It was in operettas that he came to share the stage in 1923 first with Jean Gabin in La Dame en Décolleté and then with Charles Boyer and Falconetti in Simili in 1925.
After appearing in the operetta "Lulu" with Fernand Gravey, he embarked on a transatlantic journey to Rio de Janeiro in the company of Georges Milton and Alice Cocéa for the inauguration of the Copacabana Palace (1928).
It was in 1931 that he met Mireille, whose song Couchés dans le foin became a great success, the introduction being made by the editor Raoul Breton.
He then embarked on another journey to America, Hollywood this time, with Mireille at the invitation of Ramon Novarro, famous for Ben Hur on the big screen.
Guests included Maurice Chevalier, Damia, Fernandel, Mistinguett, Yvette Guilbert, Albert Préjean, Henri Garat to name a few.
In 1937, he won the Grand Prix du Disque for the song "Vous qui passez sans me voir", created by him and written for him by Charles Trenet, Johnny Hess and Paul Misraki.
That same year, contracted by the producers of The Magic Key, thanks to his success in France, he left for New York, engaged at the NBC studios of Radio City Hall.
In the 1940s, he animated the "Show Jean Sablon" on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) radio and was accompanied by the American accordionist and songwriter John Serry Sr, with Toots Camarata as musical arranger.
In 1941, he had further engagements in New York, at the Waldorf Astoria, the Plaza and at the San Regis hotels, before going on, in 1942, in Los Angeles and in Cuba, and then touring in America, Brazil and Argentina.
That year, Sablon continued to sing in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, appearing there through 1945, when he returned to the US to perform in New York, Chicago and Washington.
A further US tour in 1947-48 took him to New Orleans, San Francisco, Hollywood (Ciro's), Boston, Los Angeles (Beverly Hills) and Palm Beach, and then onto Brazil, Argentina and Canada.
Sablon's recording of Les Feuilles mortes in the summer of 1947 in New York (RCA Victor 855332) is the earliest version of this classic, known as "Autumn Leaves" in the US.
In France, Jacqueline François received the award for the Grand Prix du Disque for C'est le printemps, the French version of "It Might As Well Be Spring" written by Sablon.
He was cheered at the Théâtre l'Étoile, where Gene Kelly unsuccessfully attempted to persuade him to play the role of Henri Baurel in An American in Paris (subsequently taken by Georges Guetary).
He appeared repeatedly in the US, the UK, France and Brazil, as well as in Canada, Portugal, Morocco, Algeria, Greece, Italy and Egypt, and Mexico, Cuba and Spain.
At the urging of US impresario George Wein and singer-pianist Bobby Short, Jean celebrated his 75th birthday at the Met (Lincoln Center) in New York, appearing with the orchestra of Frank Sinatra, thus making his farewell to his American followers.
His Adieux in Paris in 1982 were televised in prime time from the Pavillon Gabriel (the former Alcazar d'Eté) and he made his last performance in Rio de Janeiro at the Copacabana Palace in 1984.
Jean Sablon became the most widely acclaimed male French singer of his generation in the world, considered second only in overall lifetime popularity to Maurice Chevalier, a senior model for him.
His records sold in the millions around the world and he is frequently referred to as the French equivalent of America's Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.