Offenbach -

Offenbach was a Québécois hard-rock band that released four albums on Barclay and Deram between 1972 and 1976, followed by a trio of titles on A&M and Kébec-Disc during the late 1970s. A further round of albums appeared on CBS and Spectra Scène Ltée between 1980 and 1985.

Members: Gerry Boulet (vocals, piano, organ, 1969-85), Jean Gravel (guitar, 1969-85), Michel Lamothe (bass, 1969-77), Pierre Harel (organ, vocals, 1970-74), Roger Belval (drums, 1972-77), Breen LeBoeuf (bass, vocals, 1977-85), John McGale (guitar, saxophone, 1978-85), Robert Harrison (drums, 1978-82), Pat Martel (drums, 1981-85)

Background

Offenbach formed on May 4, 1970, when the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu group Les Gants Blancs (The White Gloves) adopted the name Opera Pop d’Offenbach. The quartet comprised vocalist-keyboardist Gérald “Gerry” Boulet, bassist Michel “Willie” Lamothe, drummer Denis “Le Vieux” Boulet, and guitarist Jean “Johnny” Gravel. Their name derived from 19th-century German-French cellist and composer Jacques Offenbach (1819 – 1880), the writer of more than 100 operettas, including the 1858 “opéra féerie” Orphée aux enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld).

Gerry Boulet was born March 1, 1946, in Saint-Jean-d’Iberville and studied trumpet from age ten through adolescence. In March 1962, Denis Boulet brought his younger brother into Les Doubletones. The band played wedding receptions and showers around the Richelieu Valley. The Boulet lineup subsequently used the names Twistin Vampires, Fabulous Kernels, and Kernels. In summer 1964, the group adopted the name Les Gants Blancs.

Michel Lamothe was born February 21, 1948, in Saint-Hyacinthe, the son of country singer Willie Lamothe. He started on guitar and moved to bass, which he played with the local group Les Sphinx. By 1968, Lamothe played bass in Les Gants Blancs and appeared on the Jupiter single “Dis-moi son nom” (b/w “Le vagabond”).

Jean Gravel was born March 12, 1948, in Granby and taught himself guitar. Gravel worked through the Rockets, Venthols, Les Héritiers, and Les Caïds across the Sixties. Les Gants Blancs first hired Gravel for the 1968 session behind “Dis-moi son nom” and made him a full member in May 1969 following the departure of guitarist Rick Horner.

The 1969 lineup also backed former Sultans singer Bruce Huard with a horn section under the name La 7e Invention. Production costs curtailed the nine-piece format, while Les Gants Blancs continued occasional engagements with Huard as a quartet. In October 1969, the musicians recorded the Huard single “Dis-lui je serai là” (b/w “Puisqu’il t’aime”). The quartet entered a final fourteen-show Huard tour in May 1970 under the new Opera Pop d’Offenbach name.

Opera Pop d’Offenbach spent June and July 1970 in repeated weeklong residencies at Auberge Plage Idéale in Lac-à-la-Tortue, then moved through hotel engagements across Quebec. Lucien Ménard encountered the group while working on the National Film Board documentary Je chante à cheval avec Willie Lamothe. Ménard filmed Opera Pop d’Offenbach in September for a performance of “Everybody’s Groovin,” and the group appeared in the completed documentary.

Ménard introduced director Pierre Harel to the group in May 1971 while Harel sought musicians for the soundtrack to his film Bulldozer. Harel joined as singer and lyricist and supplied French-language texts for the group repertoire. Guitarist-pianist Marcel Beauchamp joined at Harel’s suggestion and expanded Offenbach to a sextet. Offenbach Pop Opera entered a Montreal studio on August 11 for soundtrack sessions. Beauchamp left the group in September for the backing band of Robert Charlebois.

Offenbach Pop Opera rehearsed at Nymark Lodge in Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts on December 17–18, 1971, where Harel recast a Boulet vocal improvisation as the French text for “Câline de blues.” Offenbach redirected material from the delayed Bulldozer project toward a first album. Lise Lafontaine joined Ménard in management and brought Stéphane Venne to hear the group at L’Évêché in Hôtel Nelson. Venne headed Quebec production for Barclay and agreed to produce the album. Offenbach cut a demo at RCA Victor in March and entered the Montreal studio of André Perry in May with producer Stéphane Venne and engineers Michel Lachance and Ian Terry for the debut album Offenbach Soap Opera.

Discography:

Soap Opera (1972)
Bulldozer (OST, 1973)
Saint-Chrone de Néant (live, 1973)
Tabarnac (live, 1975)
Never Too Tender (1976)
Offenbach (1977)
Traversion (1978)
En fusion (live, 1979 • Offenbach avec le Vic Vogel Big Band)
Rock Bottom (1980)
Coup de Foudre!! (1981)
Tonnedebrick (1983)
À fond d’train “Live” (live, 1983 • Offenbach et Plume)
Le dernier show (live, 1985)
Rockorama (1985)

Resources:

Offenbach archive — Louis Bonneville biography. Best continuous chronology for the May 1970 renaming, founding lineup, member backgrounds, Ménard, Harel, Lafontaine, Venne, and the first-LP sessions. (offenbachrock.ca)
Jean “Johnny” Gravel archive — Les Gants Blancs. Useful for the Doubletones lineage, Gravel session work in 1968, his May 1969 entry, La 7e Invention, Bruce Huard, and the 1970 transition. (Johnny Gravel)
Jean Gravel archive — concert chronology. Provides the unusually detailed 1970–72 engagement sequence, the August 11 studio date, Nymark Lodge dates, and pre-album sessions. Offenbach performance chronology
Gerry Boulet official biography. Supports Boulet’s trumpet lessons, March 1962 entry into Les Doubletones, and the early succession of group names. (GerryBoulet | Site officiel)
Pierre Harel first-person account. Harel describes the Bulldozer project, Lucien Ménard, and his May 1971 meeting with the quartet. His recollection places the meeting at Hôtel Saint-Jean; the Gravel chronology places the group at Hôtel Pointe-Valaine in the relevant period, so I omitted the venue. (Vigile)
National Film Board of Canada. Confirms Opera Pop d’Offenbach as participants in the 1971 documentary Je chante à cheval avec Willie Lamothe. (National Film Board of Canada)
Offenbach archive — Offenbach Soap Opera. Confirms the debut LP and July 20, 1972 launch, useful as the cutoff immediately beyond this BK. (Offenbach Rock)