Gabriel Yacoub was a French musician and singer, a major figure in French folk music. He died on January 22 following a long illness, at the age of 72.
The name Malicorne evokes for many baby boomers an era of revival of French folk music, now over. However, the work of Gabriel Yacoub, leader and founding member of the group, was absolutely essential in the development of this movement, as a French response to the hegemony of the Anglo-Saxons, with artists like Bob Dylan.
At the beginning of the 1970s, with his partner Marie Yacoub and other musicians, Laurent Vercambe and Hughes de Courson, he modernized traditional French music by integrating electric instruments. The release of notable albums, Malicorne in 1974 at The Extraordinary Tour de France by Adélard Rousseau, known as Nivernais the key to hearts, Companion carpenter of duty in 78 allowed the group to find its audience, including outside French borders. Songs like “Martin” and “La Fille aux mots” have become classics, cornerstones of Malicorne’s success. Over time, the group evolved a little more towards progressive rock.
Solo career or almost
-In the 2010s, he found Marie Sauvet (ex-Marie Yacoub) and launched a tour under the name “Gabriel et Marie de Malicorne”, with four new musicians. In 2017, they gave their last concert at the Paimpol Sea Song Festival.
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