Quebec pop group from Montreal, made up of Gilles Girard, Jean-Clément Drouin, Michel Caron, Pierre Therrien and Serge Drouin. They are distinguished by the whiteness of their hair, their clothes and their instruments. The group started out as the Special Tones in 1960, before changing their name to the Classels in 1964. That same year, they released their eponymous debut album, as well as three hit singles, including " Avant de me dire adieu ", " Le Sentier de neige " and " Ton amour a changé ma vie ". In 1965, they released their first live album, Les Classels En Spectacle, recorded the previous December during their run at the Comédie-Canadienne theater in Montreal. They also won the trophy for most spectacular group of the year at the Gala des Artistes that same year. In 1966, Les Classels released the opus Et Maintenant..., with more than seven songs hitting the Quebec charts, including the title track, a Gilbert Bécaud cover, which spent six weeks at number one. In 1967, the group sang at the first series of shows to coincide with the opening of Expo 67. This year also marks the arrival of color television in Quebec. In order to look better on screen, they now wear gray instead of white, to avoid screen glare. In 1968, the group presents a new album, Les Trois Cloches / Dalila, and switches to brightly colored outfits on its cover. Once again, several songs are hits in Quebec, including " Les Trois cloches ", made famous by Edith Piaf, which spends a week at number one. After a final single in 1971, " Je me demande si tu m'aimes ", the group disbanded.
