Along with singer-songwriter Rudy Caya and drummer Michel Vaillancourt, the group included guitarist Rodolphe Fortier, harmonica player Claude Samson and bassist Frédéric Bonicard.

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.

After completing its first provincial tour of Quebec, the group released its refreshing debut album, "Vilain Pingouin" on September 12, 1990.

Riding a wave of popularity, Vilain Pingouin embarked on a major tour of over two hundred shows in Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick.

The same year, Vilain Pingouin's popularity crossed the Atlantic when "Roche et Roule" was released in France under the Boucherie Production label.

In November 1994, they announced that they would take a hiatus after a farewell show titled "Pingouins sur Glace" at Snatches Electric in December 1994.

Rudy Caya took advantage of this pause to record a solo album, "Mourir de Rire," in 1995, which included the single of the same name.

But when Vilain Pingouin's "Roche et Roule" went gold that same year, Caya gathered the band back together with all the original members except bassist Fred Bonicard, who was replaced by Michel Bertrand.

The band's eclectic sound, influenced by jazz, hip-hop, reggae, and alternative music, once again attracted large crowds and frenzied fans.