Making a Mark. The Story of Armenian Singer Marc Aryan

Marc Aryan Biography

Year by Year                                                                                             last updated: 09/09/2021

1924: The Armenians - Kevors George Markarian and his wife Vartanouche - arrive in France after spending eight years of exile in Syria and Lebanon.

1926: Birth of their third son - Aroutioun Henri MARKARIAN - Mark Aryan’s real name who he was born in Valence, France in the Drome November 14th, 1926.

(1926 and not 1935: Year of birth usually mentioned in Mark Aryans official biographies, in order to youthen his image from the beginning of his career in Belgium. He was indeed born in 1926, the official date went public by his widowed wife during the recent renovations that took place at Marks tomb cross.)

Henri was the third of seven siblings, where the two oldest siblings died at very young ages. He had three sisters and one brother. The order within the Markarian family is as follows: 

Henri, the oldest sibling; then Zizi (or Zig, of his true given name Alice, Anahid in Armenien), followed by Jeanine, then Dominique (Of true given name Paulette) and finally Jacques, the youngest.

1930: Nothing seemed to interest Henri towards music, and passionate as most kids were at that time by the war and of fancy uniforms, he decided at the young age of four to become… a General.

1936: His father Georges (Kevork) Markarian gathered all his savings to buy an artisanal mill, in Valence’s lower town, near Rhône where they cooked Oriental food specialties. The Markal society was then created (Over 70 years later, the Markal society specializing in bio products still remains and employs over 45 workers).

1936-1943: The adolescent Henri is noticed at his high school Emile-Loubet, by his closed and independent character. He attentively takes classes that interest him - noticeably literature and foreign languages - and he doesn’t hesitate to skip certain physiques and mathematics classes that bored him, deciding to prefer a stroll in solitude along the banks of Rhône instead. This was where he started writing poems and … songs. His professors don’t share his pastimes and Henri is suspended from high school on two occasions - then also from the College he is registered to attend. With his poor recommendations, it is hard for him to find a school who will accept him and his parents, being of middle class, can’t afford to send him to another town or in pension.

1944-1945: Without care, Henri decides to pursue his education via correspondence, works extremely hard, studies in one year what would normally take three … and parents himself to the BAC. Boldness however is not always rewarded and unfortunately Marc fails to pass his baccalaureate. 

1946: At twenty years of age, after his mere “three days” of military service, Henri suffers regularly from uneasiness. After some time, it becomes apparent he suffers from a malformation. He undergoes a heavy operation. After this, the next two to three years are very hard ones because at that time, these operations were very difficult ones and followed with hard to manage side effects. The Faculty even considers him a ‘lost cause’. He is sent to the sanatorium on the mountain, and for two years Marc fights hard for his life. A difficult time, yet fruitful as well. The young man sharpens his awareness, he reads a lot and starts to seriously consider music. 

Then, on a bright early morning, he returns home. His health is fragile, but his willpower is strong and visible. Marc Aryan gets to work; he learns the piano, music theory and counterpoint - all this on his own. For a period of three years, he works 10-12, sometimes 16 hours a day. He one day surprises one of his classmate’s from school, by playing from beginning to end Beethoven’s “Appassionata”. His parents recognize his courage and let him be.

1951: Henri is 25 years old. His father makes him the commercial president of his semolina factory. Henri reluctantly accepts to be his father’s second hand, but with the agreement that one day he will stand down and go to Paris and follow his literature or musical dreams. At the factory, it is known by everyone that Henri has a very conscious approach and his character is that of a Businessman. 

1954:  At the age of 28, while writing two novels and poems, Henri opens a store (l’O.D.E.M.U. - The Office for Musical Development) for vinyl in Valence, wanting to familiarize himself with recording and editing songs. He gets help from his sisters Dominique, Jeannine and Zig. In little time, this store became the most interesting place. Why so? “Because”, explains Henri, “The sales clerks knew exactly what they were selling. I can say that my sisters and I have heard every vinyl at least once”. 

His sense of business made him quickly achieve a good turnover, allowing him to open a series of vinyl stores across the Lyon region. His quick success peaked and he had a depression.

1957: Henri decided to sell his booming store chain and told his father that he was going to Paris to publish his songs and music.

He initially rented a space in Marnes-la-Coquette. He later acquired (with the money he had earned from selling his vinyl stores) a house in Aulnay-sous-Bois, at 39 Louis Coutant Street. 

He knocked at every door, like a shy beginner. 

The indifferent Parisian editors politely redirect him… The performers don’t want to sing his songs. Henri does not discourage himself. He thinks hard… Since noone is willing to sing his songs, he shall sing them himself!

1959: At the beginning of the year, at Pathe-Marconi, he recorded his first 45 RPM Vinyl under his real name HENRI MARKARIAN. There were two tracks, on side A - A Little Thing (Une Petite Chose) and on side B - If I had Known (Si J’avais Su) with the orchestra directed by Raymond Boisserie.

1960: In March, an EP came out, always under his real name but with a Y in his first name instead, HENRY MARKARIAN. This album contains his two first initial songs, with two new ones. This time, all four of them are recorded under the direction of Jean Baitzouroff’s orchestra. 

FLAndre 24-56 (I’ll Call you my Love) The main title, and A Little Thing on side A; Live, Live my Life, If I had Known on Side B, 3 boleros and 1 fox.

It’s a failure.

April 4,1960 (The very first article) : the magazine “Movies for You” devotes no more than four pages to Henry Markarian.

Time goes by. At his house, in Aulnay-sous-Bois, Henri continues to believe and to work. It will take more to discourage hardhead Henri: he decided to take things into his own hands.

1962: More confident than ever in his stardom, he does the unthinkable: he makes his own recording label, MARKAL (like the family business) and his very own Publishing House, MALATYA.

Henri decides to record a vinyl at his own expense - with the money left over from selling his stores. He gathers musicians under the direction of Christian Chevallier, records four tracks and exits the studio with his recording under his arm - not really knowing what to do next with these…

1963: The beginning is so close, but the singer doesn’t know yet. One of his sisters, Zig - said Zizi just got married with a Belgian (Jacques de Cupper - said Jac) and they opened a night-club on the Belgian coast, called Barqu’a Jac a Zeebruges. 

The Barqu’a Jac was a great place to dance in the area, made of two small houses that belonged to Jacques de Cupper (or De Cuyper?) where they added to the back, a room decorated like a boat, the bar was shaped like a small boat. Today, the building (remodeled) is for car accessories. Much later, in 1974 there was also a Barq’a a Jac (without the ‘u’)  in the PECQ community, in Hainaut, this one was destroyed in a fire late November.

Because this was a new beginning, Henri decided to change his artist’s name. He divided his family name in two, mark + arian, becoming MARC ARYAN. He gets 3000 copies pressed of his first album - with the following mention “with the europa boys and the arianes” (Was he inspired by Ray Charles and his Raylettes??) He leaves for Belgium, with the desire to test his 45s Vinyl with the dancers. The decisive moment rings at the door. The vinyl is turning, couples are dancing… it seems to please… Young girls come to ask information about the record producers and what not…

We are in August of 63 and the main song of his EP is entitled Ballad. On this first EP, dated July 1963, on side A - are the songs Doudou and Ballad, and side B - I like her Like that and Nina. In only a few days, other clubs were asking for the albums. The record stores of the Belgium coast also had many requests (at first Marc carried all his own vinyl to the record stores). Marc Aryan sold 3 500 records of Ballad.

September 1963: Marc Aryan concluded an agreement of distribution of his label MARKAL with an important firm in Brussels: Gramophone (EMI Belgium).

End of 1963: Marc Aryan moves to Belgium. First to Zeebruges, then later to Waterloo.

1964: His success increases and slowly but surely, Marc’s popularity amplifies. 

February 1964: His 2nd EP (This time with the Aryannes written with a ‘y’) comes out with side A- The time of Love (In which the Barqu’a Jac is mentioned) and If I were Sure. On side B - If I were a King’s Son and My school friends.

The song “If I were a King’s Son” had the most success. Marc sold 20,000 albums of “If I were a King’s Son”. This song was also ranked for a consecutive three weeks in the Netherlands, where he sold another 12,000 albums. 

In April 1964, after a first refusal because he did not like to be tied down with a contract, Marc has an agreement with artistic director: Jeff Deboeck. A contract not as an artist but as a producer! This gave him a much more important position.

At Ostende sur la Wapenplein, Marc participated in a singing contest, where the first prize was won by an ‘anversois’ symphony “Les Chabroll’s”. Without hesitation, he goes to speak with them: the beginning of a great collaboration! Not only on stage (like the 1965 Diamonds Prom that took place in Anvers) but later on he went on recording “Bete a manger du Foin’ with them. It’s at one of these recordings in Anvers with Les Chabrolls that he met Katy.

June 1964: Travelling through Brussels, Mark Aryan meets Gilbert Becaud and he is given the medal for the order of Leopold II.

July 1964: The 3rd EP album came out on Side A - ‘A Qu’un d'Amour” and “Surf avec Moi” and on side B - “Georgina” and “Tu te Parfumes Trop”. His song Geogina had the most success.

July 17 1964: Mark receives a letter from the SLD (Lebanese Recording Society) wanting to distribute albums around Lebanon: this too became a huge success.

Summer 1964: At the Barqu’a Jacq a beautiful young blond who lived in Knokke came by almost every night. She attracts all the boys, and rumor was that Udo Jurgens (After winning the Golden Microphone at the Festival of Knokk) was going home with her. She had one flaw, being silly and making bad decisions. Guess what song she inspired Mark to create..

The SP with this inspired song “Bete a Manger du Fin” (Animal who eats hay) along with “Toi Je te Garde” (I shall keep you) both came out in November 1964.

The first edition of this SP is the last album where the logo “MARKAL” as the Vinyl Label is written all in Uppercase letters, then on the label was written in Lowercase letters.For the EPs it was the same, as soon as the Album Katy came out, the label was written in Lowercase letters. 

October 14 1964: After having met this beautiful woman at the port of Anvers, he composes the beginning of his song Katy.

1965: The 4th EP, with the songs “Bete a Manger du Foin” and “Toi Je te Garde” on side A, and on side B, two songs inspired by the young woman he met in Anvers, “Katy” and “Tu es Une Petite Fille” (You are a little Girl), came out in stores March of 1965. It’s THE immediate success: the song “Katy” comes on the radio and in discotecks on a regular basis. Marc Aryan is holding a big hit. But in his song “Bete a Manger du Foin” - (At the end of his song, it is his sister Dominique who sings “Si j’aurais su je serais pas venu” (If I had known, I wouldn’t have came) ) - This song is always very appreciated by his crowd. 

Quick enough, the album needed to be pressed again, they decided on a new cover (The cover with Katy on side A - but the vinyl on side B) with the picture of a young woman smiling on the cover, and on the back we can read about how she was the number one hit from Wallonie to Flandre with her hit song Katy. It’s with this cover (but with Katy on side A) that France distributed the album by the Festival of Distribution at the end of August 1965.

Beginning with this album, Marc not only wrote all the lyrics to the songs and its music as he did previously, but he now also did all the arrangements, directed the symphony in the studio as well as everything regarding the sound and mixing. 

It’s during this time that Marc Aryan buys a beautiful Villa with a private garden in Ohain, in the region of Waterloo.

May 1965: The EP ‘Katy” comes out in Lebanon, already the fourth album to come out there.

June 1965: Marc Aryan first presents his new somewhat Roy Orbison look to the press, with the famous thick glasses and … the wig. Marc Aryan will always be associated with his hit Katy and his famous glasses!

June 9 1965: (Probably his first appearance on television) Marc Aryan sings Katy in “Carrefour du Monde” setting, at a TV show called “L’ORTF”, the pianist Jack Dieval’s show. 

August 22 1965: His first public concert took place in Belgium, at Jumet-Hamendes.

September 1965: A SP with “Katy” and “Toi Je te Garde (Di Nessum Altro) came out in Italy, both songs were sung in Italian. Soon after was followed by a new SP with “Giorgina” and “Tu es une Petite Fille” (Tu pensi Troppo) also sung in Italian. 

August 28 1965: At Ostende, a tour in the ocean is organized by the Belgian Journal called Juke Box for 150 fans. The Flemish television BRT filmed at this occasion Marc singing his song “Katy”. (We can see scenes of these moments in the documentary that came out in 2005 called “Marc Aryan, Chanteur de Charme” (The Charmful Singer).

September 12, Marc Aryan is at Chatelet at the “Olympiades des yeyes” - (A festival putting spotlight on Claude Francois, but also Monty, Guy Mardel, Robert Cogoi, Michele Torr…) with over 20,000 fans.

September 18 1965: Marc Aryan passed on the television show of BRT called “Hit Folk & Blues Festival”.

September 25 1965: Marc Aryan sung “Katy” in the show “Vient de Paraitre”, diffused on l’ORTF.

Fall of 1965: Marc Aryan and Les Chabroll’s record 2 titles in the Philips Studio, 17 Poicon Street at Brussels; “Parce que Je t’Aime” (Because I love you) and “Si Seulement C'était Vrai” (If only it were true), this last one is very rythmed and Marc sings it often on stage. Because of all the success from his song “Katy”, Marc’s entourage decides that for his future albums, his songs should be softer with more instrumental parts. “Parce que je t’aime” will find itself on another LP, but with different lyrics and a different musical approach. The song “Si Seulement C'était Vrai” never came out on an album. 

October 1965: A new and simple 45s record comes out, with “Un Jour’ (One day) on side A and “Ma Loulou” (My loulou) on side B. 

November 11 1965: Marc Aryan is the main star (his first recital in Brussels) at the ‘Festival au Sommet’ at Brussels, with Les Chabrolls in the first part.

November (or end of October) 1965: Marc Aryan participates in a Musicorama for Radio Europe1 in Paris.

November 23 1965: Marc is on a famous show for the youth on the Flemish television “Tienerklanken”, beside Claudia Sylva and Dave Berry.

November 27 1965: Marc Aryan is the main attraction for the 3rd edition of the show “Moins 20 d’Andenne-Seilles”, at the Crystal Palace in Seilles at Moselle; the first year it was Adamo and the following year Dick Rivers who were the main attraction.

December 1965: The fifth album came out, with “Un Jour” (One day) as the main song, followed by “Si j’avais su” (completely reinvented version - very different than the 1960 one) and on side B - “Mon Petit Navire” (My small Ship) and “Ma Loulou”. This album was distributed by the Festival of Distribution in France. Didierpassion.

December 17 1965: Marc Aryan went on a show called Fenklup (Fanclub) on Dutch Television, he sings “Katy” and “Ma Loulou ''.

December 18 1965: Marc sings “Un jour” on the show “Vient de Paraître" that is seen on l’ORTF.

December 20 1965: Date of the first tests of the 33s vinyl of Marc Aryan, entitled Katy, and it was released at the end of December 1965 - early January 1966. Note that his singles “Le livre de la vie” (Book of life) and “O Paris” didn’t get recorded on a 45s vinyl (except for a small SP in Greece under the Markal label).

December 20 1965: Marc Aryan sings “Katy” and “Ma Loulou” on the show Fenklup (Fanclub) on Dutch television. 

End of December 1965: Marc Aryan passes on the show “Dans les rues de Milan” (The streets of Milan), on Italian television alongside Sacha Distel and Enrico Macias.

1966: With only a few songs, Marc Aryan had found an international audience.  His albums were being sold in over fifteen countries and several titles were a big hit.

January 6 1966: Beginning of a triumphant tour of 18 days in Turkey. Over 80,000 spectators came to his shows in Izmir, Ankara and Istanbul. 

His tour finished with a show on Sunday January 23rd of 1966, at Sports Palace in Istanbul, with a crowd with over 7,000 fans.

His song entitled “Un Jour” (one day) is hit number one on the Turkish charts in February 1966, followed by “Si J’etais Sure” (If I were sure') and “Georgina”. He broke records staying at the top for  a consecutive 15 weeks in a row!

Beginning of 1966: Marc records “Mon Petit Navire” for the RTB and this is done on an enormous marine ship! The song came out February 22nd of 1966 on a show called 16/20.

February 5 1966: The Disco Self Serve of the RTBF Hainaut show on the radio is presented by Jean-Loup Viseur, and this is done directed from Marc Ayran’s home. Marc answers questions and the audience listening can hear him practicing his song “Ballad” with his musicians.

February 18-23 1966: Marc Aryan is the main attraction at “l’Ancienne Belgique” of Brussels.

March 13 1966: The show “Le Rallye des Vedettes” is broadcasted on Belgian television RTB, where he is seen again singing “Mon Petit Navire”, but this time on a much smaller speedboat, with a pilot wearing a leather jacket and thick sunglasses.

March 31 1966: Marc is one of the invited Stars at the grand gala Olympic Show at the “Beaux-Arts” of Brussels.

Then on the 24th of April 1966 he was at the annual Festival of the ‘Farciennes’, next to Andre Brasseur.

The night of June 26, 1966 (scheduled passage at 21h35 to 22h10) Marc Aryan passes in front programming of France Gall and Adamo at the Festival “Le Parapluie des vedettes” - this took place the 25 and 26th of June 1966 at Huy (with the Sunday June 26 Antoine, Andre Brasseur and Tom Jones , whom for the first time was passing through Belgium)

June 1966, a first EP came out in Spain with songs “Katy” and “Un Jour” on side A - and “Si J’Avais Su” and “Tu es une Petite Fille” on side B. The night of July 30th 1966, at the Kursaal d’Ostende Casino is shared between Marc Aryan and… Eddy Mitchell! From July 29th and August 4th, Marc Aryan is the main Star at the Night-Club of this very Casino.

June 1966: Marc Aryan is the main attraction once again at the first edition of the Fair of Ethe (Virton). The fair was born that year, in order to finance the Belmont Chapel, she wanted first and foremost to be festive. This fair continued for a quarter of a century and hosted stars like Francoise Hardy, Monty (In 1970), Dave (1976), Johnny Hallyday (1977)... 

August 13 1966: Marc Aryan is a part of the guest stars (next to Hugues Aufray, Frank Fernandel, Udo Jergens, Robert Cogoi, Francois Deguelt and Charles Trenet) for the eighth international festival of Knokke, and broadcasted on television.

End of August 1966: Marc is once again in Istanbul, where he showcased his first viewing of his new song entitled “Istanbul”. During his stay, he sleeps at his fans' houses.

Marc’s sixth EP came out simultaneously in Belgium and in Spain, with on side A - “Angelina” and “Parce Que Je T’Aime” (Because I Love you) (A different version than the LP) and on side B - “Istanbul” and “Le Nombril du Monde” (The center of the world). 

The Spanish group , Los Bohemios, came out with an EP album with his song “Katy” in Spanish.

This 6th EP is also the first EP to come out under the label DiscAZ in the French market. A second EP under DiscAZ again only for the French market, followed almost immediately entitled “The Golden Album of Marc Aryan”, it is composed of the titles “Katy” and “Un Jour” on side A - and “Bete a Manger du Foin” and “Si J'Étais le Fils du Roi” on side B. The song “Bete a Manger du Foin” was very often played on Europe 1. 

December 1966: his 7th EP (3rd EP with label DiscAZ in France) came out with on side A - “Parfois Quand je t’embrasse” and “Si Demain” and on side B - “Mais je t’aime” and “Mon Meilleur Souvenir”, this album did not get any special success.

1967: Marc Aryan is in Spain and he sings on Spanish television his songs “Angelica” , “Katy” and  “Un Jour”. A picture taken in the television studios illustrated the 3rd EP - and last- recorded in Spanish of MArc Aryan “Canta en Espagnol” - this containing four titles all sung in spanish. On side A - “Katy” and “Un Jour” and on side B - “Angelina” and "Parce que je t’aime”. 

March 30 1967: Marc is invited to the famous celebrity show for the young Flemish television stars, (BRT) “Tienerklanken”.

Jean Martin, who manages Marc Aryan’s contracts, introduces him to a group he manages, The Eagles. Marc Aryan gives them an audition and hires them to accompany him on stage in Belgium as well as other places. Marc Aryan hires Marc Preher, the leader of the group, as his secretary. The Eagles accompanied Marc Aryan until the mid 1970s.

Being the perfectionist he was, Marc Aryan only used the very best material he had for his concerts: his sono was a ‘Semprini’ (which was worth a half-million Euros) and used a microphone of the brand Shure, which was designed and set specifically for his voice. He had the habit of coming many hours in advance and practicing for his show, even in the smallest of concert halls. 

His 8th EP came out with on side A - “Les Melons” and “Agnes” and on side B - “La Chanson du Vieil Aveugle” and “Le Clocher” (4th EP with DiscAZ in France)

May of 1967: His SP came out with “Ma Petite Chanson” on side A, with his song “Volage...Volage” also.

May 14 1967: Marc Aryan sings “Les Melons” in the Belgian TV show Vibrato RTB, alongside Becaud, Cloclo, The Beatles, Johnny Hallyday, and others.

Sunday June11 1967: Marc Aryan participates alongside 59 other singers at Ciney at their 10th year anniversary, “The 230 minutes of Jean-Claude” (Menessier), retransmitted for the occasion on Belgian Direct TV on the RTB, Marc Aryan sings “Volage...Volage”

End of June 1967: His 9th EP came out with this time his song “Volage...Volage” in front seat on side A, followed by “Un Paradis” and on side B - “Mes Blanches Montagnes” (My white mountains) followed by “Ouais...Ouais” (5th EP with DiscAZ in France). His song “Volage...Volage” quickly rose to the top of the charts and remained in the top 10 for a consecutive 20 weeks. 

Summer of 1967: Marc’s second 33s Vinyl came out, entitled “Volage...Volage”.

August 12th 1967: Marc Aryan is one of the guest Stars invited to the event “Nuit Féerique du Préventorium Marin de Coq-sur-Mer” (De Haan, on the Belgian coast), bed\side Amalia Rodrigues.

October 1967: His SP “Volage...Volage” and “Ma Petite Chanson” came out in Spain, both in French.

December 12 1967: SP with songs “Numero un au Hit Parade”,coupled with “Que c’est bete la vie”.

December 31st 1967: Marc Aryan shares the stardom with Paul Louka at the event “La Nuit des Vedettes” ,at Charleroi. 

1968: Because of the success of the main track on this last SP, a tenth -and last- EP came out rapidly in January 1968 - on it were his hits “ Numero un au Hit Parade” and “Que C’est Bete la vie” , coupled with two previous successful hits, “Ballad” and “Georgina”.

Quick enough, his song “Numero 1 au Hit Parade” went quietly up the ladder to the top of the success. It was number one on the charts and remained there for several months.

This song was also ranked number one on the charts in Egypte!

This last EP song came out in France under the Pathe-EMI label.

January 30 1968: Marc Aryan sings his song “Numero 1 au Hit Parade” at the Belgian RTB TV show Vibrato, alongside Claude Francois, Michel Fugain, The Troggs.

May of 1968: Another SP came out with songs “Je t’invite”, coupled with the lovely “La Sirene” (The Mermaid). The weekend of the Ascension of Marc Aryan is the main Star at the Saint-Luc Festival at the college with this same name in Mons.

June of 1968: Brazil came out with the same exact replica of the 10th EP “Numero 1 au Hit Parade”, shortly followed also in Brazil by his LP “Katy” - with the same version as his first LP.

July 1968: SP of “Un petit SLow” came out, coupled with “Au Fond de tes Yeux”, under his usual label Markal in Belgium - this also came out under the French label Pathe-EMI with a different album cover.

Saturday August 10th 1968: Marc Aryan and The Eagles are showcased at the 7th Festival of Waimes (Michel Polnareff was there August 14th).

During the summer of 1968: Marc Aryans third 33s record album came out.

October 14 1968: Marc Aryan flew with his band The Eagles to the USSR for almost a month tour, followed by Iran and Algeria. There were a total of 40 concerts. At Yerevan, in Armenia, Marc sings in a stadium that hosts almost 30,000 people; he sings seven of his songs translated himself into Armenian and Yerevan (lyrics from the poetess Tamara Demourian, well known there for her music “Bonjour Mon Village'' (Good morning my village). He continues to sing in a variety of places and closed stadiums in the Caucasus region and in Moscow. Their money was not worth much to him, so he did not want their money. Instead Marc’s plane was full of crates of caviar, vodka and especially beautiful rugs. 

Marc Aryan also did a recital in front of Iranian shah. Their personal doctor was sent to care for the suffering singer.

End of October 1968: Another SP came out, “Un Petit Mari” (A small husband) coupled with “Merci” (Thank You).

November 15,16 and 17 of 1968: Marc Aryan is again the main attraction at Brussels venue ‘Ancienne Belgiques’, with a special appearance of Jac and Zizi (Marc’s sister), the founders of the Barqu’a Jac in the first section, the dancing club.

1969: Concert in January, in Menin.

Marc decides to renovate his barns on this land in Ohain, turning them into recording studios - the name for this new studio was found easily - Katy’s Studio. He invests $ 80,000 , paying special attention to the acoustics (The walls are covered with a noble wood from South America) and he has cutting edge technology. It’s the Belgian Society SAIT Electronics that installed the studio with 8 tracks. 

February 1969: An LP came out in Canada, dedicated to the Canadian market, with the title “No 1 au Hit Parade”.

Spring of 1969: SP came out with the track “Je Sais” in Yerevan , Armenian version (Lyrics also by Marc Aryan) coupled with “Mes Blanches Montagnes”.

End of April 1969: Marc Aryan is once again on tour in Turkey. His parents accompany him. He stayed 4 days in Istanbul, where he was featured on several television shows and he also negotiated new contracts to distribute his albums. 

His SP came out featuring songs “C’est le Printemps pour moi” coupled with “L’Amour est un Joli Bateau”. 

Followed by the SP, “Le Temps du Bolero” - coupled with the song”Bonjour Paris”.

May 4 1969: Marc Aryan is the main attraction at the 5th Grand Prom of Muguet in Herve.

November 1969: His SP featuring songs, “Les Filles d’Aujourd’hui” - and - “Tous mes amis” came out. 

End of 1969: His SP came out featuring “Un petit Amour” coupled with “Magali”.

1970: Marc Aryan has some years of true love with Nicky, who worked at his dentist's office.

His partner inspired the song “Si Je pouvais Revivre mes Amours” (Nicky) of the SP that came out coupled with his song “Toi ma Boheme”. On the cover of his album, the name Ines Casse is mentioned, she designed his cover (and many more to come) and became his manager. 

Marc Aryan, being the great Armenian businessman he was, wanted The Eagles, his symphony on stage, to become his employees. He offered the musicians a fixed monthly salary - instead of a compensation per contract. They refused his offer and this is where their paths separated. 

The next SP (“Le Telephone” coupled with “Adieu Mon Bel Amour”) is the first album where on the cover it is mentioned that it was recorded on 8 tracks in Katy Studio, followed by Marc Aryan's address and phone number.

The next SP to come out was also inspired by his partner (the song “Nicky” coupled with “Toi et Moi”). If you look carefully at the cover, you can notice a picture of Nicky in the reflection of Marc’s glasses.

Fall of 1970: The fourth 33s vinyl record of MArc Aryan comes out with a beautiful black & white cover (two hands intertwined) and the mentioning of Katy Studio for the first time on one of his LPs. It contained 6 songs of his 3 last SPs, embellished with 6 brand new songs (“Quand Tu Dors Dans Mes Bras Mon Amour, Bonjour mon Village Bonjour Mon Clocher, Tu vis au Fond de Moi, Mon Péché Mignon, Si tu Viens à Bruxelles, Que la Terre est Belle). It was the first LP where several songs weren’t released on a 45s vinyl. At the end of this year, came out a new SP with the most liked song “Les Cigarettes” coupled with “Amour...Amour”.

1971: During this year, three SPs came out. First “Toute ma Vie” and the experimental “Colombine” , followed by the SP “Adieu Jolie Luxembourg”, (With only “Luxembourg” on the cover) coupled with the very romantic “Gino, Un Seul Whiskey”, and to finish with the SP - “Allo, C’est Moi” coupled with “Je Ne T’oublie Pas”.

1972: Another SP comes out with “C’est Impossible” coupled with “La Melodie du Hippie” (written Hippy on the backside of the album cover)

October 1972: A new SP comes out with song, “Quand On Est Amoureux”, coupled with “Le Disque Des Auditeurs”.

1973: During the summer, the SP came out with “Jamais je ne Dirais (Fais l’amour avec moi)” and “Je t’aimerais”. Surely because of these provocative titles, the radio (prudish at that time) refused to play the album. Marc was bothered since he had printed about 5,000 copies. Luckily, his entourage came up with a great solution and they put a sticker on the album saying “This album is prohibited on the radio” and he managed to sell all his copies.

His 5th 33s vinyl record came out, a best of entitled “Les Plages d’Or” (The Golden Beaches or Spots).

July 24th 1973: new SP comes out : “La Lettre” coupled with “La Liberte”. Marc finally gets another number one hit, with the support of free spoken radios. 

The album was pressed many times, and distributed in France by the label DOM and in Holland by Vogue Nederland. 

November 5 1973: Came out Marc's sixth 33s vinyl album, with the same design as his SP, entitled “La Lettre” (The Letter). 

1974: His SP comes out, with “La Petite Fille” coupled with “Honey”, a song where Marc pronounces a few english words. Then came out another SP with the beautiful song “Dominique”, coupled with “Teheran” - all inside a lovely album cover as one he had five years previously with the beautiful Ines Casse. This album, distributed in France by the label DOM and in Holland by Vogue Nederland, did not get the credit it deserved. 

1975: Marc Aryan’s 7th 33s vinyl record came out, containing ten new songs and new versions of Teheran and Istanbul. Note that one of the songs entitled “C’est La Vie, Mon Amie”, had a great resemblance to the 1966 song: ”C’est la Vie”, even if the lyrics and the musical background have nothing in common. This LP was distributed in France by DOM. Only one SP was taken from this album: “Alles Gut” coupled in 1975 with “Petit’ Madam’”.

1977: August 1st 1977, after two years of absence comes Marc’s 8th 33s vinyl album entitled “Operation a Coeur Ouvert” (Open Heart Surgery). MarcAryan wrote 12 new songs, recording part of them in his Studio Katy and another part in a studio in London. He then travelled to Nashville to mix the album together. For the first time, other names are associated with Marc's for the sound arrangements. This professional work - as always with Marc - pays off to be fruitful; five months later the album becomes a double golden one. A first SP is pulled from the album, with the song “J’aime (Les Petites Femmes)” coupled with “Tous ces Voiliers”. There exists two versions of the album cover with this 45 s vinyl record - One with and one without the motion of “From the album MA 1808 - Operation a Coeur Ouvert”.

“C’est la Mode des Oldies” and “Katy” coupled with the song “La Lettre” come out on SP in the series Les Vieux Machins (two different covers) and Dance For Ever , all three under the same reference!

A second SP, pulled from the album “Operation a Coeur Ouvert” comes out with “Tu As Beau Me Dire” coupled with “Si Un Jour”. And finally a last SP with “Grosses Lunettes sur un Petit Bout de Nez” (Most likely inspired by his time in London for the recording of the album) coupled with “Il y a Des Jours”.

December 6 1977: Marc Aryan receives a Golden Album award for his LP “Operation a Coeur Ouvert” during the event SIBESA (The Syndicate of the Belgian Industry of Sonor Recordings and Audio-visuals) from the hands of the presenter Jan Theys. 

Always in 1977: Marc’s 9th 33s vinyl record came out, in the series “Rendez Vous, With”, a compilation. 

1978: Came out Marc’s 10th 33s vinyl album “Chansons des Annees Tendres”, again a compilation of his greatest hits, with marketing support from a TV station RTL.

The same year came out MArc Aryan’s 11th 33s vinyl record (double LP) in the Blue Line series, again another compilation (mix).

December 1978: His 12th 33s album entitled “Confidences sur 12 notes”, containing 12 new songs, to be noted on his album cover, the title of the 13th song “Tu ne Sais Pas” (You don’t know) is mentioned following with its lyrics, this song will remain unheard of.

1979:  Marc Aryan is in love when he meets Melle Marianne Bouriez, their first meeting takes place at the Barqu’a Jac club of Pecq. Marianne, of thirty years only, did not know the singer.

1981: Marvin Gaye leaves the United States to record at the Katy Studio his album “Midnight Love”, an album that was given two Gammie Awards. His famous song “Sexual Healings” was recorded in Studio Katy!

Marc Aryan becomes more involved with other artists and devotes himself to their growth. Under his name or under Production Markal Records name for the 11 SPs and 1 Maxi (Reference AA) that came out in 1981 and 1982. 

And under the double signature Marc Aryan/E. Luyckx, solely under his name or under Katy productions for other labels.

Always in 1981: Anthony records a duo with the little boy Charlie “Life Itself Will Let You Know” at Studio Katy, later came out on SP under the label WEA coupled with an instrumental version of the song “Il y a Des Jours de Marc” with nonetheless Toots Thielemans on the harmonica. This album was released a bit everywhere, including France. 

The Spanish version “La Misma Vida Te Dira” (also sung by Anthony Quinn, but this time with the little boy Gaby) came out on SP coupled with Marc’s same instrumental music of that year in Mexico.

1982: Anthony Quinn is still recording at Studio Katy, an English version sung by Nat Kipner of “Il Y A Des Jours” which becomes “My Forgotten Years”.

1984: End of June, came out the 13th and last 33s vinyl album of Marc Aryan entitled “Au Dela Du Voile” containing 10 songs, where 6 of them were new and recorded April 26 1984 at Katy Studio. 

The album cover of this LP was a profile picture of his partner Marianne.

June 9 1984: Marc Aryan marries Marianne Bouriez, his partner for over four years at the time. 

1985: In April, he went to the UnitedStates to organize many shows, a tour and a six month trip to Los Angeles as of January 1986.

May of 1985: Came out his SP “Ta Victoire” (Your Victory) - with his instrumental version on side B.

November 30 1985, early morning Marc Aryan wakes his wife because he is not feeling good. He barely had time to make it to the bathroom, and fainted. The doctor who was called by emergency, declared him dead. 

This unfortunate tragedy was the end of a man full of life.

Merc Aryan was buried December 4th 1985 at the Ohain cemetery, where he remains today.