Jacques Higelin was born in Brou-sur-Chantereine, a working-class village east of Paris, on October 18, 1940. Jacques' father was both a railroad worker and a music enthusiast who supported his son's love of performing from a young age. Jacques' interests turned toward jazz, and he began singing at the cinemas and on radio competitions while still a boy. By his early teens, he had quit school and gotten work as a stunt man, earning small contracts at first, but soon performing full-time. His film work had him rubbing shoulders with people like Sidney Bechet and film composer Henri Crolla, who taught him guitar. After a brief stint at the René Simon School of Drama and two years of military service, Higelin went back to working in cinema and cafe-theater.