Biography

Castelhemis is a French singer/songwriter who emerged in the late '70s with a unique style of progressive pop/rock that garnered him a devoted fan following sizable enough to sustain a decade-long recording career despite the relatively non-commercial nature of his music. Born Philippe Laboudigue on July 11, 1948, in the Parisian commune of Neuilly-sur-Seine, he began his recording career in the late '60s as half of the duo Castel & Vendome. In keeping with the duo's medieval-themed musical style, he billed himself as Philippe Castel (as in "castle"). Comprised also of Bernard Vendôme, the duo released a pair of singles in 1969, Les Chevaliers and D'où Vient le Vent, before concluding their short-lived recording career. A decade later, billing himself as Castelhemis, he made his solo recording debut in 1978 with the single Roger (Cha Cha Cha) on Cobra/Carrere, followed in 1979 by his full-length album debut, Armes Inégales, on Cezame/RCA. While he enjoyed little commercial success with his music, Castelhemis garnered a devoted fan following sizable enough to sustain his recording career throughout most of the subsequent decade. In association with RCA, he released the albums Mots Croisés (1980), N'importe Quelle Sorte d'Amour (1982), Coucou (1984), and Imagine un P'tit Bar (1986) before concluding his recording career with the swan song album Castelhemis 88 (1988) on the label Griffe. Many years later, after the Castelhemis back catalog had long since fallen out of print, the best-of collection Castelhemis 78-88 (2002) was compiled for release by Griffe/Sony to the delight of his fan following. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi