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Alan Stivell (born Alan Cochevelou January 6, 1944) is a Breton musician from the town of Gourin. He spent his childhood in Paris, absorbing the music of the city's many different populations from across France, Algeria, Morocco and elsewhere. He became interested in Breton music and culture, however, and returned to Brittany as a teenager.
In 1953, Stivell's father, Georges Cochevelou, made a Celtic harp in the ancient Breton style, and Alan began playing the instrument immediately. He also learned the Breton language, which was then moribund, and traditional Breton dance, as well as the bombarde, a kind of Breton bagpipe. He competed in and won several Breton folk festivals.
Stivell's first recording came in 1959, and was a single that was followed by the LP Telenn Geltiek in 1960. With a new bardic harp with bronze strings, Stivell began experimenting with modernized styles of music, eventually performing with the Moody Blues in London. In 1970, he released his first hits, the single "Broceliande" and Reflets, both on the Philips record label. He became closely associated with the burgeoning Breton roots revival, especially after the release of the purely instrumental 1971 album Rennaissance de la Harpe Celtique, recorded with Dan Ar Braz.
Stivell's newfound fame gave him reason to travel on tours across France, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. He continued recording, and published a collection of Breton poetry in 1976. With his 1980, Symphonie Celtique, he had added elements of rock, an ensemble with bombardes and accompaniment by Berber vocalist Djourha and sitarist Narendra Bataju.
The folk revival faded somewhat in the 1980s, and though Stivell was still very popular, he did not reach the heights he had in the 70s. He continued touring in many parts of the world, and recording for a loyal fanbase, and also worked with the English singer Kate Bush. In the 1990s, he recorded again with Bush, as well as with French singer Laruent Voulzy, Irish traditional performer Shane MacGowan and Senegalese singer Dud Ndiaye Rose. The album was Again, and it became very popular in France. His records in the late 1990s contained more pronounced rock elements, and he performed at a rock festival called Rennes Transmusicales. He continued working with a variety of musicians, including Paddy Moloney (of The Chieftains), Jim Kerr (of Simple Minds), Khaled and Youssou N'Dour.
Stivell's most recent album is 2002's Au-delà des mots, his twenty first LP, which featured Stivell playing six different harps.
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