Hugues Aufray was one of the guests of the new issue of The secret box broadcast on France 3 this Friday, October 28 and presented by Faustine Bollaert. The interpreter of Santiano was surrounded by Chantal Ladesou and of Pierre Palmade.
Facing Faustine Bollaert, the 93-year-old singer spoke with an open heart about the death of his older brother Francesco in 1955. The latter ended his life… “He was just a year older than me. I was born in 1929 and he was born in 28. But he was 25 centimeters taller than me. Mom had named him Francesco because of St Francis of Assisi who spoke with animals. I called him Caco”confided Hugues Aufray.
The 93-year-old singer recalled the relationship he had with his eldest who was also a music enthusiast: “He taught me to read and write. My father was divorced so he replaced him. He was physically beautiful, he would have made a world star. Besides that, he had a natural operatic voice. He found work in a house where we sold records. He was spotted by a singer named George London who decided to take him to New York so that he could make a career in the United States. At that time, my brother is 27, I’m 26 and he is committing suicide in Montreal.”
My brother taught me a lot of things
By opening the secret box, Hugues Aufray found a water bottle that reminded him of the good times spent with his brother Caco: “When we were little, my brother taught me a lot of things. We walked in the mountains to see the animals because he talked to the animals. He always took the water bottle.”
Despite his brilliant artistic career, Hugues Aufray prefers to remain modest vis-à-vis his late brother. “When he committed suicide, I did not know what I was going to become. I had no vocation at all to be a great singer. And I modestly became what my brother would have done with a much brighter way”he concluded.
During the show, Hugues Aufray was particularly surprised to receive a visit from the singer Anne Sila which took over one of its flagship titles entitled Celine.