Claude Ciari

Japanese-French Guitar Virtuoso

French-born Japanese guitarist, composer and actor. Father of Christelle Ciari. Born: February 11, 1944 in Nice, France to an Italian father and a Romanian mother. He started playing guitar when he was eleven. When he turned sixteen he joined rock group Les Champions (2) as lead guitarist. The group earned the title of best instrumental band in France. But Ciari decided to leave in 1964 to record an album that contained a rhumba tune called “La Playa,” which became a hit in 45 countries. He was twenty years old, and sold several million records. It was the beginning of an incredible career. Ciari remained in France until 1974, then moved to Tahiti. One of the countries where he played quite often was Japan. He gained Japanese citizenship in 1985. Ciari has made more than fifty records and performed in many countries. He has written music for TV dramas and soundtracks, and appeared in TV and radio shows.