Enrico Macias

Born in Algeria in 1938, Enrico Macias -- the product of a Jewish family -- fled to France during the Algerian war of independence and, drawing on North African traditions, became one of the most popular and influential French recording artists of his generation, a pioneer in what would later be termed "world music." His 1962 debut single, "Adieu Mon Pays," partly written on the ship that delivered him to France, vaulted Macias to fame within the Algerian expatriate community. With the 1976 LP Melisa, Macias enjoyed his greatest commercial and critical success to date. French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius awarded Macias the Légion d'Honneur in 1985. Released in 2003, Oranges Amères represented a return to the Middle Eastern-inspired atmospheres and rhythms of his earliest output. ~ Jason Ankeny