Maxime Le Forestier

Following the student uprisings of May 1968, Maxime le Forestier quickly established himself as one of France’s most celebrated protest singers. Although his later work moved toward introspective themes, it preserved the same directness and genuineness that marked his earliest recordings. Born in Paris on February 10, 1949, he trained on classical violin during childhood yet, at fifteen, fell under the spell of pioneering chansonnier Georges Brassens and promptly acquired his first guitar. He launched his stage career at the suburban café Chez Louisette, frequently appearing alongside his elder sister Catherine under the name Cat et Maxime. As their reputation spread, the pair advanced to West Bank cabarets and cut two singles for Barclay before Catherine stepped away to serve as backing vocalist for Georges Moustaki.

In 1969 le Forestier was drafted; while serving as a parachutist he still pursued music and made his solo bow with Festival’s “Coeur de Pierre, Face de Lune.” Once discharged he settled briefly in Marseille, took part in the musical comedy Oh! America, and then joined Catherine for an extended stay in the United States, including time at a San Francisco hippie commune. Returning to France in 1971, he joined Polydor and issued the single “Mon Frère,” soon followed by “San Francisco.” The following year he released his debut LP, influenced by Bob Dylan, and in October spent three weeks opening for Brassens in Paris. The resulting press coverage placed him at the forefront of a fresh cohort of anti-establishment performers, with tracks such as “L’Education Sentimentale” resonating equally among students and workers.

By the close of 1974 he confirmed his stature with successive sold-out engagements at the Théâtre de la Ville and the Palais des Sports, where he maintained a policy of keeping ticket prices at or below ten francs regardless of his drawing power. Controversy nevertheless arose when he joined Léo Ferré for a benefit concert aiding Chilean political prisoners, and the 1975 album Saltimbanque contained so many contentious statements that broadcasters hesitated to program it. Early in 1976 he undertook a fourteen-day Soviet tour, yet he soon began stepping back from overtly political material. Late that year he left Paris for a twelve-month sojourn in Canada that shaped the deeply personal 1978 album n°5, recorded in Quebec. Retail results proved disappointing, as did those for its 1980 successor, Les Rendez-vous Manqués.

Further estrangement followed in late 1983 when he appeared in Paris backed by an array of synthesizers. Subsequent releases such as Des Jours Meilleurs and Aftershave drew minimal notice until 1988, when he reentered the charts with “Né Quelque Part,” a tribute to racial equality featuring backing vocals by South African singer Aura. A run of sold-out concerts at Le Bataclan in early 1989 and an ensuing tour of the French provinces reinforced his regained commercial footing. Although sales of the 1991 album Sagesse du Fou proved modest, he continued to draw steady crowds, headlining the Olympia in Paris in early 1992.

For several years afterward he maintained a low profile, limiting live appearances until mid-1995 and the release of Passer Ma Route. Created with contributors ranging from pop vocalist Vanessa Paradis to gypsy group Bratsch, the album’s title track received Radio France Internationale’s Octave de la Chanson Française award. A year later he delivered 12 Nouvelles de Brassens, a spare yet affectionate set of Georges Brassens interpretations that he supported on the road for more than a year. His next original collection, L’Echo des Etoiles, surfaced only at the end of 2000; its centerpiece, “Les Chavaux Rebelles,” had been composed for Algerian pop artist Lounès Matoub, yet after Matoub’s assassination le Forestier recorded it himself as a memorial. Following an extended tour with guitarist Jean-Félix Lalanne he again withdrew until 2004, when he collaborated with lyricist Elle Chouraqui on the stage musical Gladiateur, which opened in Paris that October. In 2008 he reentered the studio for Restons Amants, his first album in eight years.