They bring us the sun and the joy of life thanks to the titles they perform. Who does not remember the “Masked Ball”, “Good Kissing of Fort-de-France” or “It makes birds laugh”? All these sun-kissed titles that the members of the group “La Compagnie Créole” brought back in their luggage from the French overseas departments and territories.
Originally made up of 5 members from Martinique, Guadeloupe and Guyana, the group which now has only 4 people (the fifth, Arthur Apatout born in Guadeloupe: guitar and song, having become a producer), brings together 1 woman (Clémence Bringtown, born in Martinique: singing and dancing) and 3 men (José Sébéloué born in Guyana: guitar, percussion and song; Julien Tarquin born in Martinique: bass and song; Guy Bevert born in Guadeloupe: drums, percussion and song).
The Antillo-Guyanese group was created in 1975 and the first album, “Ba mwen en ti bo” was released the following year. Between 1982 and 1987, they released several albums which made them sales champions, of which the two main ones (“Long live the customs officer Rousseau! And It’s good for morale) will reach 400,000 and 500,000 copies sold. After several years of touring in France, the United States, Spain, Canada, Belgium, Australia, Morocco or Switzerland, we see them again headliners during tours “Tender Age and Heads of Wood ”in 2009 and 2010; in 2011, a great evening was organized in their honor in Paris. After several dates in Quebec, and in Europe in 2018, the group is preparing a single for the 40th anniversary of the Route du Rhum which will be used followed by an album in tribute to the men of the sea. For Christmas, he inaugurates a new concept of meeting with the public in a friendly atmosphere, the West Indian “Chanté Nwel”.
A tour in France was planned during the summer of 2020, but this cannot be done because of the pandemic which affects France and the Antilles; however, 25 dates are planned for 2021.
Creole music and its rhythm have been recognized thanks to the notoriety of Compagnie Créole and the success that its titles have conveyed with 60 million records sold. They are also at the origin of the success of other Afro-Caribbean formations like Kassav or Zouk Machine.
The group’s 20th album, “The Forces of Love”, has just been released; it is a gospel and negro-spiritual album, inspired by the West Indian culture which wants to pay homage to ancestors and spirituality. The idea to release this album was born during a concert in favor of the APIPD, an association which fights against sickle cell anemia (sickle cell anemia), where a gospel and negro-spirituals show was presented.
For this new opus released at the end of 2019, we find in the repertoire titles in English (some arranged with verses in French), in French and in Creole, unreleased tracks mixed with Gospel classics like “La Chapelle de Harlem”, “ You are the light ”,“ Glory Glory Alleluia ”,“ My Special Prayer ”or“ Amazing Grace ”… Clémence’s daughter, Johanna Bringtown, sings with her husband on the keyboard and in arrangements with the daughter of José Sébéloué at Gospel and the daughter of Guy Bevert. She started her career as a singer-songwriter of the group then lead singer by participating in the albums since 1999. In 2009 she participated in the Age Tender tour where she met her future husband. In 2012, she collaborated with Peter and Sloane to revisit the title “Besoin de rien, from which the Creole versions (Bizwen de vou”), Spanish (“Té nécesito, té déséo”) and the French version sung on a zouk rhythm. Apart from that, she is a production assistant for the group founded by her mother and José Sébéloué as well as the production company where Clémence takes care of the management, the production, but also the costumes and the staging of the shows. …
Compagnie Créole was on the program during the 5th edition of the Overseas Gastronomy Fair (SAGASDOM), a salon created by politician and chef Babette de Rozières, in early February 2020, Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris .
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