Yesterday, on his 74th birthday, French singer and actor Dick Rivers (1945-2019) passed away. With Eddy Mitchell and Johnny Hallyday, he was one of the three stars who introduced Rock and Roll in France in the early 1960s. He was the frontman of the group Les Chats Sauvages. In later life, he also appeared in films.
French postcard by PSG, no. 923. Photo: Patrick Bertrand.
Dutch postcard by 't Sticht, Utrecht, no. AX 6343.
Dutch postcard by Hercules, Haarlem, no. 641. Caption: Les Chats Sauvages in Twist Dance.
French collector card by Publistar.
French collector card in the Hit Collection by Figurine Panini, no. 32. Photo: Sonopresse.
Dick Rivers was born Hervé Fornieri in Villefranche-sur-Mer, in southern France, in 1945. He was fascinated by America, the juke box and Rock and Roll. He admired Elvis Presley, who highly influenced both his singing and his looks.
In 1960, at the age of fifteen, Hervé founded the group Les Chats Sauvages (The Wild Cats) with three friends, guitarists Jean-Claude and Gérard Roboly, and bassist Gérard Jacquemus. With his black hair slicked back, his never-worn jeans and his cowboy boots, he was the lead singer. His stage name came from the character (Deke Rivers) that Presley played in his second film, Loving You (Hal Kanter, 1957).
In February 1961, the British music magazine NME reported that Rivers' concert at the Palais des Sports de Paris, whilst headlining with Vince Taylor, had turned into a full-scale riot. Between May 1961 and June 1962, Les Chats Sauvages recorded more than a hundred songs and sold more than 2 million albums.
Big hits were 'Ma petite amie est vache' (My girlfriend is a cow), 'Twist à Saint-Tropez' (Twist in Saint-Tropez) and 'Est-ce que tu le sais' (Do you know). The band’s success extended to all French-speaking countries, Belgium, Switzerland and Quebec, where they attracted large crowds.
But then, Dick Rivers suddenly left Les Chats Sauvages.
French postcard by E.D.U.G., no. 228. Photo: Sam Lévin.
French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, no. 1095. Photo: Sam Lévin.
French postcard by E.D.U.G., no. 227. Photo: Sam Lévin.
French postcard by P.I., no. 1085, offered by Corvisart. Photo: Jean Mainbourg.
French postcard by Editions Publistar, no. 785. Photo: Baumgartner / Disques Pathé.
In September 1962, Dick Rivers released his solo single 'Baby John', which sold 200,000 copies. It was the start of a long and successful solo career, with more than thirty albums (three in English) and many singles. Among his hits were 'Tu n'es plus là' (1963), the French version of Roy Orbison’s 'Blue Bayou', and 'Va t'en va t'en' (1965), based on the Moody Blues hit 'Go Now'.
In the 1970s, his music seemed outdated. For ten years, between 1982 and 1992, he hosted a radio program devoted to rock on Radio Monte Carlo. In 1994, his first collection of old successes, 'Very-Dick', was certified gold. He started to record new music. In 1999, Dick made his first film, La Candide Madame Duff / The Candid Lady Duff (Jean-Pierre Mocky, 1999) and gave about 60 concerts in France, Belgium and Switzerland.
In 2003, Rivers played in the comedy Le Furet / The Ferret (Jean-Pierre Mocky, 2003) with Jacques Villeret and Michel Serrault. The following year, he appeared on stage in the play 'Les Paravents' (The Screens) by Jean Genet, at the Théâtre National de Chaillot. It was a success. Furthermore, he was the French voice of Shere Khan in Jungle Book 2 (Steve Trenbirth, 2003), and he also gave his voice to Arthur et les Minimoys / Arthur and the Invisibles (Luc Besson, 2006). On television, he appeared in Mon amour de fantôme / Phantom Love (Arnaud Sélignac, 2007).
To celebrate his 50-year career, the album 'Mister D' was released in 2011. At the same time, a book with the same title was published containing his memoirs collected by Sam Bernett. He returned to the stage and toured in France. His last album, 'Rivers', was released in 2014.
Dick Rivers died of cancer in 2019, on his 74th birthday. He was married to Micheline Davis. They had a son, Pascal, and an adopted daughter, Natala, who lived with the American director George Lucas for three years. The marriage to Micheline ended in a divorce. Later, Rivers lived together with longtime partner Babette.
Small French collector card, offered by Jony Biscuits.
French promotion card by Pathé Marconi, no. 1-64. Photo: Pleine Page.
French promotion card by Pathé Marconi, no. 5-63. Photo: Vallois.
French promotional card by Pathé / EMI. Photo: Jean-Louis Rancurel.
French postcard by Publistar, Marseille, no. 1339.
French promotion card by Sonopresse. Photo: Tony Frank.
Sources: RFI Musique (French - Page now defunct), Dick Rivers.com (French - Now defunct), Wikipedia (French and English) and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 15 August 2026.
French postcard by PSG, no. 923. Photo: Patrick Bertrand.
Dutch postcard by 't Sticht, Utrecht, no. AX 6343.
Dutch postcard by Hercules, Haarlem, no. 641. Caption: Les Chats Sauvages in Twist Dance.
French collector card by Publistar.
French collector card in the Hit Collection by Figurine Panini, no. 32. Photo: Sonopresse.
The Wild Cats
Dick Rivers was born Hervé Fornieri in Villefranche-sur-Mer, in southern France, in 1945. He was fascinated by America, the juke box and Rock and Roll. He admired Elvis Presley, who highly influenced both his singing and his looks.
In 1960, at the age of fifteen, Hervé founded the group Les Chats Sauvages (The Wild Cats) with three friends, guitarists Jean-Claude and Gérard Roboly, and bassist Gérard Jacquemus. With his black hair slicked back, his never-worn jeans and his cowboy boots, he was the lead singer. His stage name came from the character (Deke Rivers) that Presley played in his second film, Loving You (Hal Kanter, 1957).
In February 1961, the British music magazine NME reported that Rivers' concert at the Palais des Sports de Paris, whilst headlining with Vince Taylor, had turned into a full-scale riot. Between May 1961 and June 1962, Les Chats Sauvages recorded more than a hundred songs and sold more than 2 million albums.
Big hits were 'Ma petite amie est vache' (My girlfriend is a cow), 'Twist à Saint-Tropez' (Twist in Saint-Tropez) and 'Est-ce que tu le sais' (Do you know). The band’s success extended to all French-speaking countries, Belgium, Switzerland and Quebec, where they attracted large crowds.
But then, Dick Rivers suddenly left Les Chats Sauvages.
French postcard by E.D.U.G., no. 228. Photo: Sam Lévin.
French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, no. 1095. Photo: Sam Lévin.
French postcard by E.D.U.G., no. 227. Photo: Sam Lévin.
French postcard by P.I., no. 1085, offered by Corvisart. Photo: Jean Mainbourg.
French postcard by Editions Publistar, no. 785. Photo: Baumgartner / Disques Pathé.
Mister D
In September 1962, Dick Rivers released his solo single 'Baby John', which sold 200,000 copies. It was the start of a long and successful solo career, with more than thirty albums (three in English) and many singles. Among his hits were 'Tu n'es plus là' (1963), the French version of Roy Orbison’s 'Blue Bayou', and 'Va t'en va t'en' (1965), based on the Moody Blues hit 'Go Now'.
In the 1970s, his music seemed outdated. For ten years, between 1982 and 1992, he hosted a radio program devoted to rock on Radio Monte Carlo. In 1994, his first collection of old successes, 'Very-Dick', was certified gold. He started to record new music. In 1999, Dick made his first film, La Candide Madame Duff / The Candid Lady Duff (Jean-Pierre Mocky, 1999) and gave about 60 concerts in France, Belgium and Switzerland.
In 2003, Rivers played in the comedy Le Furet / The Ferret (Jean-Pierre Mocky, 2003) with Jacques Villeret and Michel Serrault. The following year, he appeared on stage in the play 'Les Paravents' (The Screens) by Jean Genet, at the Théâtre National de Chaillot. It was a success. Furthermore, he was the French voice of Shere Khan in Jungle Book 2 (Steve Trenbirth, 2003), and he also gave his voice to Arthur et les Minimoys / Arthur and the Invisibles (Luc Besson, 2006). On television, he appeared in Mon amour de fantôme / Phantom Love (Arnaud Sélignac, 2007).
To celebrate his 50-year career, the album 'Mister D' was released in 2011. At the same time, a book with the same title was published containing his memoirs collected by Sam Bernett. He returned to the stage and toured in France. His last album, 'Rivers', was released in 2014.
Dick Rivers died of cancer in 2019, on his 74th birthday. He was married to Micheline Davis. They had a son, Pascal, and an adopted daughter, Natala, who lived with the American director George Lucas for three years. The marriage to Micheline ended in a divorce. Later, Rivers lived together with longtime partner Babette.
Small French collector card, offered by Jony Biscuits.
French promotion card by Pathé Marconi, no. 1-64. Photo: Pleine Page.
French promotion card by Pathé Marconi, no. 5-63. Photo: Vallois.
French promotional card by Pathé / EMI. Photo: Jean-Louis Rancurel.
French postcard by Publistar, Marseille, no. 1339.
French promotion card by Sonopresse. Photo: Tony Frank.
Sources: RFI Musique (French - Page now defunct), Dick Rivers.com (French - Now defunct), Wikipedia (French and English) and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 15 August 2026.
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