Marie-Jacques Perrier

Marie-Jacques Renée “Jacotte” Perrier (22 November 1924 - 29 November 2012) was a French singer, fashion journalist, voice actress, socialite, author and art collector. She was best known for her musical collaborations with the Quintette du Hot Club de France and her fashion reporting for Fairchild Publications. She was the daughter of musical composer and haute couture textile supplier Robert Perrier, from whom she inherited direction of the R-26 artistic salon.

Early life and singing career

Born in the Montmartre district of Paris in 1924, Marie-Jacques Perrier was raised among the regulars of her parents’ R-26, the informal artistic salon based in the family’s apartment and frequented by artists such as Josephine Baker, Stéphane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt, Henri Salvador, Jean Tranchant and Mary Lou Williams. Perrier began her acting career at the age of ten using the stage name Jacotte Perrier, performing in variety theaters and on French radio. Her voice soon became synonymous with the role of Mitou in the popular radio comedy Serpentin, Mitou et Toti, under the direction of Alain Saint-Ogan. As a singer, she began her recording career with Pathé Records in 1937, producing singles with Reinhardt and his Quintette du Hot Club de France including the series Chansons de Jacotte, written by Jean Tranchant, and ‘Ric et Pussy’, written by Perrier’s parents.