By Madeline Otten, Correspondent
Lake Monticello resident Jean-Jacques Bevilacqua has been captivated by music ever since he was kid. Bevilacqua was born in the French Republic of Upper Volta in Africa. His father was a military colonel and the comptroller of the military hospital. A year after Bevilacqua was born, his family moved to Paris, France.
At the young age of 10, Bevilacqua tried out for Les Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois (Little Singers of the Wooden Cross), a famous boys’ choir founded in 1907. After landing a spot, he spent the next four years traveling and singing around the world with the choir.
Bevilacqua describes himself as a cosmopolite, which is someone who feels at home all over the world. “Singing alone isn’t fun. I’m a generous person and I like to sing for others,” he said.
While living in Paris Bevilacqua continued to sing professionally for 20 years in addition to writing lyrics and playing the guitar and piano. He performed in cafés all throughout Paris and traveled to resorts to sing in cabarets. Today, he still plays both instruments and sings with recorded background music.
Bevilacqua’s enjoys all styles of music. “I like the Beatles and think of them as one of the most creative bands,” he said. “Some of my influences are French artists like Charles Aznavour, Serge Lama, Michel Sardou, and a lot more.”
However, Bevilacqua has a preference for island and tropical music.
His preference of music led him to the Island of Barbados where he performed at the Hilton Hotel. What he did not know was that this moment changed his life forever. He had met and befriended a couple that traveled to the island from New Jersey who are now his in-laws. They invited him to visit them in the United States and Bevilacqua took the opportunity.
“I went and they took me in as a friend,” said Bevilacqua. “That is where I met their daughter, Linda. She was 18 and had a boyfriend. Nothing happened between us because she had a boyfriend, but we stayed in contact for all of those years.”
Bevilacqua stayed in the United States for a year singing in Greenwich Village, New York, as well as French cafés throughout New York City before he moved back to Paris.
During these years in Paris, both Bevilacqua and Linda each married and had children. He continued to sing and record in order to support his family. It was not until years later when both his and Linda’s marriages ended that Linda took the opportunity to call Bevilacqua.
“She finally met me years later when she came to Paris to visit the French Gardens. Something happened between us,” said Bevilacqua. “That is what I call destiny.”
The two celebrated their marriage Nov. 15, 1997.
Bevilacqua now owns a handyman business in Fluvanna called Your Man Friday and has been working with houses for over 11 years. He services the Fluvanna and Albemarle areas and his duties include power washing, roofing and siding, kitchen and bathroom remodeling and much more. His favorite part of the job involves staining and painting.
Continuing his passion for music, Bevilacqua takes every opportunity that he can get to perform. He performs a couple of times of month for family and friends, at weddings, and for other celebrations. In his free time, he enjoys studying the meaning of life, especially the power of the subconscious and law of attraction.
For more information on Bevilacqua’s upcoming shows, to find out about having him perform at a function for you, or about his handyman service, reach out to him at 434-996-5477.
