Originally a punk rock act influenced by the Clash and more traditional rock elements such as the Stones and Chuck Berry, Têtes Raides eventually moved into more acoustic and traditional French territory (taking in more domestic influences such as Jacques Brel and Les Negresses Verts), mixing straight-ahead rock with French music stylings from the midpoint of the 20th century. Led by vocalist and graphic designer Christian Olivier, Têtes Raides quickly became a critical success, and with their first album, Not Dead But Bien Raides, in 1987, began to garner a popular following that would carry them through 14 albums from 1989 to 2007. ~ Chris True