Occasionally, we like to look back – right back – at early contests. It’s important no to forget our history as if it wasn’t for events on a May evening in 1956, we wouldn’t have had the lunacy we had in Tel Aviv.
So 58 years ago the little contest was in sunny Cannes after France’s second win. Jacqueline Joubert became the first person to host more than one contest. And Luxembourg won for the first time. The winning song was performed by Jean-Claude Pascal (né Villeminot), a Parisian in the boulevardier tradition. In his win, he scored off almost everyjury, but not the country that were runners-up. Twenty years later, he tried again but had less luck. With that in mind, here’s J-C’s finest Eurovision hour. Sadly he died in 1992.
Jean-Claude would have been 92 today.