Benoit Viellefon

Benoit Viellefon is a French musician, singer, music producer based in the UK. He is specialized in 1900-1950 period music, mainly jazz, swing, French chanson and Latin music. He appears in films and TV productions as a musician/actor/composer. He is bilingual being French native, and having lived in England since 1998. Having spent the first part of his life in Lille and Paris, he left France for California in early 1998 in the pursuit of a musical career. Benoit then moved to London end of 1998 to establish his label JohnJohnRecords.com and to work as a first-call session guitarist on film soundtracks, international Reggae & Roots Music tours and on London's burgeoning vintage cabaret and burlesque scenes. Having toured extensively in Europe and Japan as lead guitarist with groups such as ska legends The Trojans, Gaz Mayall, Prince Buster, Rico Rodiguez, Vin Gordon (Studio1 & Bob Marley), Louis Alphonso (Bad manners), Nick Welsh (the Selecter), Rhoda Dakar (Special AKA), and Eddie Tantan Thornton (Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Boney M, Aswad), Benoit decided it was time to step firmly into the limelight as band leader. Benoit formed his orchestra in 2009 and it was immediately a hit on London's cabaret and vintage speakeasy scene. Since then Benoit and his Orchestra have played all over the UK and Europe to critical acclaim, fulfilling Benoit's vision of a contemporary orchestra who command the dance floor like the master entertainers of the 1920s, '30s and '40s. Wether with The Orchestra, The Hot Club or The Trio, Benoit has recorded some well received albums, played many prestigious venues, from residencies at Ronnie Scotts and the Royal ALbert Hall, to Glastonbury Festival, BBC radio3, he also appeared in a good number of Hollywood films, TV productions, and some Immersive theatre shows. He got booked by Madonna, Mr Bean, the Kremlin, the Royal Family and many other celebrities to perform at their private events. He is living mostly in the UK, but also in France and Japan.