Belle Epoque (Band)

Belle Epoque, sometimes called La Belle Epoque was a formation around the born on December 16, 1945 French singer, lyricist and composer Evelyne Lenton and her brother, producer, arranger and composer Albert Weyman.

History

Evelyne Lenton began her singing career in the early 1960s in Paris, where she performed under the stage name Evy and from 1963 the French record label Barclay some play records - partly sung in addition to their mother tongue in Italian and Spanish - published. In 1966, she moved first to Rome, three years later to London, and in 1976 again to Rome when her brother confronted with the idea of ​​the rock and pop classics Black is Black by Spanish group Los Bravos in 1966 with a contemporary arrangement in republish currently being inflamed disco sound.

The 1977 single released with the rhythmic spoken intro " We like the music, we like the disco sound, hey, black - is black " was a hit parade immediate success. Almost everywhere in Europe it was also placed in the top ten in Germany and the UK, she came up to # 2 in Australia, she took a year later the first place.

While Belle Epoques most successful phase was accompanied Evelyne Lenton of the background singers Marcia Briscoe ( b. 1955, Atlanta, Georgia, USA) and Jusy Fortes (also Jusy Lisboa, * 1956, from the Cape Verde Islands) on the stage and on record covers.

The second single, Miss Broadway, comes from the pen of Lenton and Weyman. Through the rough voice of Lenton, this time without female background vocals, and the pulsing bass line that occasionally abruptly from a groaning man's voice ( "uh - huh, I like it ... " ) is interrupted, the song seems more rock than its predecessor. Rhythmically and in instrumentation, in particular by the thrifty, but concise use of stringed instruments, mainly a single, unverfremdeten Viola, the arrangement has clear parallels to the work of Sylvester Levay for the German disco lineup Silver Convention.

In Germany, published in late 1977 on Carrere and distributed by Polydor, the song came to No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, a year later appeared on Big Tree / Atlantic Records, up to rank 92 and developed in the U.S. club hit.

Since 1983, Evelyne Lenton works under her real name as a solo artist, but also occasionally publishes new or newly abgemischtes song material as the Belle Epoque.

Discography Singles ( selection)

• Black Is Black - 1977
• Miss Broadway - 1977
• Bamalama - 1978
• Let Men Be - 1978
• Now - 1979
• Jump Down - 1979

References and Notes

• French band
• Disco Band