Today marks the launch of Johnny Hallyday's new album Jamais Seul.
It's a remarkable comeback, considering how Johnny seemed to be facing his final curtain last year due to serious health problems.
Johnny's presence in the French music scene could have been taken for granted in previous years, a figure seemingly more at home in the pages of Paris Match than in the music press, his success measured in 'millions sold' and in 'years in the business' rather than being subjected to any real artistic scrutiny or given any real credit for what he does.
But last year's medical drama was a warning that even the biggest figure in the French music scene is as vulnerable as any of us, and there really is no one who could come close to replacing him.
While often described as the French Elvis, Hallyday is a far more complicated figure, with the blue-collar appeal of Bruce Springsteen, the career longevity of Cliff Richard but with a rock attitude more in common with Guns 'n' Roses.
Maybe now is the time for Johnny's legacy to be re-assesed, in the same way that Johnny Cash was once regarded as a fairly washed-up country act before he hooked up with Rick Rubin, restoring his reputation.
Johnny himself was at the virgin Megastore in the Champs Elysees on Sunday night at 11.30pm for the launch of the album. Marking his 50 years on the music scene he was presented with a book signed by fans with messages from them.
Tour dates have been confirmed for the summer, there was a TF1 television special broadcast at the weekend as well as the new album's release, and it certainly seems that there are still a few more chapters to be written in the Johnny Hallyday story.
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