Formed in Reims in 1961, Les Lionceaux started out with Alain Hattat (lead guitar), Michel Traymont (rhythm guitar), Jean-Claude Dubois (bass), replaced on the second single by Gérard Fournier, and Michel Mathieu (drums). After performing in their home region, the band went on to win the television competition for the show Âge tendre et tête de bois three times, playing the instrumental track "The Spotnicks Theme". It was then signed by Lee Hallyday in June 1963 to accompany his nephew Johnny Hallyday on tour, and again the following year at the Olympia. In the meantime, Les Lionceaux signed with the Mercury label for the production of a first super 45-turn single featuring a sung adaptation of the "Peter Gunn" theme , under the title "Ton nom". This was followed in 1964 by interpretations of Beatles hits, collected in two EPs, Quatre Garçons dans le Vent and Je Te Veux Tout à Moi. After an album released only in Canada, the group recorded Les Lionceaux en Direct du Bilboquet live (1965) and reunited with Johnny Hallyday for the album Hallelujah, before accompanying the singer Vic Laurens, as well as Memphis Slim and Chuck Berry visiting France. In 1965, the group welcomed a new singer, Herbert Léonard, shortly before splitting up in 1966. Gérard Fournier, known as "Papillon", subsequently joined the pop group Triangle, and died on January 3, 1989. Herbert Léonard enjoyed solo success, notably with the song "Pour le plaisir" (1981). In 1992, Les Lionceaux reformed for a short time, before reuniting in 2005 under the name Les Lionceaux Revival, which produced the albums Ils Étaient Une Fois... (2005) and Ils Étaient Une Fois..., Vol. 2 (2009).
