Les Compagnons de la chanson were originally part of a larger choir formed in 1941 in
Lyon under the direction of Louis Liébar. The choir was part of the Compagnons de France youth movement of
Vichy France, and later acquired the name Compagnons de la musique. The group first met
Edith Piaf in 1944 in a benefit concert for railway workers in Paris, and Piaf decided to help promote the group. They became Les Compagnons de la chanson in 1946, and Piaf launched the group in Paris in May 1946 at a concert in Club des Cinq.
Jean Cocteau, who was in attendance at their show, wrote of their performance: "The miracle has happened that these two solitudes joined together to create a sound artefact which so expresses France that the tears start to flow." In July 1946, Les Compagnons and Piaf
recorded a
French language song, "
Les trois cloches", which was
written by
Jean Villard with an arrangement by group member Marc Herrand. Other songs they recorded with Piaf included "Céline", "Dans les prisons de Nantes", and "C'est pour ça", but it was "Les trois cloches" that would be their most successful song. Les Compagnons performed with Piaf for two years, including a successful tour in the United States, where they introduced the song "Les trois cloches" to the American audience. The lyrics of the English version, "
The Three Bells", were written by
Bert Reisfeld in 1948. Les Compagnons recorded "The Three Bells" without Piaf, and their version of the song reached No. 14 in the United States in 1952, later peaking at No. 21 in the
UK Singles Chart in October 1959. with Fred Mella their principal tenor soloist. In the beginning they usually performed
a cappella or with a guitar or another instrument, later performances also included orchestral accompaniment. , Toulouse, France, 2 June 1965 They appeared in the 1948 film with Piaf,
Neuf Garçons, un cœur. They also performed in the operetta
Minnie Moustache in 1956 written by group member Jean Broussolle and
Georges van Parys. After the group and Piaf went on their separate ways, they continued to enjoy successes in France and Belgium until the late 1960s when one of the early members Guy Bourguignon died. Some of Les Compagnons de la chanson's biggest
hits were "Le marchand de bonheur", "
La marche des anges", "Marin (Enfant du voyage)", "Gondolier", "
Tom Dooley", "
La chanson de Lara", "Verte campagne" ("
Greenfields") and the aforementioned and re-titled "
The Three Bells". Many songs were original compositions, but a large number were covers. They had association with
Charles Aznavour, covering some of his songs and had successes with songs co-written with him, such as "Un Mexicain" and "Roméo". The group also toured internationally, including North America multiple times, Africa, Russia, Israel, Japan and other countries. Les Compagnons de la chanson made over 350
records and undertook up to 300 concerts per year. They decided to disband in 1980, but their farewell tour lasted for a few years more. Their final concert was 14 February 1985, at the
Olympia in Paris. Fred Mella continued to perform as a solo artist until 2008. ==Members==