Best known for her performance at the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest, representing Switzerland, singer
Franca Di Rienzo went on to further acclaim for her work in the French rock opera La Révolution Française -- playing Marie Antoinette -- in 1973. Although she was not the winner of the Eurovision contest in 1961 (she did place a respectable third, however),
Di Rienzo earned instant respect and fame in her home nation for her endeavor, and took part in an international song contest in Poland in 1963. Soon after, she became the lead vocalist for the French folk-rock outfit the Troubadours. Her fascination with the work of
Christian Chevallier -- she performed one of his songs at the aforementioned Polish song festival -- would become the basis of her later career, as the albums she recorded for children featured the work of the famed songwriter. ~ Chris True