The son of an Italian mother and a French father, Claude François was born in Ismaïlia, Egypt, where his father, Aimé François, was working as a shipping traffic controller on the Suez Canal. In 1951 the job took the family to the city of Port Tawfik on the Red Sea. Claude François’ mother was very musical and had her son take piano and violin lessons. On his own, the boy learned to play the drums.