Jean-Philippe Smet, to give him his real name, was born in Paris in 1943 and came to fame in the 1960s, singing rock and roll in his native language of French. Hence he was already a rock star when this picture was taken in 1967, as evidenced by the paparazzi outside the window of his Mustang. Hallyday still (occasionally) sings live, despite having ‘retired’ in 2009, and indeed his first ever live UK performances were in 2012. He lives in Switzerland, for tax reasons.
Snapshot, 1967: Johnny Hallyday fires up the Mustang
Think of an internationally famous rock ’n’ roll star who isn’t from an English-speaking country. Bet you can only think of one: Johnny Hallyday, widely known as the French Elvis Presley...
Many Ford Mustangs can be found for sale in the Classic Driver Market.