Les Vautours

Formed in Créteil around singer and guitarist Vic Laurens (Victor Laurent d'Arpa), French rock'n'roll band Les Vautours is completed by Pierre Klein dit "Pensy" (lead guitar), brother of Chaussettes Noires guitarist Tony d'Arpa, Christian Bois (bass) and Ange Beltran (drums). Signed to the Festival label, Les Vautours record the first of their five EPs, including the original instrumental track "Vautours ", which opens their concerts. This was released in August 1961, before the success of "Tu peins ton visage " and "Oncle John" at the end of the year. The band's repertoire of mostly adaptations of American hits continued in 1962 with "Ya Ya Twist", a departure from Lee Dorsey's "Ya Ya ", which saw the singer take center stage, with his name on the cover of the record, which also included an original song, "Le Chemin de la joie". The following month saw the simultaneous release of the group's only album, Twist avec Les Vautours (1962), supported by the EP Le Coup du Charme, which won further acclaim from young audiences with its cover of Elvis Presley's "Good Luck Charm", alongside "Laissez-nous twister" ("Twistin' the Night Away" by Sam Cooke) and "Qui te dira" ("I'm Gonna Get You" by The Shadows). The replacement of the rhythm section by Sammy Steiner (bass) and Tony Falla (drums) heralded the end of the band, with Vic Laurens leaving for a solo career after the December 1962 release of the EP Mais Reviens Moi (1962). Several compilations, including L'Intégrale (Magic Records, 1999) and Golf Drouot Spécial (Mercury, 2015), retrace the Vautours' short adventure.

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