Guillaume Aldebert, known to listeners simply as Aldebert, entered the world in Paris on July 7, 1973. His family soon relocated to Besancon, the city where he attended school and has remained ever since. Music filled his childhood home through the classic French chanson repertoire of Brel, Brassens, Barbara, and Gainsbourg. During his college years he began making music by teaming up with friends to launch several short-lived rock outfits. After those early projects achieved only modest results, he launched a solo career in 1999 by recording his debut album, Plateau Tele. Blending chanson traditions with a rock sensibility, he steadily built a regional following through relentless live performances. From 2000 through 2003 he played close to 200 shows, appearing both alone and alongside Christophe Darlot, François Grimm, Stephan Metin, Julien Woittequand, and Thomas Nicol. His second album, Sur Place ou a Emporter, arrived in March 2003 and earned him the Trophee Radio France prize that same year. L’Annee du Singe appeared twelve months later, its playful and nostalgic tone steadily enlarging his grass-roots audience. A more introspective turn arrived with 2006’s Les Paradis, which reached number seven on the French charts. Two years afterward came Enfantillages, an unusual set of child-oriented rock chansons that included guest appearances by Maxime Le Forestier, Les Ogres de Barback, and Renan Luce. In 2010 Aldebert issued J’ai 10 Ans, a collection of reimagined earlier material, and followed it the next year with the stripped-down Les Meilleurs Amis.
