Power trio à la française, Ganafoul had its heyday at the turn of the 1980s, playing hard rock with blues and boogie tendencies. Formed in Givors near Lyon in 1974, the original five-member group included Jack Bon (vocals, guitar), Jean-Yves Astier (bass, harmonica) and Yves Rothacher (drums), who formed the trio after the departure of two musicians. The trio recorded the album Saturday Night (1977), for the independent Crypto label. After Rothacher's departure, replaced by Bernard Antoine, Ganafoul achieved a certain success with the album Full Speed Ahead (1978), supported by the press. It includes contributions from Little Bob (Little Bob Story) and Fabienne Shine (Shakin' Street). Scheduled to support AC/DC, the trio followed up with the live EP Route 77, then the albums Side 3 (1980) and T'As Bien Failli Crever! (1981), the only one sung in French. In the meantime, Jean-Yves Astier handed over to Hervé Corcos, before the group split up in 1983. Reformed in 1998 for a concert at the Transbordeur in Lyon, which gave rise to the Crossroads album, Ganafoul returned episodically, in 2020 with the unreleased material on Sider Rock, then in 2023 for Roll On and in 2025 with Dangerous Times.
