In Montluçon, an exhibition brings back to life the crazy years of Golf Drouot, this Parisian “temple of rock” of the 1960s which produced Johnny Hallyday and David Bowie

This exhibition traces the beginnings of this legendary club from the yé-yé years in France. It can be discovered until January 4, 2025 at the Musée des musiques populaires (MuPop) in Montluçon.

It is a mecca of yé-yé music in Paris that has thrilled thousands of fans since the end of the 1950s. The Golf Drouot is rising from its ashes in Montluçon in Allier. Until January 4, 2025, the new MuPop exhibition offers to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of this concert hall subtly nicknamed “The temple of rock”.

The immersion begins at the beginning of the tour where the public is invited to write a little note on the walls. “I always heard about this white ceiling where they all wrote their dedications. The stage had been raised and the ceiling was barely bigger than this one.”says a visitor.

The MuPop exhibition features guitars, concert posters, record covers, numerous photos from the era and original objects, such as the bar or jukeboxes. To relive the soul of the discotheque, visitors can even play instruments on the stage.

From the end of the 1950s, young unknown artists sought to perform at Golf Drouot. Nestled in the heart from the 9th arrondissement of Paris, this emblematic nightclub has saw the debut of artists such as Johnny Hallyday, Eddy Mitchell and the Chaussettes noires and Jacques Dutronc.

In the second half of the 1960s, the big names of English and American rock took to the club scene. “The Who, for their first concert in France, they came to play at the Golf Drouot. David Bowie with his group The Lower Third performed here in 1965”, reports sociologist Marc Touché.

But why was this unusual place called Golf Drouot? Located above the Café d’Angleterre, at 2 rue Drouot, this somewhat ordinary tea room draws its originality from the existence of a nine-hole indoor mini-golf course. Henri Leproux, the barman who officiated at the time, had the idea of ​​installing a jukebox that played American music. With his wife Colette, they took over the place in the 1960s. The establishment would be the first, or almost, to play the records of Bill Haley, Elvis Presley or Jerry Lee Lewis in France. Admission only costs one franc.

“I remember watching people dance on Sunday afternoons, I was selling cigarettes, at the time, people still smoked at concerts. I was always next to my mother or walking around the room among those who were making music,” remembers Robin Lepoux, the son of the creators of Golf Drouot.

In 1962, Henri Leproux had the brilliant idea of ​​inviting young people to perform on stage. The place became a springboard and allowed young French rockers to come and exercise their potential talent. Amateurs rubbed shoulders with professionals. “Johnny Hallyday was a friend, when he was there, he blended in with us. We didn’t see him as a star. That’s the Golf spirit,” remembers photographer Jean-Louis Rancurel.

Very quickly, the Golf Drouot became the place to be for dancing and discovering new artists. Between 1961 and 1981, pMore than 6,000 groups performed there. But the site closed its doors for good on November 22, 1981 following the promulgation of a law that prohibited the owner from having two fourth-category drinking establishments in the same building. The Café d’Angleterre would take over from the Golf Drouot. The place continues to live on in the memories of singers who would mention the address in their songs, such as Joe Dassin, in The Best Years of My Life.

In February 2014, the City of Paris installed a memorial plaque. A piece of Paris’ youth is there. As if he was waiting for this moment, Henri Leproux died a few months later, in June 2014, at the age of 86.

Exhibition “The Birth of the Temple of Rock: Golf Drouot, the story of Colette and Henri Leproux” at MuPop in Montluçon until January 4, 2025.

Open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Prices: from 3 to 7.50 euros.