... 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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