Trivia

Some of the songs Moustaki composed became world-famous as sung by artists such as Édith Piaf and Yves Montand.

Moustaki sang songs in French, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, Spanish, English, German and Arabic.

His parents, Sarah and Nessim Moustaki came originally from the island of Corfu, Greece, and were Greek Jews, but they moved to Alexandria, Egypt, where Georges learned French. They had a bookshop in the cosmopolitan city where many communities lived together.

Moustaki went to Paris in 1951 and was inspired by the young Georges Brassens. He changed his name to Georges Moustaki, in honor of him.

At home, everyone spoke Italian. In the street, the children spoke Arabic. At school, young Giuseppe learned and spoke French. His parents were very attached to French culture and put him into a French school, along with his sisters.

He has written songs for Édith Piaf,Dalida, Françoise Hardy, Barbara, Brigitte Fontaine, Herbert Pagani, France Gall and Cindy Daniel, as well as for himself.

He married at age 20 and has a large family in France, Israel, Brazil and Venezuela.

His parents were from Greece and settled in Egypt.

He was best-known for romantic ballads. His repertoire included songs in French, Italian, English, Greek, Portuguese, Spanish, and Arabic.

He moved to France when he was a teenager, and worked as a journalist for an Egyptian newspaper. As a solo artist, he became popular for songs about freedom and individuality. His first hit - "Le Meteque" (or "The Mongrel") - is about being an outsider.

Born in Alexandria of an Italian-Greek family who had emigrated from Corfu, Greece. His father had a bookshop and his parents spoke many languages that he learned. Came to Paris in the 1950s.