For the opening of the 13^th Printemps de Pérouges festival, Al Jarreau is in Lyon for an exceptional concert at the Amphitheater of the Cité Internationale.

Thanks to the influence of Marie Rigaud, President of the Printemps de Pérouges festival, Al Jarreau is here once again and has demonstrated his attachment to our city by accepting the invitation from the Mayor, Gérard Collomb, to become an Ambassador of ONLYLYON. Al Jarreau had previously performed in the region in June 2006 for the 10^th Printemps de Pérouges.

A little history...

Son of a preacher, Alwyn Lopez Jarreau started his musical career singing in the church choir. While studying psychology, he sang with the group The Indigos. He moved to Los Angeles to try to make a living from his music and played in a jazz trio led by George Duke. His first album, released in the 1960s, was a failure and Al Jarreau didn't set foot in a recording studio for the next 10 years. He signed with Reprise and released a new album in 1975, "We Got By," this time receiving great critical acclaim for his unique singing style, and was compared with greats such as Billy Eckstine and Johnny Mathis. He had further hits such as "Glow" and "Look to the Rainbow." In 1986 he recorded "L Is for Lover" with the producer Nile Rodgers, then did the theme music for the TV series "Moonlighting," before moving on to release the albums "Heaven and Earth" (1992) and "Tenderness" (1994) which appealed to a more mature, less pop audience. After a brief hiatus, he went back to his original producer, Tommy LiPulma, with whom he released three more albums, including "Accentuate the Positive" in 2004. Alternating jazz and pop styles, Al Jarreau has reached a wide audience over the years and built an international reputation.

Al Jarreau, Ambassador of Lyon

A five-time Grammy Award winner, Al Jarreau can claim to be one of the most versatile and renowned singers in modern music. He is in fact the only performer to have won the award for best singer in three different categories: jazz, pop and R'n'B. This world-famed performer now joins the 2000+ ONLYLYON Ambassadors  and received the title from the Mayor of Lyon, Gérard Collomb, in person on the occasion of his concert at the Amphitheater of the Cité  Internationale in Lyon. The concert is the opening event of the Printemps de Pérouges festival.

Al Jarreau's membership as a new ONLYLYON Ambassador was celebrated in a special event on Thursday, April 2^nd.

Before the concert by the American jazz singer at the Amphitheater of the Cité Internationale, as the opening of the Printemps de Pérouges 2009 festival, a cocktail party was held in the presence of Gérard Collomb, Senator-Mayor of Lyon, the ONLYLYON Ambassadeurs who had won a contest for tickets, journalists and heads of companies.

After the performance and to wrap up the evening, Gérard Collomb gave two ONLYLYON signature gifts to our new Ambassador: Lyon-made chocolates and a beret, Al Jarreau's favorite accessory, embroidered with the ONLYLYON logo.

Printemps de Pérouges +

Become an ONLYLYON Ambassador +

Role and advantages of Ambassadors +