La Bamboche

Originally from Lyon, where it was formed in 1972, the La Bamboche folk group then included Jean Blanchard (fiddle, bagpipes, Vosges spinet, accordion, mandolin, percussion and vocals), Jacky Bardot (guitar, spinet, mandoloncello, bouzouki and vocals), Jacques Boisset (fiddle, spinet, bass, percussion and vocals) and Bernard Blanc (hurdy-gurdy, cabrette and bagpipes, flute, sonailles and vocals). The group first performed in the club La Chanterelle, then toured the region's MJCs (Maisons des jeunes et de la culture) and festivals, attracting the attention of theater director Roger Planchon, who invited them to play in the play Le Cochon noir, staged at the TNP. The hitherto amateur group became more professional and went on tour, before signing with the Hexagone label. The group's first acoustic albums, La Bamboche ("Le Tailleur de pierres", 1975), Jeu à Monter Sans Colle (1976) and Quitte Paris (1977), emphasized a repertoire of folk dances and traditional tunes. In addition to replacing Boisset with Jacques Mayoud in 1975, René Joly played accordion on two tracks on the 3rd album, including the radio hit "La Chanson de Craone". In 1977, the group evolved, and Blanc, Bardot and Mayoud gave way to Évelyne Girardon (hurdy-gurdy, vocals), Daniel Olivier (electric guitar) and Bernard Chauchat (drums), who with Jean Blanchard recorded La Saisons des Amours for Hugues de Courson's new Ballon Noir label. The switch to electric folk was not without its share of uproar from some of the original audience, while the album, produced by Gabriel Yacoub, attracted new fans. La Bamboche played at the Nyon Folk Festival in 1978, and went on to record the album Née de la Lune (1980) with new drummer Pierre Guignon, including "La Bourrée infernale". This electric album was followed by a tour and the break-up of the group in 1983. The musicians went on to form their own groups, Beau Temps sur la Province (1981), La Compagnie du Beau Temps (1986-1999), Tradmania (1994), Roulez Fillettes (1989) and La Compagnie Béline (1999). In 2003, La Bamboche reunited for a concert in Chonas-l'Amballan, Isère.