Biography

Sometimes likened to a French version of Bruce Springsteen or Lou Reed, Jean-Patrick Capdevielle is a French rock singer/songwriter who broke through to mainstream success in 1979 with his debut album, Les Enfants des Ténèbres et les Anges de la Rue, and the hit single "Quand T'es dans le Désert." Born on December 19, 1945, in Levallois-Perret, Île-de-France, France, he made his recording debut in 1978 with the single Solitude on Ketchup Music. He was then offered a major-label recording contract with CBS Disques and proceeded to release his full-length solo album debut, Les Enfants des Ténèbres et les Anges de la Rue (1979). A classic album of its era, Les Enfants des Ténèbres et les Anges de la Rue spawned a series of singles, "Quand T'es dans le Désert" the most significant hit among them, and to this day remains Capdevielle's most enduring full-length effort, its legacy enhanced by subsequent reissues. In the wake of his breakthrough success, Capdevielle toured heavily and released new albums annually, including 2 (1980), Le Long de la Jetée (1981), L'Ennemi Public (1982), the double live album Dernier Rappel (1983), Mauvaises Fréquentations (1984), and Planète X (1985). By the mid-'80s, however, Capdevielle's popularity had begun to wane, and he switched labels, moving to Warner Music France for a couple albums, Nouvel Âge (1987) and Vue Sur Cour (1990). These efforts failed to revive his popularity; in fact, during this era Capdevielle had less success as a solo artist than he did as a songwriter. For instance, Linda Williams' scored a hit single with his song "Traces," which went to number 21 on the French singles chart in 1989 -- commercial success Capdevielle couldn't come close to rivaling during this era. Following his unsuccessful tenure on Warner, Capdevielle switched labels again, moving to Virgin for his final full-length effort of the decade, Vertigo (1992). Little came of that album, unfortunately, and for the next decade and a half, the only Capdevielle albums to surface were greatest-hits compilations such as Politiquement Correct (1995) and Quand T'es Dans le Désert (2000). Fifteen years after his last album, Capdevielle returned in 2007 with Hérétique 13, an independent release that was relatively well received. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi