Biography
Les Vagabonds emerged as a French rockabilly revival band whose breakthrough arrived via the 1990 single "Le Temps des Yéyés," which held the top position on the national singles chart for seven weeks. The group’s members were vocalist Thierry Burani (aka Ted; born August 16, 1966), guitarist Alain Ciavarella (aka Jess; born May 22, 1965), bassist Jean-Pierre Simon (born September 23, 1965), and drummer Francis Belin (aka Dany; born July 28, 1968). Their recording career began in 1986 with the Village Music 45 rpm single "Reviens-moi." Three years later the Orlando label released the follow-up single "Le Temps des Yéyés," which Michel Gouty arranged. The track entered the French singles chart in January 1990, climbed to number one in March, and remained there for seven weeks total. Its momentum led to the next singles, the Top Ten hit "Le Temps des Copains" and the Top 30 hit "Nos Plus Belles Années." The band’s debut full-length album, Nos Plus Belles Années (1990), collected those three early hits. Also in 1990 they issued the one-off holiday single "Père Noël Rocker, Bonne Année," which reached the Top 20. Their second album, Les Fous du Succès (1991), produced additional singles—the Top 30 hit "Buona Sera Signorina," the Top 40 hit "Go to America," and "24.000 Baisers"—yet none approached the stature of "Le Temps des Yéyés." Later releases, including the 1992 live album Live à l'Olympia 92, the 1993 studio set Tout Va Bien, and singles such as "Le Rock de Chez Nous" and "Le Temps des Souvenirs," reflected a steep decline in popularity. The 1995 best-of collection Le Meilleur des Vagabonds ultimately marked the end of the band.
Albums
