Bertrand-Elie Couture, better known to French music fans as CharlElie Couture, was born in Nancy (a major town in the east of France) on 26 February 1956. Bertrand-Elie's father was a former history of art lecturer, who had recently set up his own antique shop and decoration business. His mother taught French at a local school. In 1959 Bertrand-Elie's younger brother, Jean-Thomas, was born and the two young boys were brought up in a highly creative home environment. (Later Jean-Thomas would also go on to launch a musical career assuming the stage name Tom Novembre).

Bertrand-Elie turned out to be a gifted hard-working pupil at school, even if his teachers were sometimes thrown by his strong regional accent. After passing his baccalauréat with flying colours, Bertrand-Elie left Nancy to experience life on the road, but he would later return to his home town to enroll at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts where he would study for the next five years. Bertrand-Elie's other great passion in life was music. He began playing the piano at the age of 7, his grandmother teaching him the works of the great classical composers such as Debussy and Ravel, but Bertrand-Elie soon moved on to jazz. He also took up the guitar in his early teens and started writing his first songs at 14.

During his years at art college Bertrand-Elie was busy painting canvasses for local exhibitions and experimenting with Super 8 film, so he was unable to devote a serious amount of time and energy to his music. Yet throughout his student days he would continue to play his guitar as a hobby. It was thanks to the encouragement of a friend, Pierre Eliane, that Bertrand-Elie finally got his music career off the ground, going into a local studio in 1978 to record a debut album entitled "12 chansons dans la sciure". Only 1,000 copies of "12 chansons dans la sciure" were pressed but the highly-accomplished album attracted a great deal of attention. Bertrand-Elie obviously had a strong recording career ahead of him, but the young student absolutely refused to leave his native Nancy and move to Paris.

After graduating from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in June 1979, Bertrand-Elie, who had now become CharlElie Couture, returned to the recording studio to begin work on his second album "Le Pêcheur". Released on a small independent label, the album received a number of excellent reviews from French music critics but CharlElie had not yet hit the big time. It was at this stage of his career that the young musician decided to set off on the road again, and, accompanying himself on his acoustic guitar, CharlElie went on to play hundreds of local gigs across France. In the summer of 1980 CharlElie performed at the Café de la Gare in Paris, playing a special guest set at the end of a show by the legendary French comedian Coluche. A friend of CharlElie's would record the concert at the Café de la Gare and send the cassette to Chris Blackwell, the director of Island Records.

The legendary producer, based in the Bahamas, was extremely impressed by CharlElie's live recording and offered to sign the young French musician on the spot. With major financial backing from Island CharlElie was able to use the latest studio technology and the very best American musicians on his new album "Pochette surprise". Recorded in France, but mixed in super high-tech studios in Nassau in the States, the album was released in February 1981 to general critical acclaim.

As soon as the album "Pochette surprise" was finished, CharlElie locked himself away in a Nancy studio for seven months to work on new material. He agreed to take time off from his studio work to give a few interviews to the French media, but adamantly refused to leave the studio to play any live dates. In July 1981 CharElie would fly out to the States to record a new album with a group from New York. This legendary album, entitled "Poèmes rock", was released in October of that year and soon spawned the hit single "Comme un avion sans aile". Although the single did not sell an enormous amount of copies, "Comme un avion sans aile" proved extremely popular on French radio, rocketing CharlElie Couture and his new album to the forefront of the national music scene.

In 1982 CharlElie returned to the studio to record a follow-up album, aptly entitled "Quoi faire" ("What Now?"). The lyrics on this essentially rock album developed CharlElie's 'poetry of the banal', exploring a rather bleak universe of solitude and alienation. "Local rock", the first single release from the album, received extensive airplay on French radio and soon familiarised listeners with CharlElie's husky, drawling vocals. CharlElie went on to perform in Paris at the Palais des Sports (23 - 26 January 1983). He then appeared in concert at the legendary Olympia, before setting off on an extensive national tour. CharlElie Couture's show proved a huge hit with audiences across the country and generated a score of excellent reviews in the French press. Later that same year CharlElie would add a new string to his bow, composing the soundtrack to Claude Berry's film "Tchao Pantin".

In the winter of 1984 CharlElie embarked upon an extensive international tour, playing dates in Hong Kong, Singapore, Calcutta and Bangkok. Two and a half months later the tour came to a triumphant end in Australia.

After a short break from his recording career, CharlElie returned to the studio in 1987 to begin work on a new album entitled "Solo Boys". Released at the end of the year on the EMI label , this rather bleak album explored a world of solitude and 20th century alienation - themes which appeared to have become firm favourites with the talented singer/songwriter. CharlElie's album turned out to be something of a family affair, for the singer's brother Tom Novembre helped him produce "La Suprême dimension" (the first single release from the album) and also directed the accompanying video. The following year CharlElie returned to the studio to record "Solo Girls" the sequel album to "Solo Boys". Most of the tracks on this new album had been written around the same time as the songs on "Solo Boys", so the two fitted neatly together as a kind of extended double album. One of the most outstanding tracks on "Solo Girls" was the extremely popular "Aime-moi encore au moins".

CharlElie came up with an amusing and innovative project to promote his "Solo" albums. Performing at the Folies-Bergères, one of the most famous cabarets in Paris, CharlElie invited an exclusively male audience to his concert on 15 November 1988. CharlElie's concert on 16 November was reserved for an all-female clientele and the following night's performance was watched by an audience entirely made up of couples. After his successful appearance at the Folies-Bergères, CharlElie set off upon a more 'traditional' tour accompanied by his guitarist friend Pierre Eliane. The pair performed 40 dates in France, proving a great hit with audiences across the country. The following year a live album of CharlElie's "Solo" concerts at the Folies-Bergères was released under the title "Trois Folies Live".

Meanwhile the French singer was enjoying a total change of scene, having left the world of Paris cabaret behind to explore the wide, open expanses of Australia. Inspired by the country's striking landscapes and the traditional Aboriginal cultural he discovered there, CharlElie would record an entire album devoted to Australia. "Melbourne Aussi", recorded in Australia with a group of local musicians, was released in France in June 1990.

CharlElie's trip Down Under also inspired the singer to take out his paintbrushes once again. And on his return to Paris the multi-talented artist organised an exhibition of the canvasses he had painted in the Australian outback. (CharlElie would later go on to present his Australian exhibition in Geneva). Meanwhile CharlElie had also been hard at work on his first novel, "Les Dragons de sucre", which was published in France at the end of 1990. With all this activity in other branches of the arts, CharlElie had little time to devote to his music career. The singer did return to the stage on 27 November, however, performing one brief but memorable concert at the Elysée-Montmartre in Paris.

In 1991 CharlElie was back in the studio once again, working on a second album inspired by his trip to Australia. "Victoria Spirit", a deeper, more reflective album than "Melbourne Aussie", captured the spirit of this distant continent as precisely as a series of photos. The carefully-crafted songs on CharlElie's second Australian album included the popular single "Under Control". After the release of "Victoria Spirit", the singer set off on another extensive tour which ended in a triumphant performance at Le Zénith in Paris on 9 November 1991. (Meanwhile, in October of that year CharlElie's former record company Island released a compilation album of the singer's greatest hits, for which CharlElie himself designed the cover).

CharlElie abandoned the recording studio in 1992 to devote all his time and energy to painting. 1993 would also prove to be a busy year as far as CharlElie's artwork was concerned - in April the singer travelled to Lyon, Grenoble and Geneva to organise exhibitions of his photography and his paintings.

The following year CharlElie turned his attention to his music career once again, rocketing back to the top of the French charts with an excellent new album "Les Naïves" (released on the Chrysalis label to which CharlElie had recently signed). "Les Naïves", recorded between studios in Paris and Nancy, featured 18 superbly crafted songs including "Jacobi marchait" and the legendary "Miss Bigoudi". To mark the release of the album, CharlElie staged a spectacular concert at the Théâtre national de l’Odéon in Paris in November 1994. CharlElie's "Concert naïf au pays des anges" was like a piece of modern theatre, Philippe Guillotel's minimalist decor and Découfflé’s innovative choreography providing the perfect backdrop for CharlElie and his piano.

1995 marked a complete change of musical direction for CharlElie Couture. At the beginning of the year he went into the studio with an eclectic bunch of musicians from France and New York, and began experimenting with synthesizers and hi-tech computer programmes. The result was the innovative "Down Town Project", an album which proved a little too adventurous for some of CharlElie's fans. Yet hundreds of loyal fans still turned out to see the singer when he performed at the newly-opened Cité de la Musique in Paris in November 1995.

CharlElie's latest album, "Casque nu", took the French singer back to the States. Working in a studio in Chicago with British producer Michael Freeman, CharlElie abandoned his recent electronic style and returned to the acoustic guitar, re-discovering a more blues-based sound. The French singer's rough, drawling vocals were perfectly suited to American blues and this sudden change of musical direction appeared to give CharlElie a whole new lease of life.

In the spring of 98 CharlElie Couture set off on a mini-tour of Africa, performing dates in Gabon, Chad and Cameroon. The tour, organised by the network of French cultural institutes based in Africa, proved a huge success, earning CharlElie a whole new following of fans. One of the highlights of CharlElie's African tour (which ended on March 10 1998) was the singer's concert in Yaoundé where he was joined on stage by a very special guest star, Yannick Noah. Noah, the famous French tennis player/rock star, who was born in Yaoundé, proved to be a brilliant support act for CharlElie on this occasion.

CharlElie came roaring back into the media spotlight at the end of 2001 with "109", his 22nd album to date. The singer, who has a reputation for shutting himself away like a hermit when he works on an album, changed the habit of a lifetime and sought the opinion of several friends and associates this time round, even conducting a mini survey of his fans via his Internet site. "109" - an album which bore the subtitle "Poèmes Electro" (in reference to the singer's 1981 album "Poèmes Rock") - actually found CharlElie branching out in an acoustic direction and featured contributions from two radically different guest stars, female rapper Bam's and the Dominican winner of RFI's "Prix Découverte 1998" award, Mangu. On 4 December 2001 CharlElie played a special one-off concert at the Olympia to celebrate 20 years in the music business. CharlElie was joined on stage on this occasion by a host of special guest stars including Arthur H, M, François Hadji-Lazaro, his young daughters and his brother Tom Novembre.

CharlElie suffered a blow in his personal life in January 2002 when he lost his father. By March the singer was back on the road, however, kicking off his "109 shows" tour in Brussels.

Having established an excellent reputation for himself both on the French music scene and in the European art world, CharlElie Couture continues to divide his time between the easel and the recording studio. Leading a quiet life with his wife and two young daughters far from the glare of the media spotlights, this talented singer/songwriter nevertheless remains a popular figure on the French music scene.

A multi-disciplinary artist, Charlélie has never considered his work as purely musical. Feeling a bit hemmed-in in France he decided to leave for New York, a hub of international creativity. In August 2004, after a year's preparations, he moved to the Big Apple with his wife and kids, taking up residence in an atelier on the 12th floor of a building with views onto the Hudson. He started painting but also began work on a new album.

For the first time, he left the musical composition to others, in order to develop an artistic ambience that was different from his previous albums. He invited artists such as Dombrance, Naïche, Mathias Delplanque and Marseillais Ushthiax B to compose the music for him. The lyrics he wrote himself. The album, entitled "Double vue" (double vision) came out in November 2004.

Following the release of this new album, Charlélie hit the road again for another tour in 2005 which included several dates in Quebec.

Meanwhile, the multi-talented artist, who continues to live in New York, pursued his activities as a painter and sculptor, exhibiting his work in galleries in France and the U.S. as well as on his website.

In March 2006, Charlélie published a book entitled "L'atelier New Yor-Cœur", a collection of photos, texts and drawings inspired by his new ‘adopted’ city. The book preceded the release of a new album, "New Yor-Cœur", in November, which Charlélie had recorded at home in the Big Apple with a group of American musicians and Dombrance who took care of the final mix. This time round, Charlélie wrote all the music and lyrics on the album himself, delivering his dark, disillusioned vision of the world over guitar riffs and rock beats.

December 2006