You maybe know François Corbier, or not. Starting in the 80's he used to play his songs in various French TV shows targeting children, that's how a lot of people of the same generation than me heard about him. Over time, his role evolved, he did more and more comedy and TV-speaker thing. Then his TV career reached an end, and then he kept on singing/songwriting, no longer targeting only kids, but just anyone who would like to listen - just as before the TV shows epoch.
I got several friends that are hardcore fans of what he does... And I can understand why.
Among them is Le morse des mers, who has been a second-to-none source of information when writing this post.
François Corbier's career starts in the 60's when he sings with his brother in various places in the 'Gouate et Mala' duet with songs in which lyrics matter with an humorous aspect (just in between Georges Brassens and Bobby Lapointe) and also 'flash songs' (very short tracks usually made of one single verse), that is to say the same kind of shows that he now perform as a solo artist.
Besides flash songs, he also started the bichebochian movement which sums up as building songs by taking a word, no matter which one, and trying to create a story with words differing from the first one by a single letter only.
George Brassens notices him and tells him to keep on singing, but doesn't like his artist pseudonym (he would have said "oh, what a m*r*n !" when he learns about it). François Corbier was chosen as a reference to François de Montcorbier which is the real name of the poet François Villon.
When his brother has to join the armed forces as a conscript, he starts his solo career. Several singles are published (editor Alain Barrière) and he has shows in various cabarets such as Le Caveau de la République, where he got noticed (thank to "Plante un jardin", a childish song he wrote for his son), in the beginning of the 80's, by the director of the youth-targeting TV programs from the French TV station Antenne 2 (now France 2), Jacqueline Joubert (who is Antoine de Caunes' mother) who needs a singer-songwriter for the Récré A2 show.
While his TV-era is running, he still plays gigs at the Caveau de la République and uses to write for French humour magazine Fluide Glacial.
When his 80's/90's show, Club Dorothée, stops, he acts in the drama Atroces Voluptés and, during year 2001, his very first album 'Carnet Mondain' is published.
The second one is issued in year 2003 : "Toi, ma guitare et moi", which is live recording that is not properly what is usually defined as a live album, just because it is a selection among tracks live played but not featured on the previous release (and that will not be re-recorded for the following ones).
For his third release, "Tout pour être heureux" (2005), he relies on his fans to fund the album with pre-orders.
Another album, "Scène Pression Live", is published once during the next years.
The newest, until now, is "Presque Parfait" (2009)
It is self-released. You can buy it from his online store in audio CD format, either by using the famous online money transfer service or by mailing a check. Please note that his albums are usually sold-out quite quickly... Most of them are so, currently.
So then, François Corbier is touring... Here, the next dates :
Mar, 2 Boulogne sur Mer / Rollmops Théâtre (FR - 62200)
Mar, 3 Liège / Le TIPI (BE - 4020)
Mar, 4 Marly (near Valenciennes) / Centre Jacques Brel (Parc Jacques Brel) (FR - 59770)
Mar, 17 Chateau Renard / Salle des fêtes (FR - 45220)
Mar, 22 23 & 24 Lyon / Thou Bout de Chant (FR - 69001)
Mar, 30 Dijon / Bistrot de la Scène (FR - 21000)
Apr, 1 Chalon sur Saône / La Péniche (FR - 71100)
Aug, 2 Antraigues sur Volane / "Les jeudis du jardin" Fest (FR - 07530)
Aug, 3 St Martin de Valamas / "Le Village des Musiciens" Fest (FR - 07310) (*)
Aug, 13 Concèze en Corrèze / "Déc’OUVRIR" Fest (FR - 19350) (*)
Sep, 8 Saint Maurice de Gourdans / "Sylak Rock Fest" (FR - 01800)
Oct, 5 octobre Manosque / Le Café Provisoire (FR - 04100)
Nov, 23 Nogaro / Les Claneries (FR - 32110)
(*) : price is 0. Yes, this is free. You don't have to pay. I cross my heart.
You can find more information about all these dates, just like, venue address & phone number, etc, etc, straight from francoiscorbier.com.
Please note that I seriously plan to go to the Thu, March 22 show in Lyon. If you want to meet me there and maybe pay me a drink, please get in touch. It is safer to buy your ticket a few weeks before the shows, this is an advice, and a good one.
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