In 1947, Marc Chevalier and André Schlesser decided to join forces as a duo, forming Marc et André en chansons. Having met on tour for Maurice Jacquemont's play Les gueux au Paradis (1945), they shared an interest in cabaret, and moved to Paris to make a name for themselves on stage. With numerous performances in Montmartre, they toured the Parisian cabarets of the day, including Pom, Lapin Agile, Assassins and Méphisto. In 1951, the acquaintance of Brigitte Sabouraud and Léo Noël gave birth to Cabaret L'Écluse on the banks of the Seine, where Marc and André played alongside future French chanson stars such as Léo Ferré. The pair became influential on the French music scene, performing classics by Félix Leclerc, Jean Ferrat, Georges Brassens and Aristide Bruant. They went on to perform internationally, notably in the United States, and began recording singles in 1955: Leurs chansons à l'Écluse in four volumes (1955-1956), L'Île Saint-Louis (1958) and Trois petites notes de musique (1961). This production won them the Grand Prix du Disque de l'Académie Charles-Cros in 1956, and they went on to collaborate with Jean Vilar. After another Académie Charles-Cros award in 1963, L'Écluse closed in 1974, prompting Marc and André to stop singing. Albums such as Chansons de Théâtre (1987) retrace the career of a major French chanson duo from the 1950s to the 1970s.
