Les Sultans

Equally influenced by the 1960s British Invasion, American folk-rock, and French yéyé pop, Quebecois rockers Les Sultans first burst onto the music scene in 1964, hailing from the city of Saint-Hyacinthe. The group's original lineup consisted of five members: Bruce Huard on vocals, Denis Forcier on guitar, Ghislain Dufault on bass, Claude Reid on guitar and harmonica, and Michel Dufault on drums. The band scored its first hit in 1964 with the single "Toujours devant moi," a reworking of The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There," followed by cover versions of "Cielito Lindo" and "La Bamba." That year, Les Sultans became the house band for the CHLT-TV youth program Bonsoir Copains, exposing their music to a much wider audience. They continued their ascent to stardom over the following years with hit singles such as "Vivre sa vie," "On est trop jeune," "Va-t-en," and "La poupée qui fait non," a Michel Polnareff cover that would eventually become one of their signature songs. In 1966, the band released its eponymous studio debut, which broke sales records in Quebec and helped Les Sultans win Best Group of the Year at the Festival de Disque. Preceded by the single "À toi que je pense," their sophomore effort Express came out in 1967 and featured a handful of English songs written by Huard and Forcier. After touring in support of the album, Les Sultans issued the live LP En personne - Les Sultans à Starovan - Leur spectacle d'adieu, as well as the single "En fermant la porte," before disbanding in 1968.

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