Skip to content
Johnny Hallyday
artist

Johnny Hallyday

Johnny Hallyday is a chanson française artist from France formed in 1943. 246 releases are catalogued on Riffiter.

Also known as Jean-Philippe Smet

Chanson Française · France · Best chanson française albums

3.7 /5
44 ratings
246
Releases
1960–2017
Active years
1943
Formed
2017
Died

Discography

171Rank them 1 vs 1 →Two covers at a time. Pick the one you rate higher, we build the order.Every record on one board, your ratings already placed. S to D, then save it as a list.
Mon pays c'est l'amour cover3.9

Most popular

Mon pays c'est l'amour

2018 · 11 tracks

Singles & EPs

38

Live & compilations

37

Credits

1

Records Johnny Hallyday worked on for other artists — the roles are as credited on each release.

Appears on

5

Releases by other artists featuring Johnny Hallyday.

Featured tracks

4

Videos

4

Collaborators

8

Community

More about Johnny Hallyday

Johnny Hallyday at a glance

Born in
9th arrondissement of Paris
From
France
Active since
1957
Instruments
guitar, voice
Voice
baryton-Martin
Member of
Sylvie Vartan and Johnny Hallyday
Labels
Warner Music Group, Disques Vogue, PolyGram, Universal Music France
Former spouse
Sylvie Vartan (1965–1980), Adeline Blondieau (1994–1995), Babeth Étienne (1981–1982), Laeticia Boudou (1996–2017)
Former partner
Leah (1988–1989), Nathalie Baye (1982–1986), Sabina (1981–1981), Gisèle Galante (1987–1988)
Children
Laura Smet, David Hallyday, Joy Smet
Parents
Léon Smet, Huguette Galmiche

Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Children listed are those with their own public record, so the list may be incomplete.

About

Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (French pronunciation: ​; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France. During a career spanning 57 years, he released 79 albums and sold more than 110 million records worldwide, mainly in the French-speaking world, making him one of the best-selling artists in the world. He had five diamond albums, 40 golden albums, 22 platinum albums and earned ten Victoires de la Musique. He sang an estimated 1,154 songs and performed 540 duets with 187 artists. Credited for his strong voice and his spectacular shows, he sometimes arrived by entering a stadium through the crowd and once by jumping from a helicopter above the Stade de France, where he performed 9 times. Among his 3,257 shows completed in 187 tours, the most memorable were at Parc des Princes in 1993, at the Stade de France in 1998, just after France's win in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, as well as at the Eiffel Tower in 2000, which had record-breaking ticket sales for a French artist.

Read more

A million spectators gathered to see his performance at the Eiffel Tower, with some 10 million watching on television. Usually working with the best French artists and musicians of his time, he collaborated with Charles Aznavour, Michel Berger and Jean-Jacques Goldman. Hugely popular in France, he was referred to as simply "Johnny" and seen as a "national monument" and a part of the French cultural legacy. He was a symbol of the Trente Glorieuses when he emerged in 1960 and a familiar figure to four generations. More than 2,500 magazine covers and 190 books were dedicated to him during his lifetime, making him one of the persons most widely covered by the media in France. His death from cancer in 2017 was followed by a "popular tribute" during which a million people attended the procession and 15 million others watched the ceremony on TV. He remained relatively unknown in the English-speaking world, where he was dubbed "the biggest rock star you've never heard of" and introduced as the French version of Elvis Presley.

On screen

50

Film & TV data from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

Johnny Hallyday in brief

How many Johnny Hallyday releases are on Riffiter?
246 releases are catalogued, spanning 1960 to 2026.
When was Johnny Hallyday formed?
Johnny Hallyday formed in 1943, in France.
What genre is Johnny Hallyday?
Johnny Hallyday is catalogued under Chanson Française, Rock.
What is the most recent Johnny Hallyday release on Riffiter?
Lorada Tour Lyon 96 (Live), released in 2026.
Does Johnny Hallyday have children?
Laura Smet, David Hallyday, Joy Smet are children of Johnny Hallyday on public record.

Fans of Johnny Hallyday also listen to

Name two more and find something you haven’t heard