Fred Gouin
A music-hall singer with a baritone voice, Hyppolite Eugène Frédéric dit "Fred"
Gouin was born in Le Mans on April 26, 1899. The son of a basket-maker and a
seamstress, he grew up in Paris and made his singing debut under the pseudonym
Viallard, for the Odéon label, in 1912. A musician who played mandolin and
banjo, he performed in small groups and sang solo in cabarets. Returning to
Odéon under the name Fred Gouin, he recorded a series of successful 78-turners,
covering popular songs and operetta arias including "Charmaine", "La Fille du
bédouin", "Elle danse le charleston", "Ro...
