native France,
working with many great artists, from Charles Aznavour to Brigitte Bardot, including a fruitful
collaboration with Serge Gainsbourg. He went on to work in America, arranging songs for Petula
Clark, Joni Mitchell, Supertramp, Herbie Hancock, and the Beach Boys on their ³Sunflower² album,
to name but a few. He scored dozens of films, including ³How Stella Got Her Groove Back² and
³Purple Rain.² And more recently, his contributions appear on the latest CDs from Madonna, the
Thrills and his fellow countrymen, Air. He is survived by his wife Dana and their 2 children as
well as four children from previous relationships.
ERIC J. LAWRENCE
KCRW MUSIC LIBRARIAN
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