Les Baronets, briefly known as Les Nouveaux Baronets, was a Québécois musical trio and then duo active from 1961 to 1972.
René Angélil, Jean Beaulne and Pierre Labelle met during their studies. They discovered a common affinity for singing, and performed in multiple contests.
In 1961, Les Baronets had their debut in cabarets, singing comedic songs and doing impressions of popular singers. They were originally inspired by English-speaking bands such as the The Four Lads and The Four Aces. The song "Johanne" on their first 45-rpm (1962) was successful, but they became highly popular (to an "unprecedented level" for a Québec band) thanks to their cover of "Hold Me Tight" by The Beatles called "C'est fou, mais c'est tout". They were one of the first Québécois artist to cover the Beatles in French. By then, they were already managed by Ben Kaye.
Les Baronets covered many songs of the Beatles. They became the most prolific cover artists for the Beatles in Quebec, except a few tribute bands. They performed at cabarets, on television and at Montreal's great venues such as the Comédie-Canadienne and the Place des Arts.Les Baronets signed a contract with Vee-Jay Records in 1965, recorded songs and were about to enter the American market, but the label went bankrupt before they could do so.
In 1966, Beaulne's activities as an impresario stopped him from fully focusing on the group, and he was replaced by Jean-Guy Chapados. The band took the name of Les Nouveaux Baronets. Their popularity then declined, until the original trio reappeared at the Café de lâÂÂEst in March 1967. They passed under the label Canusa around 1967.
In the following years, Les Baronets performed in the cabarets in American tourist cities such as Atlantic City. In early 1970, Labelle and Angélil continued as a duo. They switched to the label Nobel in 1970. They were in the musical La belle amanchure. They were actively recording until 1972.