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MARC OGERET

SINGS BRUANT, FERRÉ, BÉART, ARAGON
Complete 45 RPM Recordings: 1958–1962
By Jean-Baptiste Mersiol

If the very notion of an “interpreter” were to bear a name, it would undoubtedly be Marc Ogeret. He devoted his life to vocal art with rare intelligence, never singing a word without fully understanding and feeling it. Whether rough or velvet-soft, his voice brought a unique nuance to French song—“not the color, just the nuance,” as Paul Verlaine once said. Léo Ferré himself claimed that Ogeret sang Est-ce ainsi que les hommes vivent better than he did. Beyond his artistry, Ogeret was also a generous, committed man, attached to humanist and libertarian values, in the noble sense Ferré described as the rejection of all imposed authority.

Born in Paris on February 27, 1932, into a modest family, Marc Ogeret initially aspired to be an actor. After a short-lived theatrical experience, he turned to singing, performing popular and traditional songs in the streets and cafés of Paris. By the mid-1950s, he was interpreting Ferré, Brassens, Brel, Félix Leclerc and Jacques Douai, gradually shaping a distinctive style rooted in poetry and sincerity.

His recording career began in 1958 with the GEM label, which released no fewer than seven EPs in a single year, reflecting both commercial success and artistic ambition. These recordings included traditional songs, Aristide Bruant classics, and contemporary authors, making poetry accessible to a wide audience. In 1960, Ogeret briefly took part in the Poetry and Song series for Reflet SM, before joining the Pacific label in 1961.

With Pacific’s Chanson d’Orphée collection, Ogeret gained wider recognition, interpreting poets such as Louis Aragon, Léo Ferré, Marc Alyn, Luc Bérimont and Pierre Seghers. His first EP for the label earned the 1962 Grand Prix du Disque from the Académie Charles Cros, marking his true entry into the profession. The press unanimously praised his sensitivity, warmth and impeccable artistic choices.

Between 1958 and 1962, Marc Ogeret recorded Bruant, Béart, Ferré, traditional ballads, medieval poetry and Breton sea songs, demonstrating remarkable versatility while remaining faithful to the text. This period culminated just before his long-term collaboration with Vogue, where he would become one of French chanson’s great poetic voices.

Marc Ogeret passed away on June 4, 2018. He leaves behind a powerful body of work, too often underestimated, guided by humility, artistic integrity, and an unwavering commitment to serving poetry and song.

© Frémeaux & Associés 2026

MARC OGERET

CHANTE BRUANT, BÉART, FERRÉ, ARAGON, SEGHERS, VILLON, …

INTÉGRALE DES 45 TOURS : 1958 – 1962

 CD 1 :

1. Nini Peau d’chien (Aristide Bruant) 1’58
2. Belleville-Ménilmontant (Aristide Bruant) 2’04
3. Rue Saint-Vincent (Aristide Bruant) 2’49
4. À la place Maubert (Aristide Bruant) 2’23

45 Tours GEM 4531. 1958

5. J’avions reçu commandement (Traditionnel) 1’48
6. La Complainte de Mandrin (Traditionnel) 2’19
7. Voici le Joly May (Traditionnel) 1’31
8. Un beau matin à la fraiche (Traditionnel)1’32
9. À Bordeaux (Traditionnel) 2’08
10. Le Beau Robert (Traditionnel) 1’42

45 Tours GEM 4532. 1958

11. L’Eau vive (Guy Béart) 3’14
12. Mon chapeau (Guy Béart) 2’12
13. Chandernagor (Guy Béart) 2’08
14. La Gambille (Guy Béart) 2’23

45 Tours GEM 4541. 1958

15. Bal chez Temporel (Guy Béart) 2’07
16. L’Agent double (Guy Béart) 2’54
17. Laura (Guy Béart) 2’54
18. Qu’on est bien (Guy Béart) 2’14

45 Tours GEM 4542. 1958

19. Le Piano du Pauvre (Léo Ferré) 2’32
20. Paris Canaille (Léo Ferré) 2’50
21. L’Île Saint-Louis (Léo Ferré) 3’22
22. Flamenco de Paris (Léo Ferré) 1’50

45 Tours GEM 4543. 1958

23. À Batignolles (Aristide Bruant) 1’57
24. À Grenelle (Aristide Bruant) 2’14
25. À la Bastoche (Aristide Bruant) 2’12
26. À la Roquette (Aristide Bruant) 2’08

45 Tours GEM 4544. 1958

 CD 2 :

1. Lysandre (Traditionnel) 2’14
2. Que je suis donc à mon aise (Traditionnel) 1’50
3. La Belle si nous étions (Traditionnel) 2’21
4. Le Roy a fait battre tambour (Traditionnel) 3’31
5. La Blanche Biche (Traditionnel) 2’50

45 Tours GEM 4545. 1958

6. Ballade des dames du temps jadis
   (François Villon – Georges Brassens) 2’03
7. Ballade des rois du temps jadis
   (François Villon – François Lancelot) 2’29

45 Tours SM 4558. 1960

8. La chasse aux hommes (Marc Alyn) 2’14
9. Pour demain (Marc Alyn) 2’38

45 Tours SM 4560. 1960

10. Est-ce ainsi que les hommes vivent ?
    (Louis Aragon /Léo Ferré) 3’37
11. Merde à Vauban (Pierre Seghers / Léo Ferré) 2’54
12. L’Amour l’amour
    (Pierre Seghers / Jeanine Bertille) 2’27
13. Robe longue (Hervé Watine) 3’26

Orchestre sous la direction de Jacques Mallebay.

45 Tours PACIFIC- ORPHÉE 150.008. 1962

14. Noël (Luc Bérimont/ Léo Ferré) 3’40
15. Ce jour-là (Marc Alyn / Marie-Claire Pichaud) 2’27
16. Fraternité
    (André Salmon / Charles Aznavour) 2’13
17. Dublin Blues
    (Paul Gilson / Henri-Jacques Dupuy) 3’30

Orchestre sous la direction de Jacques Mallebay.

PACIFIC-ORPHÉE 150.013. 1962

18. À Lorient la jolie (Traditionnel) 2’55
19. Les Pêcheurs de Groix (Traditionnel) 2’39
20. Les Filles de Lorient (Traditionnel) 1’28
21. Le Grand coureur (Traditionnel) 4 ‘39

Orchestre sous la direction de Lucien Merer.

45 Tours BIP-Pacific. 1962

22. Au fond du lac (Henri Decker / R. Paugeat) 3’16

45 Tours BIP-Pacific 91.499B. 1962

23. Les Gisants (Pierre Seghers /Daniel Houtin) 2’38
24. Les Beaux amoureux
    (Pierre Seghers /Yanis Spanos) 2’50
25. Un nouvel amour
    (Pierre Seghers /Jeanine Bertille) 2’06
26. La Belle qui rêvait
    (Pierre Seghers /Philippe Gérard) 2’46

Orchestre sous la direction de Gilbert Leroy.

45 Tours PACIFIC 150 024 B. 1962

^[1]. Paul VERLAINE, Art poétique.

^[2]. Le Grand Échiquier, émission du 26 juin 1975.

^[3]. Marc OGERET, entretien avec Raoul Bellaïche, 28 novembre 1992, je chantemagazine.net.

^[4]. Ibid.

^[5]. Marc OGERET, Entretien par Michel Trihoreau et Robert Horville, Les cahiers d’études Léo Ferré, Words, Words, Words, 1999, p.77.

^[6]. La collection Mode est notamment distribuée dans les Prisunic.

^[7]. Chansons de Salles de Gardes, 4 Disques sans label (réédition Vogue), participations non créditées.

^[8]. Marc OGERET, interprète des Ballades d’Autrefois, Musidisc, CV 958, 1975. Le disque reprend les onze titres des 45 tours EGEX 4532 et EGEX 4545 et propose deux inédits : Cassandre et L’amour de Moy

^[9]. Marc OGERET chante Léo FERRÉ, De grogne et de velours, CD EPM 984652, 1999.