During twenty-three years of rock’n’roll, the discreet Robin Le Mesurier only made the audience hear the sound of his guitar. Invisible in the media, the London musician – son of actor John Le Mesurier – never learned French … This restraint did not prevent him from becoming the only essential musician of the idol of young people, of Stade de France to the Eiffel Tower through all the Zéniths in France. His close musician friends have recounted his death, which occurred on December 22 in Los Angeles, after a battle with cancer.
Former Rod Stewart guitarist, Robin Le Mesurier gave up everything in 1994 to follow Johnny Hallyday, after having written two blues songs for him in English: Are the Chances Gone and Fool for the Blues. Since December 5, 2017, and the death of the “boss”, the British soloist was bruised. Robin Le Mesurier and the rocker met in Los Angeles, where the 68-year-old guitarist still lived. And more exactly at the hotel Sunset Marquis. “Chris Kimsey asked me to write several songs in English for the album Rough town, then play in the studio“, remembered the one who was for a long time the” sideman “of Rod Stewart. The contact passes, and he finds himself in the Hallyday Circus in 1994. He will never leave the artist.
In his book My 1,000 concerts with Johnny (Talent éditions), he told for the first time the almost fraternal links which united him to the favorite rocker of the French, whom he nicknamed The Singer. “We hooked up directly with Johnny, I liked his honesty, his smile, we had the same musical tastes.“He lived a vibrant friendship with him. He was present at every event since the death of the rocker: at La Madeleine, to pay tribute four years ago to his deceased friend with his musicians, at the tribute evening Johnny Hallyday, One evening at the Olympia on December 1, 2019 and at the inauguration of Place Johnny Hallyday in Bercy and at the concert broadcast by France 2 on September 14, 2021.
“He was known in the United States, the American tour in 2014 was sold out“, specifies Robin Le Mesurier, However, he refuses the nickname of” French Elvis Presley “acclaimed by the US press on the death of Johnny Hallyday.”They were both icons and stage performers, but they didn’t have the same style. (…) Her voice directly transcended me, she is incomparable“pleaded Robin Le Mesurier, who found her just as powerful on the last album of the Taulier. Their relationship”simple“quickly becomes strong, so much so that he is the only musician to go through all the team changes.”I remember when I was on a tour with Rob Stewart in Orlando Johnny called me to promise him that I won’t give up on him“, he reports, adding that the rocker had even refused to”to lend“to Michel Sardou.
He was of course present to discover the documentary My name is johnny at the screening of this docu-live, the world premiere of which was held on December 1, 2021 at the Regal Cinema in Los Angeles. An event in which Laeticia Hallyday and her daughters, Jade and Joy (17 and 13 years old), naturally took part. Nearly 200 guests were able to discover Pascal Duchêne’s documentary event before everyone else. On screen, spectators followed the scenes of Johnny’s North American tour in 2014, the Born Rocker Tour, passed through Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, Washington, Houston, New York … For his first and only American tour, the Taulier had performed – not in stadiums – but in smaller venues, no less prestigious, and Robin is on many pictures.
Since yesterday, the large Hallyday family is in mourning, Laeticia and her daughters are upset, the rocker’s widow should also quickly pay tribute to him on social networks.
Our condolences to his wife and family.
Long live Rock’n’roll !