
Dave
Biography
Wouter Otto Levenbach (born 4 May 1944), known as Dave, is a Dutch Francophone singer who had a string of number one hits in France in the 1970s. A native of Amsterdam, he resides in Paris. Dave was born in Amsterdam. His father was Jewish and an English teacher by trade; his mother was a classical dancer. He has two brothers, Marteen and Lucas, and a sister, Elsbeth. He learned to play the guitar at age 14. He became a very spiritual person who prayed frequently and even planned to study theology; however, he eventually chose to study law. Among other things, he was inspired by Jack Kerouac's On the Road , a revolutionary novel which encouraged young people to leave home and learn life "on the road", and to communicate with others. Passionate about the sea and rivers (a love which he owes to his grandfather), he left the Netherlands by boat with 1,000 guilders in his pocket (about two months' living expenses). He met Eddie Barclay, the executive for Barclay Records, in Saint-Tropez in 1968; Barclay was responsible for launching Dave's career in show business. On 26 February 1969, he participated in the Nationaal Songfestival, the Dutch pre-selection contest for that year's Eurovision Song Contest with a song called "Niets gaat zo snel", but did not win. In Summer 1969 he reached the Dutch Top 40 charts for the first time with "Nathalie", peaking at No. 28. From 1971 to 1974, he was one of the actors in the musical Godspell, making friends with actor Daniel Auteuil, who would become his best friend. In 1974, he released his first hit "Trop Beau", a French adaptation of The Rubettes' hit "Sugar Baby Love"; later, he released "Vanina", his first number one single in France, an adaptation of Del Shannon's "Runaway", adapted into French by Patrick Loiseau. These were followed in 1975 by the three hits "Mon cœur est malade", "Dansez maintenant" and "Du côté de chez Swann". His self-titled first album was released at the end of 1975. By that time, he did not only have great success in France and Belgium, but also in his country of origin the Netherlands, where "Dansez maintenant" was a number 1 hit in the top 40 and "Du côté de chez Swann" made the top 10 too. His later hits included "Lettre à Hélène" (1978), "Comment ne pas être amoureux de vous" (1978) and "Allo Elisa" (1979). In the 1980s, his popularity waned following the advent of FM radio in France. He still had an audience due to live performances and his classic hits. However, he himself likened the ebb to a "crossing of a very pretty desert". In 1993, he released a new album, then in 1994, he made a comeback following the release of a greatest hits album, which sold more than 200,000 copies. He later recorded a new album entitled Toujours le même bleu, which included a title single from which enables him to hit the charts once again. It is also around this time that he came out as homosexual. ... Source: Article "Dave (singer)" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Known For(46 works)

Champs-Elysées
1982Champs-Elysées
1982

Sacrée soirée
1987Sacrée soirée
1987

Midi Première
1975Midi Première
1975

Fort Boyard
1990Fort Boyard
1990

Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
1975Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
1975

Le monde est à vous
1987Le monde est à vous
1987

Numéro un
1975Numéro un
1975

Numéro un
1975Numéro un
1975

Fan School
1977Fan School
1977

Star Academy
2001Star Academy
2001

La Chance aux chansons
1984La Chance aux chansons
1984

Salut les Terriens !
2006Salut les Terriens !
2006

Mask Singer
2019Mask Singer
2019

N'oubliez pas les paroles - Primes événementiels
2008N'oubliez pas les paroles - Primes événementiels
2008

The Unexpected Getaway
2022The Unexpected Getaway
2022

The Unexpected Getaway
2012The Unexpected Getaway
2012

Matthijs gaat door
2020Matthijs gaat door
2020

La Boîte à secrets
2019La Boîte à secrets
2019

Folie passagère
2015Folie passagère
2015

The Secret Song
2018The Secret Song
2018

Fear City: A Family-Style Comedy
1994Fear City: A Family-Style Comedy
1994

La Cape et l'épée
2000La Cape et l'épée
2000

La France a un incroyable talent
2006La France a un incroyable talent
2006

La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
2022La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
2022

100 % logique : La réponse est sous vos yeux
2022100 % logique : La réponse est sous vos yeux
2022

Blague à Part
1998Blague à Part
1998

Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui
2014Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui
2014

Chansons!
2021Chansons!
2021

I Love You Coiffure
2020I Love You Coiffure
2020

The Car Keys
2003The Car Keys
2003

Les Enfoirés 1997 - Le Zénith des Enfoirés
1997Les Enfoirés 1997 - Le Zénith des Enfoirés
1997

Poltergay
2006Poltergay
2006

Renaud, souvenirs, souvenirs
2023Renaud, souvenirs, souvenirs
2023

Superlove
1999Superlove
1999

Dickie-roi
1981Dickie-roi
1981

La tournée triomphale des idoles
2022La tournée triomphale des idoles
2022

Je m'appelle Régine et je vous emmerde !
2025Je m'appelle Régine et je vous emmerde !
2025

Je m'présente, je m'appelle Daniel
2015Je m'présente, je m'appelle Daniel
2015

La Génération Salut les copains
2019La Génération Salut les copains
2019

La Grande Histoire de l'Eurovision
2020La Grande Histoire de l'Eurovision
2020

Charité biz'ness
1998Charité biz'ness
1998

Une journée avec Jacques Brel
2023Une journée avec Jacques Brel
2023

50 ans de Numéro Un - Les Carpentier
202550 ans de Numéro Un - Les Carpentier
2025

L'Esprit de famille
1979L'Esprit de famille
1979

A Song For Mama
2013A Song For Mama
2013

Tout le monde chante : les stars relèvent le défi
2024Tout le monde chante : les stars relèvent le défi
2024