Les Variations

Les Variations
Background information
Also known as	Variations
Origin	France
Genres	Rock and roll Hard rock Rhythm and blues Blues Middle Eastern
Years active	1966—1977
Labels	Magic, EMI/Pathé Records, Buddah
Associated acts	Aerosmith , The Who , Yes , Queen , Rush , The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Website	[www.marctobaly.com]
Members	Robert Fitoussi Marc Tobaly “Petit Pois” Grande Isaac “Jacky” Bitton Jim Morris Maurice Meimoun
Past members	Joe Leb Michel Chevalier Carl Storie Albritton McClain

Les Variations was a French rock band from the late 1960s to mid-1970s, that sang in English and was known for its rock guitar-based music. They were France's first band to headline the famed Olympia Theatre, the first to tour America, the first to sign with a US label and the first to achieve hit records in America. On their last two albums, Moroccan Roll (1974) and Cafe de Paris (1975), their compositions, arrangements and lyrics contained sounds and stories of North African and Jewish Sephardic culture as well as the Hebrew songs of the band members’ youth growing up in North Africa. With this sound, they introduced a new rock fusion which is now referred to as Moroccanroll music, which is played throughout North Africa and has influenced many western rock bands over the past four decades.

Three of the original four members were Moroccan Jews. Joe Leb sang vocals, Marc Tobaly played guitar, and Isaac “Jacky” Bitton was on drums. The fourth member, Jacques “Petit Pois” Grande, who played bass, is of Italian heritage. In 1971, Leb was briefly replaced by French singer Michel Chevalier. In 1975, Leb was later replaced by Tunisian born Robert Fitoussi.

Les Variations was formed in 1966 by Marc Tobaly's older brother Alain, who became the band's manager. That year they began touring throughout Europe as a great live performance band, singing songs in English of their favorite artists, such as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and The Rolling Stones, and in 1967, they began their recording career in Denmark with the release of Spics & Spack. Returning to France in 1969, they signed with France's EMI/Pathé Records, and forged a successful recording relationship. Les Variations were the first and certainly one of the best known rock groups from France, largely in part to their commercial record successes, their unabandoned concert and television performances, their unmatched media and press coverage, and their unique position of being the first French rock band to tour America, to sign with an American label and eventually pioneer a new style of rock music over their decade-long existence. Between 1969 and 1973, they released the bulk of their albums on Pathe Records. Their early recordings often mimicked traits of The Rolling Stones, The Who and Led Zeppelin.

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