The son of a sub-prefect, Jean-Louis Aubert was born in Nantua in the department of l’Aisne on April 12th 1955. Brought up by his parents’ servants, he was often bored as a child. When he was ten, his family moved to Paris and, as he has said himself, he became a difficult and defiant boy. Constantly revolting against authority, he was often punished. Little inclined to school work, he became interested in music early on. Aged 16, he went hitch hiking around the U.S.A. with his guitar. For several months he played in the streets to survive, singing Rolling Stones hits. This experience, full of adventures, led him to see the American dream in an entirely new light.

On his return to Paris, he began singing at the parties organised for teenagers by their wealthy parents in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, the richest quarter of the capital. He met Richard Kolinka, a drummer, who had just written an opera with a bassist, Daniel Roux. Impressed, Jean-Louis Aubert joined them to form the group Sémolina. They recorded a single, "Et j’y vais déjà"/"Plastic Rocker", today a collectors’ item, but the group soon disbanded. Disappointed by the aborted venture, Jean-Louis Aubert dreamed of becoming a classic rock star, full of fury and energy - a few years after the 1968 student revolt, certain ideals still lived on.

Jean-Louis had half-heartedly enrolled on a musicology course at Paris university, but preferred playing guitar with his friends in the cellar of the house they rented together. In November 1976, Richard Kolinka hired a venue but the group with whom he was playing was not available. Jean-Louis called Louis Bertignac, who called Corinne Marienneau. The four musicians had known each other for a long time and moved in the same circles. They rehearsed several cover versions of Anglo-Saxon hits and Jean-Louis Aubert’s first songs, including "Métro, c’est trop", which he composed during a stay in a cave in Ibiza with two friends, eating only rice and honey.

The famous concert was in November 86 at the American Center in Paris. The four young musicians, for whom this was their first public performance together, received a standing ovation. Téléphone – and a rock legend - was born that night. Jean-Louis Aubert wrote most of the songs during their ten years together. A singer with a juvenile voice full of indescribable fury and a natural, instinctive live performer, he was the leader of the greatest French group of the late seventies and early eighties and, like his three friends, became a symbol for a whole generation of French youth.

After six studio albums and several giant tours, the group announced it was disbanding in 1986.

The atmosphere had been deteriorating for some time. Each of the band members had solo projects in mind. The first to take the plunge was Aubert. With his friend, Richard Kolinka, he released a single, "Juste une illusion", under the name of Aubert’n’Ko. Daniel Roux joined them along with two new recruits, Feedback and Marine Rosier, on percussion and keyboards respectively. They did a few impromptu concerts in the Paris suburbs and in 87 brought out their first album, "Plâtre et ciment". Without ever really breaking away from the style of Téléphone, Aubert, now 32, injected funk rhythms which gave a groovy feel to what had for a long time been a model of classic French rock. The group played at the Bataclan in Paris from May 5th to 9th, in front of fans curious to see what had become of the cut Téléphone wire. This period of renaissance for the singer was accentuated by the birth of his son, Arthur.

Two years later he revealed a little more of the true Aubert personality with the release of "Bleu Blanc Vert". The album’s nineteen tracks have a more fluid and airy sound and marked, after years spent singing about urban life, a returned to nature. Although the ecologist manifesto of "Locataire" is not developed in the other songs, we sense his centres of interest are gradually changing. "Sid’aventure" and "Attentat" denounce real life problems although, as always, one can criticise his lyrics for being simplistic at times. The album showed a clear evolution towards increasingly personal material. It was the first disc he produced himself and was a critical success even if its sales – 200.000 – were a far cry from Téléphone’s.

Content to have rid himself of his rock straightjacket, Aubert could now experiment and "H", (H for human and homme), released in 92, unveiled the new style he was forging. Recorded in a mobile studio set up in various cellars and basements at the time of the Gulf war, certain tracks ("Le Bateau sous la terre") had a bizarre ambience. With electric and acoustic guitar and guest performances by Paul Personne and Princess Erika, Aubert took us on an interior journey exploring the depths of the spirit. He left on a long French tour with his ever-faithful friend, Richard Kolinka, highlights of which were released in 94 on the album "Une page de tournée".

An adept of the voice-instrument duo, Jean-Louis Aubert had for a long time admitted a certain artistic attachment to Bob Dylan and Gérard Manset. But the ex-member of Téléphone, forever searching for new experiences, signed two songs, "le Jour se lève encore" and "Vivant poème" on an album by the singer, Barbara. The collaboration between the two contrasting artists, which could at first be surprising, in fact revealed itself to be a productive and creative one.

After this detour, Jean-Louis Aubert, caricatured by the press as the eternal teenager, released a new album in 1997. "Stockholm" was recorded in a studio in Boulogne (where he also lived) and in Stockholm. The mixing was done in Paris, Stockholm, Brussels and London. Ever-faithful friends Richard Kolinka and Olive de Lili Drop (guitar) contributed. New recruits brought new blood: the Swede Gordon Cyrus (who was no doubt responsible for Aubert’s infatuation with the Swedish capital), Nigerian drummer Tony Allen and Barbara. With "Océan", "Fais ton Voyage" and "Je crois en tout, j’ne crois en rien", a far cry from the simplistic rock and roll of his débuts, the album explored new musical horizons.

At the end of 97, he went on a French tour which included L’Olympia in Paris on December 4th, 5th and 6th, where he played to full houses and paid an emotional tribute to Barbara, who died on November 25th.

Aubert returned to the stage again just a few months after his appearance at the Olympia, kicking off a new series of concerts at the Cirque d'Hiver in Paris. Aubert's concerts - which went on for over three hours (!) - opened with an Oriental prelude, the talented Iranian musician Mad Shere Khan giving a virtuoso performance on the oud (the Middle Eastern version of the lute). Aubert's finale - a rousing cover version of Rolling Stones' classics - was greeted with rapturous applause. Later this year the French star will be sharing the stage with the legendary rock'n'roll heroes, supporting the Stones when they play at the Stade de France on 25th and 26th July.

Although one has to admit he does not have an extraordinary voice, even though he himself admits he is a poor guitarist, his faithful fans have appreciated his work for years. With his natural, down to earth manner, he is the antithesis of a rock star. Resolutely outgoing and humanist, Jean-Louis Aubert is an appealing and interesting personality, even if sometimes we miss the rage and energy of his débuts.

An all-time workaholic, Aubert continued with his exploring of new musical territories and released a new album entitled "Comme un accord" (Like A Chord) in November 2001. For the first time ever, his lifelong accomplice, Richard Kolinka, did not take part in the production. He was replaced by Fabrice Moreau, Patrick Bruel’s brother. What’s more, Aubert did not produce the album himself but entrusted the production to Renaud Letang (who has worked with the likes of Manu Chao, Sergent Garcia and Alain Souchon).

Aubert hit the road again in 2003 with a series of new tour dates. In the spring of that year he guested on a duet on Raphael’s new album, "Sur la route", which rocketed to the top of the French charts when released as a single. In October 2003 fans rushed out to buy Aubert’s Greatest Hits compilation ("Comme on a dit") and a live DVD ("Comme on a fait") featuring the concert he performed at the Zénith in Paris on Friday 13 June 2003.

Aubert eventually took a break from his hectic schedule to work on his sixth album, "Idéal standard." Released in November 2005, this album featured a pure, pared-back sound, the musician freeing his work from any kind of artifice. Aubert recorded "Idéal standard" (made up of recent compositions and reworkings of older tracks), at the Château d'Hérouville, a studio in a castle outside Paris which, in the 70s, had been used by major music stars including David Bowie, Elton John and Pink Floyd, before falling into oblivion and disrepair.

Aubert continued to pursue his teenage dreams and ideals on "Idéal standard", refusing to format his work to current music trends. Interestingly enough, the album was produced by Renaud Letang and the Canadian artist Gonzales (a musician whose own work was much closer to electro than rock). Following the release of "Idéal standard", Aubert was eager to hit the road again and he soon embarked upon a new series of concerts, much to the delight of his fans.      

Aubert hit the road again shortly afterwards, kicking off his "Idéal Standard" tour on 20 February 2006. The tour, which was to last several months, included an impressive number of major venues which Aubert sold out without the slightest trouble at all. Le Bataclan (1 - 4 March) and Le Zénith (14 - 16 March) were absolutely packed out with fans eager to hear what their idol’s new album sounded like live.

After having played in just about every big town and city in France, the former Téléphone star returned to Le Zénith, in Paris, on 24 June for a special one-off concert. He then headed back to the provinces for the Terre-Neuvas festival, followed by the Francofolies in La Rochelle. A further twenty-something dates were squeezed in before the end of this marathon tour.

July 2006