Johnny Stark

It featured names such as Édith Piaf, Yves Montand, Lily Fayol, Reda Caire, Marie Bizet, Johnny Hess, Marcel Cerdan, Laurent Dauthuille, and Robert Charron.

While the gala was a huge success, it proved a financial failure for Johnny, as he had Roland Toutain hang from one leg as a helicopter lowered him to the stage, and the stunt cost him a million francs.

[1] Johnny Stark then organized tours with Tino Rossi, Luis Mariano, Roger Pierre and Jean-Marc Thibault, and was responsible for scouting Gloria Lasso, Dalida and Marino Marini.

Nanou Taddéi worked for French Television Studio 102, and found out that Mireille Mathieu was in Paris on 20 November 1965 and was going to sing the following day on a competing program "Song Parade".

Régis Durcourt was the talent manager (impresario) who invited Mireille to Paris to sing on the Guy Lux television program.

By becoming a producer he was able to negotiate with the songwriters and musicians to increase the percentage for himself and Mireille to 33%, or under French law 4/12 split three ways between author, composer, and publisher.

He made exceptions to songwriters who could produce million seller records, and some of the songs had become mere filler and un-listenable even with Mireille's voice.

He was reportedly responsible for introducing the Wine Fair which in its heyday attracted some 150,000 people and the biggest names in music.

Johnny Stark was at work in his Wagram office in Paris, when he suffered his second heart attack that Monday morning.