F.R. David

Paris-based singer/composer F.R. David (born Elli Robert Fitoussi on January 1, 1947 in Menzel Bourguiba, Tunisia) is often regarded as a one-hit wonder since he failed to repeat the success of his 1982 monster hit "Words" that topped the charts in a dozen European countries and even peaked at number two in Great Britain. He began his career in the early '70s as a guitarist for Vangelis and later, he was the lead vocalist in the French rock band Les Variations. After the dissolution of the band, he spent five years in the United States working as a studio musician for the Doobie Brothers, the O'Jays and Toto, among others. There he also recorded the album King of Hearts (as Robert Fitoussi.) Upon his return to Europe, F.R. David became an influential figure in Eurobeat, a style in dance music that dominated the continent in the 1980s. German producer/songwriter Dieter Bohlen (of Modern Talking fame) often cited F.R. David's hit "Pick Up the Phone" as a source of inspiration. In 1986 F.R. David recorded the album Sahara Night on CBS, characterized by a mixture of different music styles, followed by Reflections in 1987. The 1994 release I'll Try to Love Again marked the songwriter's return to his rock roots. After that, F.R. David's work included the album I'm Not In Love, produced at New York-based Hit Factory in 1997, classical music recordings with the London Symphony Orchestra, and a collection of his greatest hits. ~ Yuri German, Rovi