Loulou Gasté


Louis "Loulou" Gasté was a French composer of songs.

Life

Louis Gasté was born in Paris in 1908. In his fifty-year career, he composed approximately 1,200 songs, ten of which have were internationally successful. In 1929, he played in Ray Ventura's orchestra, and composed several pieces for him. He discovered and launched French singer and actress Line Renaud in 1945, and they married in 1950.
He died at Rueil-Malmaison in 1995.

"Pour Toi" / "Feelings" / "Dis-Lui" dispute

In September 1956, Gasté composed "Pour Toi" with lyrics by Albert Simonin and his wife Marie-Hélène Bourquin, for the singer Darío Moreno, who sang it in the film Le Feu aux Poudres. It was sung later by Line Renaud, and was reinterpreted in France and internationally by various singers.
In 1974, Morris Albert sang it in English and was credited as the original author of "Feelings", launched in São Paulo by Augusta Do Brazil. In 1975, Mike Brant brought it back to France under the title "Dis-Lui".
In 1976, "Feelings" was a worldwide success and was recorded by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and others.
In 1977, Gasté discovered the song was one of his melodies and sued Morris Albert. On 22 December 1988, a court found in favour of Gasté, and he won recognition as the sole creator of the song, gaining seven-eighths of all royalties, with Albert receiving the remainder for his lyrics contribution.

Selected compositions

He also composed several songs for Line Renaud, including "Nous Deux", "Le Complet Gris", "Si J’avais la Chance", "Autant en Emporte le Vent", and "Ma cabane au Canada", which won the "Grand Prix du Disque" from Académy Charles Cros in 1949.

Selected filmography