Les Jérolas
Les Jérolas | |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1955-1974 |
| Past members | Jérôme Lemay Jean Lapointe |
Les Jérolas was a Québécois musical duo active from 1955 to 1974.
History
Les Jérolas formed in 1955.[1]: 220–221 The duo's name comes from the contraction of its two members' names : JÉRÔme Lemay and Jean LApointe.[2] They initially sang in cabarets as fantaisistes and made impressions of politicians and singers. They hired Charlemagne Landry as manager, and in 1956, they obtained a recording deal with RCA Victor. In the same year, they starred in the television show Music-Hall.[1]: 220–221
They had their first great success on disc with their recordings of two songs by The Coasters in 1959, "Yakety Yak" and "Charlie Brown". Jérôme Lemay also wrote some songs for Les Jérolas, including "Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras" and "Signe ton chèque et Méo Penché". Marcel Amont in France covered these songs, and they were translated in English.[1]: 221
In the early 1960s, the Jérolas were the most popular fantaisistes in Quebec and drew great crowds in Quebec's great cabarets. In 1962 they starred in the show En scène les Jérolas hosted by Monique Leyrac. In the same year, they hired the pianist and orchestra conductor Roland Bourque, who worked with them for the rest of their career. In 1963, they were invited to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show.[1]: 221
In 1964, Lapointe had a car accident that immobilized him for months. They were the subject of a documentary by Gilles Carle, Place aux Jérolas. They were in the 1966 movie YUL 871. They won a prize at the Festival du disque in 1966 for Les Jérolas à la Comédie-Canadienne and went at the Olympia on the same year. Les Jérolas continued performing in Quebec's great venues, like the Place des Arts. They returned to the Olympia in 1971. The duo hosted the television quiz Tout l'monde joue... avec les Jérolas in summer 1972 and then performed at the Place des Arts for the last time in 1973.[1]: 221
Jean Lapointe ended Les Jérolas on 1974. Both performers had solo careers afterward.[1]: 221
In 1999, their song "Méo Penché" was named a classic of SOCAN.[3]
In 2011 the group reformed for the show Le grand retour des Jérolas. However, the show ended when Jérôme Lemay had a heart attack at the Place des Arts on the day of the show's premiere.[2]
Discography
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1956 | Le mambo du Canada/Lola |
| 1956 | Rythme et fantaisie/L’amour et moi |
| 1956 | La clé du rock/Y’a pas que |
| 1957 | Le chemin du paradis/Toujours plus vite |
| 1957 | Chantons la bière et l’amour/Lisette |
| 1958 | Souvenirs d’amour/Le rythme de l’amour |
| 1959 | Yakety Yak/De toi je veux |
| 1959 | Charlie Brown/La danse du printemps |
| 1959 | Jones s’est montré/Les trois cloches |
| 1959 | Un sourire pour Noël/La veillée chez l’père Jos |
| 1960 | Le village de Sainte-Bernadette/Dis-moi qui tu fréquentes |
| 1960 | Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras/La chanson du hockey |
| 1961 | Matilda/Ferme tes jolis yeux |
| 1961 | Le carnaval de Montréal/Rigolo |
| 1961 | Méo Penché/N’as-tu jamais |
| 1962 | Tout l’monde twist/Écoute bien |
| 1962 | Cola Café/Une fille de Montréal |
| 1962 | Maria Christina/Jack Monoloy |
| 1963 | Je t’aime/Au pays des Incas |
| 1963 | Ce soir tu reviens/Grand-père |
| 1963 | Carnaval d’hiver international/International Winter Carnaval |
| 1964 | Ne dors pas/Un peu de sucre |
| 1964 | J’prends plus un coup/Pour faire un duo |
| 1965 | Yayaje n’suis pas tout à moi/Conchelita |
| 1966 | Les mouches au plafond/Sylvie, oh Sylvie |
| 1966 | Montréal/Trouvez-moi quelque chose de plus joli que ça |
| 1967 | Le malchanceux/Popeye |
| 1967 | Alors messieurs/Le mouton noir |
| 196? | Bombardier Ski-Doo |
| 1970 | Non mais c’est pas beau ça/Les éléphants |
| 1970 | Chérie, chérie, chérie/C’que ça m’énerve |
| 1971 | Viens voir le baseball/Rusty |
| 1971 | Beautiful Downtown Sorel/Borriquito |
| 1972 | Lefty Ding-Ding Lapointe/Demain mon fils |
| 1973 | J’aime pas l’ail, j’aime pas l’eau, j’aime l’impôt/Reste avec moi |
| 1974 | Méo Penché/Yakety Yak |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1959 | Les Jérolas |
| 1961 | Les Jérolas sont là |
| 1962 | Les Jérolas au Théâtre national |
| 1962 | Toujours plus vite |
| 1964 | Les Jérolas à La Porte Saint-Jean |
| 1966 | Les Jérolas à la Comédie-Canadienne |
| 1966 | Succès souvenirs: Les Jérolas |
| 1966 | Montréal: un portrait musical |
| 1966 | Les Jérolas à l’Olympia |
| 1967 | Es-tu content |
| 1968 | Le tribunal des vedettes |
| 1971 | Quinze ans déjà |
| 1972 | Les grands succès des Jérolas |
| 1973 | Ça va barder |
| 1978 | Les Jérolas |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Thérien, Robert; D'Amours, Isabelle (1992). Dictionnaire de la musique populaire au Québec 1955-1992 (in French). Québec: Institut québécois de recherche sur la culture. ISBN 2-89224-183-9.
- 1 2 ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Arts- (18 November 2022). "Des Jérolas à la scène en solo, l'immense succès populaire de Jean Lapointe". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ↑ "Les Jérolas | Discographie". disqu-o-quebec.com. Retrieved 19 March 2026.