Blousons Noirs

The Summer of 1959 was known in France “the Summer of the blousons noirs.” In imitation of English rock-and-roll stars, this spontaneous movement Blousons Noirs brought together the followers and fanatics of rock-and-roll who idolized, cut their hair, and dressed like James Dean, who died tragically in 1955 wearing blue jeans and the inevitable black leather jacket. They listened to the French rock music of Johnny Halliday and above all to the hard rock played by Vince Taylor and Eddie Cochran. Their gratuitous violence drove them to destroy three concert halls. They drew the scorn and rejection of the French people, and become synonym a alienation. They had definitely disappeared by the early 1960s when hard rock was replaced by the more “gentle” yé-yè’ rhythm.