
Gambeat is the stage name of Jean Michel Dercourt, a
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
bass guitarist
A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low bra ...
and
DJ, best known for his musical collaboration with
Manu Chao
Manu Chao (; born José Manuel Tomás Arturo Chao Ortega on 21 June 1961) is a French-Spanish musician. He sings in French language, French, Spanish language, Spanish, English language, English, Italian language, Italian, Arabic, Catalan language ...
. As a member of the
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
ian group
French Lovers, Gambeat travelled with
Manu Chao
Manu Chao (; born José Manuel Tomás Arturo Chao Ortega on 21 June 1961) is a French-Spanish musician. He sings in French language, French, Spanish language, Spanish, English language, English, Italian language, Italian, Arabic, Catalan language ...
and his band
Mano Negra during their famous rail tour through civil war-racked
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
in the early 1990s. The tour was later commemorated in
Ramon Chao's book ''
The Train of Ice and Fire''.
After Mano Negra was disbanded and a new band
Radio Bemba founded by Manu Chao, Gambeat became one of its integral members alongside
Madjid Fahem. Thanks to his distinctive appearance and high-energy playing, Gambeat was one of the most charismatic presences at the band's live performances; he often appeared shirtless on stage, his burly torso heavily tattooed, playing the double bass guitar, which he had named (according to Ramon Chao) "Madame Dercourt".
[''The Train of Ice and Fire'', by Ramon Chao, first published in French in 1994]
References
{{Authority control
French guitarists