Guy roger monsieur twist front

$40.00

Roger, Guy - Monsieur Twist

Format: LP
Label: Apex ALF 1541
Year: 1962
Origin: Québec City → Montréal, Québec, 🇨🇦
Genre: yé-yé, twist, rock and roll
Keyword: 
Value of Original Title: $40.00
Make Inquiry/purchase: email ryder@robertwilliston.com
Release Type: Albums
Websites:  No
Playlist: Yé-Yé, Francophone, Quebec, Pop, 1960's

Tracks

Side 1

Track Name
Hop dans la rivière (lazy river)
A Québec au clair de lune
Quand tu danses
Départ express
Mé qué, mé qué
Sur la route de Berthier

Side 2

Track Name
Tu peux la prendre
Bal petit bal
Bye bye baby
Volare
Daniela
Viens danser le twist (Let's twist again)

Photos

Guy roger monsieur twist back

Guy Roger-Monsieur Twist BACK

Guy roger monsieur twist label 01

Guy Roger-Monsieur Twist LABEL 01

Guy roger monsieur twist label 02

Guy Roger-Monsieur Twist LABEL 02

Guy roger monsieur twist front

Monsieur Twist

Videos

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Information/Write-up

Monsieur Twist: The Rhythm and Heart of Guy Roger
Guy Roger (born Roger Bureau, March 24, 1936 – September 25, 2017) was a defining voice of Quebec’s early 1960s twist and yé-yé boom, known for his dynamic stage presence, versatile voice, and role in shaping a homegrown pop sound during a time of rapid musical change.

Born in Montreal into a large French-Canadian family, Roger began performing in amateur competitions while studying at École de La Mennais. He was discovered in the late 1950s by influential music promoter Jean Simon, who helped launch his career in Montreal’s vibrant cabaret circuit. Frequent engagements at venues like La Page blanche, Chez Gérard, and Chez Émile soon made him a familiar face and name among clubgoers.

Adopting the stage name Guy Roger, he signed with Apex Records in 1960. His breakout hit came with “Tu peux la prendre” in 1962, a swinging twist number that raced up the local charts to reach number one on the Hit Parade. The track appeared on his debut LP Monsieur Twist (Apex ALF-1541), a high-energy collection of originals and adaptations backed by sharp orchestral arrangements from Rod Tremblay and Michel Brouillette. Its release positioned him as one of the first French-Canadian artists to truly ride the wave of the twist phenomenon.

Roger's crisp vocals, slicked-back look, and irresistible dancefloor rhythms earned comparisons to contemporaries like Yvan Daniel and André Sylvain. He was sometimes dubbed “Monsieur Yé Yé” by the press, though he remained ambivalent about the label. “The twist passed quickly,” he later noted. “I have a voice that people recognize — that doesn’t sound like everyone else’s.”

Between 1962 and 1966, he released a steady string of singles, including:

“Ninon / Parlez-moi d’amour” (1960, Apex)

“Daniela”

“Si tu m’aimais autant”

“Un homme extraordinaire”

“Ting toung”

“À Québec au clair de lune”

“J’embrasse les filles”

“Douh dou ouh”

“C’est le Yé Yé / La guerre”

“Je ne fais pas d’histoire / Tu n’as pas de mérite”

“Où vont les fleurs / Dis-moi”

“L’homme qu’elle aimait / Cendrillon” (1966)

By 1965, Roger was also hosting radio and TV shows, most notably as “animateur au Club Yé-Yé” at Café St-Jacques, and as host of Vive la vie on CKVL in 1967.

That same year, he released his self-titled second LP Guy Roger (Carnaval C-489), showing a shift toward chanson and sentimental balladry. The move reflected a maturing voice and changing musical tastes, but it also foreshadowed the waning of the twist and yé-yé eras. His final known single appeared in 1969 on the DSP label: “Un air sur mon piano / J’embrasse les filles.”

As the late ’60s brought further cultural upheaval, Roger faced the challenges of evolving trends and an increasingly competitive industry. “It’s always the same people who get the biggest slice of the pie,” he once observed, acknowledging the barriers to longevity faced by Quebec pop singers of the era.

Roger gradually stepped away from performance life and found new direction in hospitality. With his wife Barbara, he settled in the Côte-des-Neiges district of Montreal and became co-owner of Le Viking, a discothèque and cabaret on Boulevard des Laurentides. He remained devoted to music in spirit, often reflecting on the passion that had guided his career: “My job is my reason for living, but I know I could never truly quit — even if I tried.”

“My grandfather had this incredible presence — warm, charming, and so full of rhythm,” recalls his granddaughter Victoria Bureau Cogswell. “He and my grandmother met in the cabarets — she was a dancer, he was a singer. It always felt like a fairy tale story to us. He loved performing, but he also really loved his family. That balance shaped who he was.”

Roger passed away on September 25, 2017, in Verdun, Quebec. In later years, his music was rediscovered by collectors and new generations of listeners, especially through the 2000 CD reissue Swing & Twist (Disques Mérite 22-1161), which gathered his most iconic tracks.

While he never achieved global stardom, Guy Roger left an indelible mark on Quebec’s early pop scene. His recordings remain a vibrant testament to an era of dance, charm, and French-Canadian flair — and to a singer who brought his full heart to every stage.
-Robert Williston

Liner notes:
C’est toujours avec emballment que nous vous présentons un nouveau talent sur disque et si ce nouveau talent s’avère une vraie vedette, l’emballment n’a plus de fin.

Guy Roger a commencé sa carrière en chantant dans sa ville natale de Québec et fut, en très peu de temps, remarqué comme un des meilleurs chanteurs de rythme de la province. Son interprétation d’une tendre ballade mérite aussi beaucoup d’admiration et lorsque Guy a la chance de chanter accompagné d’un orchestre et d’arrangements “Swing” tels que ceux de Rod Tremblay et Michel Brouillette sur ce disque, les résultats sont fantastiques.

Son enregistrement de “Tu peux la prendre” fit une montée sensationnelle au numéro 1 du Hit Parade et il est compris sur son microsillon. Voici pour votre divertissement, que ce soit pour danser, “Twister”, ou simplement pour écouter, douze extraordinaires arrangements de chansons qui vous sont familières, interprétées avec beaucoup d’éclat par l’excellent Guy Roger.

It is always with great excitement that we present to you a new talent on record, and if this new talent turns out to be a true star, the excitement knows no bounds.

Guy Roger began his career singing in his hometown of Quebec City and was, in a very short time, recognized as one of the province’s best rhythm singers. His interpretation of a tender ballad also deserves much admiration, and when Guy has the chance to sing accompanied by an orchestra and "Swing" arrangements like those of Rod Tremblay and Michel Brouillette on this record, the results are fantastic.

His recording of “Tu peux la prendre” made a sensational climb to number 1 on the Hit Parade and is included on this LP. Here for your enjoyment—whether to dance, do the Twist, or simply to listen—are twelve extraordinary arrangements of familiar songs, performed with great flair by the excellent Guy Roger.

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