Sheila

Annie Chancel (born 16 August 1945), known as Sheila, is a French pop singer who became successful as a solo artist in the 1960s and 1970s, and was also part of the duo Sheila & Ringo with her husband singer Ringo. She also fronted a disco act called Sheila and B. Devotion. Her stage name came from the title of her first release, a French cover version of "Sheila", a hit by Tommy Roe. Throughout her career, Sheila has sold more than 85 million records worldwide.

Sheila started her musical career in 1962, after being noticed by Claude Carrère, a French record producer and songwriter. Her parents signed a contract with Carrère for her, when she was 16; the contract led to an artistic collaboration which lasted for more than 20 years. In 1995, a lawsuit put an end to this life-time deal. She entered into a long royalties battle against her former producer, which she won. Sheila had numerous hits in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, playing the typical 'girl next door'.

Her first hit was "L'école est finie" ("School is over"), in 1962 (1 million copies). It reached the #1 position in France. In 1964, she recorded and released "Vous Les Copains, Je Ne Vous Oublierai Jamais", her French adaptation of the international hit, "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" as popularized by Manfred Mann, also charted. Notably, the original pop song was sung by The Exciters from a year earlier in 1963.