Rodney Marvin McKuen, born Rodney Marvin Woolever on April 29, 1933, in Oakland,
California, was an American poet, singer-songwriter, and composer. He began his
music career as a folk singer at San Francisco's famed Purple Onion nightclub,
incorporating his own songs into performances. In the late 1950s, he signed with
Decca Records and released several pop albums. He moved to France in the early
1960s, where he met Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel. His translations of
Jacquw Brel's work, including "If You Go Away" and "Seasons in the Sun", became
international hits. In 197...