Les Rita Mitsouko

French duo Les Rita Mitsouko came together in the Spring of 1979 and debuted with Ringer on the organ and Chichin on guitar, while everything else was prerecorded. They performed around Europe, playing several clubs and bars until finally playing under the name Les Rita Mitsouko for the first time in November of 1980. (In 1981 they also participated in Jean Néplin & Individual State.) The band signed to Virgin Records in 1982 and released a first single, Minuit Dansant. The B-side of the record Don't Forget The Nite became a surprise radio hit and was re-released as the A-side soon after.
They moved to Cologne and began recording their eponymous debut album, and by the end of 1984 the album was out and La Jalousie and Marcia Baila became big hits in Europe. Ensuing tours with The Smiths and Kid Creole revealed their growing popularity, and by 1986 they were ready to record their second album The No Comprendo with producer Tony Visconti. Filmmaker Jean-Luc Goddard filmed the process, resulting in the oddball documentary Soigne Ta Droite. The album was finally released at the end of the year. The band moved to New York in early 1987 to hold auditions for a live band. The following tour, which covered most of Europe, was an enormous success.
Marc Et Robert was the next album, written mostly in the studio, and featuring songs written and performed with Sparks. Another tour followed, leading to the construction of the band's new studio in their home. By 1990, they decided to release a remix album (Re) and then released 4th album Systeme D in November of 1993. More hits appeared, including a duet with Iggy Pop on My Love Is Bad. The live album Acoustiques was released next which sparked another tour through Eastern Europe. Their records were properly released to America in 1999, and following a quiet period they reappeared in 2000 with the Cool Frenesie album.
On November 28th 2007, Fred Chichin died from cancer while the band had just cancelled their previous concert dates in Paris. He had only been diagnosed with the disease 2 months before.
In 2008 Catherine Ringer resumed touring with the band that she and Fred had put together for the release of their last album Variety. Ringer has released solo albums since, including live albums covering Rita Mitsuoko songs.