Bernie Constantin (18 June 1947 – 2 January 2025) was a Swiss songwriter and radio show host.[1]
Bernie Constantin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 June 1947 |
| Died | 2 January 2025 (aged 77) Anzère, Valais, Switzerland |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter Radio show host |
Life and career
editBorn in Ayent on 18 June 1947, Constantin joined his first band, Les Anges Blancs, in the 1960s.[2] The band was named after the wrestler L'Ange Blanc. After a performance at the Swiss National Exhibition in Lausanne, he abandoned his studies in the graphic arts in 1964. He then met musician Brian Jones and took part in a BBC show in Montreux. He then traveled to the United States, where he met Frank Zappa. In the late 1970s, he returned to Switzerland, where he opened a bistro called Funky Pétard. In the 1980s, he became more well-known, releasing the songs "Switzerland Reggae" and "Lola Berlingot", which sold 275,000 and 250,000 discs, respectively.[3]
Every Thursday from 2005 to 2012, Constantin hosted the radio show Les Jeudis de Bernie, broadcast on RTS Couleur 3.[4] He was often nicknamed the "Alpine Iguana" due to his resemblance to Iggy Pop and a young Mick Jagger.[5] His son, Jessie Kobel, was a comedian and hosted Get Up, Stand Up, which prompted an invitation to the Festival Morges Sous-rire in 2016.[6][7] In the summer of 2024, Constantin joined his son on the radio show Mon bel été en Suisse, broadcast on RTS Première.[8]
Constantin died in Anzère on 2 January 2025, at the age of 77.[9]
Publications
edit- Ma vie en rock au pays du rhododendron (2022)[10]
- Preface of Nouvelleaks : les chroniques du nouvelliste : 2010-2013 by Slobodan Despot (2014)
References
edit- ^ "Le rockeur valaisan Bernie Constantin est décédé à l'âge de 77 ans". Radio Télévision Suisse (in French). 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ Barras, François (3 July 2008). "Bernie Constantin, l'iguane rock de Switzerland". 24 heures (in French). Archived from the original on 18 December 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ Cerutti, Joël (18 June 2011). "L'Iguane des Alpes". Le Matin (in French). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Bernie Constantin en son jardin". Le Nouvelliste (in French). Ayent. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ Flückiger, Laurent (1 August 2015). ""Après mon AVC, ça a été difficile de chanter"". Le Matin (in French). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ Seppey, Agathe (19 September 2016). "Bernie Constantin et Jessie Kobel: la scène dans le sang". Le Nouvelliste (in French). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ Genier, Myriam (15 December 2020). ""Je suis le roi des sauces"" (PDF). Coopération (in French). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Jessie Kobel & Bernie Constantin". Radio Télévision Suisse (in French). 7 July 2024.
- ^ Siebenmann, Laurent (2 January 2025). "Le chanteur suisse Bernie Constantin est décédé". Le Matin (in French). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ MA VIE EN ROCK AU PAYS DU RHODODENDRON - Autobiographie (in French).
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External links
edit- Bernie Constantin at IMDb
- Bernie Constantin discography at Discogs