Like many people in the world, Gilbert Montagné wanted to live the American dream. Except that for him, the dream quickly turned into a nightmare and he found himself penniless and forced to beg to survive. We tell you everything.
After the failure of his first disc, Gilbert Montagné makes a radical decision. He decides to fly to the USA, more precisely Florida, in order to live the American dream. In this country where everything is possible, he hoped to succeed and make his way in music. However, things will not go as the singer hoped and he will experience many misadventures on Uncle Sam’s land. The least we can say is that he hit rock bottom during his American stay. Here are more details.
Gilbert Montagné’s Failed American Adventure
Promising beginnings
It was in the early 1970s that Gilbert Montagné decides to fly to the United States, heading to Florida. Once there, the artist managed to perform on small stages such as clubs or cabarets. However, success is not yet there, but that does not prevent famous names in music from being interested in him. We especially refer to Hugues Aufray and Salvatore Adamo, but Gilbert Montagné will decline their offers, because he prefers to stay in the United States and pursue his dream. However, the singer who recently gave news after his fall during a concert will at this time experience another style of fall.
Gilbert Montagné penniless
As he lives the American dream and hopes become a Hollywood star, Gilbert Montagné will very quickly find himself penniless. He was not scammed or robbed, he was simply a victim of his mismanagement financial resources. Moreover, the singer confided it in an interview given to Paris Match. “I never knew how to manage money”, these are his words as we can read in the magazine Voici. The singer had nothing left, except two or three pieces for his survival and his daily life was particularly difficult.
Begging out of obligation
Completely ruined and, what’s more, in a country where he was a foreigner, Gilbert Montagné had no other choice but to beg. For two days the singer, now 72 years old, sat in a corner of the city of Miami to beg for alms. He was using the two coins in his possession as percussion and he had a can of coffee in front of him. Gilbert Montagné explained his setbacks in song and begged to be found work, but no one cared.
The resilience of Gilbert Montagné
A worthy man
Despite his serious money problems in the United States and the fact that he was reduced to begging, Gilbert Montagné remained a worthy man. In fact, the latter never thought of using his visual disability to attract the sympathy of passers-by. Nikole’s husband had kept the values that we had instilled in him at school. Afterwards, he quickly got back on track and worked for some productions handled by the Bee Gees. After five years in the United States, he returned to France without having accomplished his dream, but he did not give up.
A winning return
Back home, Gilbert Montagné continued to pursue his dream of becoming a famous singer. Her career will finally take off thanks to the support of certain stars, notably Johnny Hallyday. “Johnny Hallyday reached out to me” say it septuagenarian. The latter had in fact asked him to come on stage with him during a concert. Success is finally achieved upon the release of his single Believe in me in 1980. Today, Gilbert Montagné is a successful singer who lives in peace in a small village.
An example of perseverance
THE misadventures Gilbert Montagné’s adventures in Uncle Sam’s country are now a distant memory. However, the difficulties he went through allow us to draw two great lessons that the singer must have certainly learned during his career. The first is that you should never give up on your dream and the second is not to feel sorry for yourself. Despite his visual impairmentGilbert Montagné did not let himself go when he was in the USA and years later, he is the big name we know today in France.
