Mural displaying handprints of past artists at Chez Bozo has been found
Posted December 17, 2025 2:57 pm.
Last Updated December 17, 2025 3:05 pm.
The wall of honour of Chez Bozo, Quebec’s first singer-songwriters’ club which saw the emergence of the immense talents of the era in 1959 and 1960, has been found and will be classified as a heritage property.
This wall, which was thought to have been destroyed over the years, still bears the handprints and signatures of several dozen personalities and pioneers of French song who passed through this mythical place, located at 1208 Crescent Street in Montreal.
The music venue had inherited its name from the group Les Bozos, formed by Hervé Brousseau, Clémence DesRochers, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Claude Léveillée and Raymond Lévesque.
Besides Les Bozos themselves, other celebrities who left their mark and signature there included André Gagnon, Félix Leclerc, Alys Robi, Pauline Julien, Édith Piaf, Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, and Guy Béart. Gouache was always ready, and dipping one’s hand in it to leave a trace of one’s visit was an essential ritual for any artist who frequented the place.
The historic mural was discovered by Alexandre Leclerc – also known as Bernhari, a singer-songwriter – following research in the national archives and on-site investigations. In collaboration with his friend Maxime Le Flaguais, they took the necessary steps with government authorities, and it didn’t take much effort to convince the Minister of Culture, Mathieu Lacombe, to recognize the historical value of this remarkable mural and to have it designated a heritage site.
Inspired by the discovery of this wall, Alexandre Leclerc and Maxime Le Flaguais announced Wednesday the reopening of the music venue, which will be renamed La Maison des Bozos, to once again host performances by local and international artists. A museum space will be located within the performance hall, where visitors can see the Bozos Wall of Honour, as well as various artifacts and heritage objects.
They intend to create a new Bozos group, which should also consist of four men and one woman, and to create another wall where the artists will also leave their mark. The sole survivor of the original group, Clémence DesRochers, has recreated a handprint on a plaque meant to symbolize the evolution of the Bozos from the 1960s to those of today.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
