When we chose Jean Manson as our Playmate for August 1974, we knew she had talent. Not Just Another Pretty Body, we titled her centerfold story. At the time, though, we--and she--expected her to hit the headlines as a film star. Instead, she went to Europe: first to Spain to visit her parents, then to Italy and finally (flourish of trumpets) to France, where she has suddenly become one of the country's top vocalists. Since Jean in French is masculine, and she is obviously anything but, she records for CBS Disques in France under the name Jeane Manson; that's her first album cover below. Jean/Jeane's first hit (text concluded on page 103) single, Avant de Nous Dire Adieu (Before We Say Goodbye), sold nearly a million records throughout Europe; it was number one in France, in the top three in Belgium and Switzerland, and in the top ten in Holland and Spain. Next came Une Femme (A Woman), which made the top 20 in France, Belgium and Switzerland. Her current hit, La Chapelle de Harlem (The Chapel in Harlem), is already in France's top ten. The fact that Jean is trilingual (English, French, Spanish) has boosted her Continental recording success. So has her determination to make something of herself. As she said in '74, "I don't want people to think I'm just another dumb blonde."
