AUDREY ARNO

Biography

Audrey Arno (Adrianna Medini; March 7 or March 17, 1942, Mannheim, Germany – June 9, 2012)

Audrey Arno was a German singer. Her biggest success she had in France during the 1960s. For a time, she was known there simply by her first name, Audrey. Since the beginning of the 1970s she lived and worked in Nevada.

In her youth, Adrianna Medini was a horse artist in a circus. In 1960 she got a recording contract in France. Her first publication was an EP titled L’Homme et la femme. More EPs called Printemps and É vero came next. In the meantime she also recorded in Germany. One of her recordings with Hazy Osterwald’s sextet was Wieder mal Paschanga (Die Musik aus Caracas). With its South American rhythm and the title shortened to La Pachanga, the song provided Arno and Osterwald with a number 87 hit in the Billboard Hot 100.

More singles like Toute ma vie, a French language cover of Gene McDaniels’ Tower of Strength, followed. In 1962 and in 1964 she played minor roles in French film productions Comment réussir en amour and Du grabuge chez les veuves. On German television she was seen in various shows such as Hotel Victoria and Der goldene Schuß. In 1964 she earned a recording contract with Henri Salvador’s record label. He also wrote a couple of songs for her, the bigger part of her repertoire did however remain cover versions of American hit songs. She settled in Paris, France, and sang in Paris and Monte Carlo stage productions. In the 1970s she moved to Las Vegas, where she appeared in the local production of Moulin Rouge. She remained in Nevada.

Audrey Arno died aged 70 having lived in a nursery home for a while due to suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.