Les Problèmes

Accompanying Dick Rivers, Pascal Danel and Ronnie Bird, Les Rebelles changed their name to Les Tarés when Christian Fechner, artistic director of Disques Vogue in search of a French equivalent to the Rolling Stones, asked them to record a single. Before the session was over, he decided to team them up with the singer Antoine, who had just caused a sensation with "Les Élucubrations", a folk song in which he mocked Johnny Hallyday. Les Problèmes, made up of Gérard Rinaldi (vocals), Gérard Filippelli and Luis Rego (guitars), Jean Sarrus (bass) and Donald Rieubon (drums), proved so effective that they were credited on the album Antoine Rencontre Les Problèmes (1966). The album, divided into three EPs, Je Ne Vois Rien, Contre-Élucubrations Problématiques and Antoine et Les Problèmes, led to a number of concerts and an appearance on the TV show Discorama. In Portugal, where the group was due to play in February 1966, Luis Rego was arrested by the police for deserting military service before fleeing the country. The band recruited Jacques Dautriche for the planned Olympia show, and dedicated the song "Ballade à Luis Rego, prisonnier politique", included on the first EP without Antoine, to him. Although they didn't record much more, Les Problèmes continued to perform, opening for the Rolling Stones in Paris. They went on to make a name for themselves as Les Charlots, performing parody songs, followed by a series of film comedies that proved popular with the general public. In 1988, Les Problèmes reunited for a new 45-tour with Antoine. Gérard Rinaldi passed away on March 2, 2012, followed by Jacques Dautriche on September 1, 2013, and Gérard Filippelli on March 30, 2021.

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