She was born in Fontenay-sous-Bois in a family of musicians settled in Chinon in Touraine (hence the choice of her pseudonym). Her father, Georges Tisserand, a career officer, played the cello, and her mother, Madeleine Hennique, had a beautiful soprano voice. Her three brothers also showed good dispositions for singing, especially the youngest who would make an international career under the name of Gérard Souzay.
