Photo credit: © Tristan Sebenne
Éric Guilleton began his career in 1983 in the small theatres of Paris and the Dauphiné. He soon won the international youth record with the song "les enfants du Sahel", a prize awarded by Minister Alain Calmat. He also distinguished himself at the forum chansons du Val de Marne, at the "Habits du dimanche" of TFT, at the springboard of the Printemps de Bourges, at the Midem... He participated in the creation of a show and an album "Chansons rock / Franco-German" and got his first televisions in Germany. In 1987-88, Éric sang several times in Germany, performing in front of François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl in Berlin as part of the "Berlin capital of European cultures" events for which he was the artistic director for the song. He staged various shows in Bayreuth with the Franco-German Youth Office and embarked on various tours in Europe, India (Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Hyderabad, Delhi), Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand) and Mauritius. His journey as a globe-singer takes him back to Germany, to Cologne, where he records a series of television programmes, then he goes on a journey again, this time to Africa (Nigeria, Burundi, Zaire, Rwanda).
In 1991, he launched his first album "Le vent des fous" (K maïeu Cie) and sang for five weeks at the "Sentier des halles" and as part of the programming of the Marne Festival and the Festival Chorus des Hauts de Seine. The years 1992-93 saw him in concert in Belfast, touring in France, Greece and Bulgaria. In 1995, he recorded his second album "Devine" (K maïeu Cie) live and in public and performed in 50 shows at the Théâtre du Tourtour. He recorded an album "Les voix neuves de la chanson française" which was sold for the benefit of the association "Le rire médecin". In 1996, Éric went on tour in Cambodia with Pierre Barouh for the Danielle Mitterrand Foundation.
He was welcomed in residence in Dourdan in 1996-98, where he created two shows and produced two albums of children's songs. Éric then composed for Pierre Barouh, Pierre Louki and Allain Leprest. He went back on tour in Cambodia in 1999 at the invitation of the French Cultural Centre. His third CD "Et s'il était deux fois" was released in 2000 by Saravah, and was presented in concert at the Théâtre du Tourtour and the Sentier des Halles. In 2001, he was in residence at the Frenaye (Seine Maritime) where he produced a record of children's songs "Les mots simples". A new experience called him in 2002 in the form of a tour "Chant 'appart". The same year, he was invited to the Printemps des poètes at the Sorbonne and to the poetry market. He led different collective writing workshops "La Mémoire en Chant" in neighbourhoods and villages, and produced three records around this collective word.
In 2003, he led a writing workshop, composed the music, produced a record for the Koënigswarter establishments, and mounted "La mémoire enchantée" with the actors' troupe Baptiste & Cie, which will be the subject of a CD. In the context of another workshop he directed, he made the arrangements for a short film on the theme of the look in the Nord-Pas de Calais region. The same year, he created the first "Festival de chansons d'Etampes Et t'en parle à ton voisin" of which he was the artistic director, and he published his poems in the new anthology of French-speaking poets (Les lettres du temps, JP Huguet, editor) in partnership with France Culture.
A new writing workshop "De la Pierre à la Plume" was developed under his direction in 2004-2005, and he staged five shows at Lagny Sur Marne "Et si le musée s'en amusait" (And if the museum had fun) based on the town's heritage and the pictorial works of the Gaetien Bonnet Museum. He wrote for the singer Ann'Clair and shot the show "Chanson d'un jour, Poésie pour un soir" with the poet Matthias Vincenot.
In 2006, he was welcomed by the town of Etampes, where he is still Artist in Residence to date. He published his first collection of poems " Vivre à dix centimètres du bonheur " (Aumage édition) and released his fourth CD "Paradis provisoire" produced by Pierre Barouh (Saravah) in March 2007 which was presented at the Théâtre de l'Européen. Éric has been a referent of the "author, composer, performer" curriculum at ACP la manufacture chanson since 2008 (where he has also been a professor of textual writing since 2000). He also led a series of writing workshops "Une chanson à Fleury" at the Fleury-Mérogis prison.
On the stage, you've met him at the Espace Kiron, the Espace Christian Dente, the Théâtre du Gymnase, the Théâtre du Splendid, the Café de la danse, the Vingtième théâtre... 2009 took him back to Cambodia and Vietnam for a series of concerts. He set to music and recorded five poems by the Italian poet Giovanni Dotoli in the form of a Book-disc "La voix Lumière" (Les éditions du Cygne). In 2010, he led a writing workshop on the so-called sensitive neighbourhoods of the city of Pithiviers and recorded the album "Les meilleurs amis du monde", then another workshop at the residence "La sérénité" in Lagny sur Marne, and collected the words of the elders that he set to music. He then took over the musical direction with Etienne Champollion of Matthias Vincenot's album "L'âge de mes désirs" (published by le temps des cerises, le merle moqueur). Éric took part in the Festival Découvrir de Concèze, the Festival Chansons de Paroles de Barjac, the Prémilhat French-speaking song meetings in Thou bout de chant (Lyon). He wrote and recorded his fifth CD "Une ville, un soir" which was released on January 21, 2012 (produced by MKP). He celebrated his thirty years of singing with the ensemble Découvrir in 2014.
His new album "Ces temps d'errance" was released in autumn 2015 (orchestration Etienne Champollion). The same year, he won the "du Moulin à Sel" prize with his song "l'eau et le sel" in Sulzbach, Germany. He went on tour in France around a work on Camille Saint Saëns's Carnival of Animals in pocket concerts. At the same time, Éric continued his writing workshops at the Fleury-Mérogis prison. In 2016, he took part in the "fabrique à chansons" in partnership with the SACEM.
Besides his musical fibres, Eric is an author and painter. He says of his work as a colourist that everything came from a happy coincidence, from a succession of blunders, he has made it a Sunday activity of great artistic value. In August 2016 a book of his drawings "Mes Dessins Du Dimanche" (Vox Scriba Edition) was published. Two years later, another book was published " Un coup d'été dans l'eau " also by Vox Scriba and he illustrated the collection " le ventre de la méditerranée" by Pascale Angles. Éric did other illustration works such as the cover of the poetry collection "j'ai vingt ans" by Matthias Vincenot (Fortuna Editions), a poster for the summer poetry festival of Tarascon sur Ariège, and participated in the exhibition Dessins & Toiles "L'écho de l'autre" at the Forum Léo Ferré. In 2019, he designed the cover of Pierre-Michel Sivadier's CD "Si' (ex Tension Records).
Éric crossed paths with Philippe Quevauviller in 2014 during an anniversary evening to celebrate Pierre Barouh's 80th birthday. They met again on stage in 2017 in Brussels to pay tribute to their mutual friend, one year after his death, then again in 2018 in Brussels where he shared the stage with Didier Sustrac, with whom he performed the following year around songs from the Cajun repertoire. 2020 marked the release of his 8th album "1959", released under the Bossa Flor Music label. He participates in a recording of two pieces of the project « Brassens dans tous ses états » in 2021.