El Toro et les Cyclones

Part of the prehistory of French rock, the group El Toro et les Cyclones is best known for having played host to Jacques Dutronc's early career. Born in Paris on April 28, 1943, Dutronc learned to play guitar while recovering from an inflammatory disease. Recovering a year later, he reunited with his friends from the Square de la Trinité in Paris's 9th arrondissement - Johnny Hallyday, Eddy Mitchell and Long Chris - and formed his own group, Les Tritons. When the group lost its singer, Dutronc recruited an Elvis Presley admirer in singer Daniel Dray, alongside his two friends, bassist Hadi Kalafate and drummer Charles Bennaroch. The group, renamed El Toro et les Cyclones, signed with Disques Vogue on October 9, 1961, and enjoyed success with two EPs, Oncle John and Le Vagabond, released in 1962, which included the singles "Qui te le dira", "Oncle John" and "Je l'aime telle qu'elle est". A new drummer, André Crudo, replaced Charles Bennaroch for the second EP, recorded shortly before the split. A new group, Les Cyclones, featuring Bernard Ferraro, Bernard Photzer and Hadi Kalafate, recorded the A Tombeau Ouvert and Firewater EPs in 1963, then split up in 1964 after renaming themselves Nashville Sound. In 1995, the Magic Records compilation French 60's EP Collection featured tracks from El Toro et les Cyclones, Les Cyclones and El Toro Sans les Cyclones (Daniel Dray).

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