In 1977, Pierre Harel, Michel Lamothe, and Roger Belval, three former members of the band Offenbach, decided to form a new group, joined by guitarist Donald Hince. The following year, guitarist Jean Millaire, who had just spent a few months with Offenbach, and singer Marjolène Morin, nicknamed Marjo, completed the lineup. However, Pierre Harel left the band even before the release of Corbeau's first album in 1979, an album where Corbeau's two voices share the tracks equally. The most notable ones are "Cash-moé", "Agriculture", and "Gisèle", which Louise Forestier had also performed on her album "Accroche-coeur" a few months earlier.
Subsequently, Marjo wrote almost all the song lyrics and, with her fiery stage presence, quickly gave this hard-rock band a distinct personality. Despite a slow start, the band achieved some success with "J'lâche pas" and "Suite 16", winning the Félix Award for Group of the Year in 1981 and 1982, while the album "Il=" won the Félix Award for Rock Album of the Year in 1982. The band also received Music Express awards for Best Group, Best Album, and Best Song for "Illégal", while the Performing Rights Organization (PRO) awarded a prize in 1983 to Marjolène Morin, author of the song "Illégal". In addition to its title track, this album brought the band several radio hits: all 1980s rock fans know the lyrics to "Maladie d'amour", "Slow Motion", and above all "Ailleurs", which Marjo would record as her own solo song several years later.
But Corbeau's true strength was most strongly felt on stage.
