Vilain Pingouin
| Vilain Pingouin | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Quebec, Canada |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Website | www |
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| Past members |
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Vilain Pingouin is a rock band from Quebec, Canada.
After having played for a few years with various English-speaking rock groups, Rudy Caya and Michel Vaillancourt decided to plunge into more Francophone waters by playing with Les Taches from 1982 to 1986. Determined to push this Francophile experience even further, they started their own band.
Vilain Pingouin was born in Montreal in 1986 during a boom in Francophone rock music. Along with singer-songwriter Rudy Caya and drummer Michel Vaillancourt, the group included guitarist Rodolphe Fortier, harmonica player Claude Samson and bassist Frédéric Bonicard. A few months after its formation, Vilain Pingouin performed in the spring 1987 Rock en Vol contest and at the first International Rock Festival in Montreal (FIRM). Audiences responded well to the band's enthusiastic, raw, and—above all—original music, which brought Vilain Pingouin to the finals of the L'Empire des Futures Stars contest the following year.
In 1989, Vilain Pingouin recorded their first single, "François," under the Audiogram label, to which the band has remained faithful throughout its career. "François" was a hit, remaining on MusiquePlus' rotation for twelve weeks. The same year another single, "Salut Salaud", propelled Vilain Pingouin to the top of the Radio-Activity charts.
After completing its first provincial tour of Quebec, the group released its refreshing debut album, "Vilain Pingouin" on September 12, 1990. With tracks whose sounds evoked everything from U.S. country music to 60s pop, "Vilain Pingouin" transformed the Quebec music scene and achieved gold status in 1991. Several tracks, including "Sous la Pluie", "Les Belles Années" and "Marche Seul" became hits. Vilain Pingouin was named "Group of the Year" at ADISQ in 1991. The same year they also took home the awards for video of the year and best editing for "Marche Seul" at the first MusiquePlus Gala. Their self-titled album is often considered to be their most acclaimed and well-known.
Riding a wave of popularity, Vilain Pingouin embarked on a major tour of over two hundred shows in Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick. Despite their hectic schedule, they still managed to record and release their second album, "Roche et Roule", in the fall of 1992. "Roche et Roule" was acclaimed as both more varied and more "authentic" than their previous work. Its songs ranged from the folksy "Passe-Moi le Celt" and "Chu tu Seul à Soir", to jazz-influenced "Festin de Pingouins" and "Le Bleu de Papier Blanc", to the Cajun-accented "P'tite Vie, P'tite Misère". The album won Vilain Pingouin many new fans and consolidated the band's popularity.
In spring 1993, the group participated in the Rock Le Lait tour alongside Jean Leloup and France D'Amour and won the Félix "Album of the Year - rock" award at the ADISQ Gala. The same year, Vilain Pingouin's popularity crossed the Atlantic when "Roche et Roule" was released in France under the Boucherie Production label. In spring 1994, the band performed 15 concerts spread across "the six corners" of France. The "Tour de France" was a success, winning Vilain Pingouin both popular and critical acclaim in the country.
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