INTERVIEW
At 91, Hugues Aufray has not yet retired. His latest album Autoportrait was released on July 17th. Several of his songs refer to the United States: Paie-moi ; On the barges of the Érié Canal or even There's a man who prowls and who takes names . In his own words, he is part of a "generation that revered the American".
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"I continue to say that the American dream exists because it is a continent that has been turned upside down by migrations, of people fleeing war, religious persecution, racism. Even if today, the United States knows of big problems, [America] makes people dream, "he said Saturday at the microphone of Europe 1.
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"America has evolved"
In There's a Man Who Lurks and Takes Names , the singer talks about the Ku Klux Klan and tells the story of Jesse Washington. In 1916, this 17-year-old African-American farm worker was lynched and tortured in public in Texas. He was accused of the rape and murder of his employer's wife, while there were no witnesses to the assault. "I am telling the story of this terrible time, which unfortunately is not over," says Hugues Aufray.
The singer also spoke of his meeting with Martin Luther King in 1966 in Paris. "If Martin Luther-King came back today, he would have to see that he has a lot of stars in music who are black, in fashion, literature or even cinema. There was even a black president. We have to put things in their place, the world has evolved anyway, America has evolved, "he concluded.