Black (singer)

Black is the name by which the British singer Colin Vearncombe ( born May 26, 1962 in Roby, Liverpool, England) published his works. Became known for "Black" in the 1980s by the hit singles Sweetest Smile, Wonderful Life and Everything's Coming Up Roses. Until 1985 was "Black " is the name of the band, then made ​​Vearncombe without his comrades under the same name with alternating solo studio musicians on - including first and band co-founder Dave Dickie, who re-emerged as a sound engineer and occasionally on the keyboard instruments.

Band History

The band " Black" was of Vearncombe (vocals, guitar, keyboards ) and Dave " Dix " Dickie (keyboards, guitar) and Jimmy Sangster ( bass) founded in 1980 in Liverpool as a trio. My first concert was the band that romantic rock / pop like The Associates and The Chameleons played on New Year's Day 1981. This formation also played the first single human features for the indie label Rox Records a. As of June 1982, the band consisted only of Vearncombe and Dickie. After another single on the indie label WWO and a tour supporting the Thompson Twins they could get a contract with a major label: Eternal Records of Wah! Manager Pete Fulwell, which was distributed by WEA Records. Two singles were the result, commercial success, however, remained and WEA lacked the patience, they left Black fall again.

Dickie concentrated on working as a sound engineer / producer; Vearncombe withdrew, writing songs, rehearsing and looking for a new label. With the song Wonderful Life, he could arrive at the little Ugly Man Records - and made it so that in September 1986, to penetrate into the lower regions of the charts. Now again had a major label interest, Vearncombe / Black signed with A & M Records. The first single on the new label, Everything's Coming Up Roses, however, was not a hit in the UK; only Sweetest Smile came into the charts, but then the same in the top 10 followed by a new, improved uptake of Wonderful Life, and the debut album of the same name, which peaked at # 3 on the album charts. ( As the ascent became clear WEA quickly brought the old songs on an LP titled Black out, but without being able to build on the success. ) Musicians on these recordings were, among others bassist Roy Corkhill, drummer Jimmy Hughes and saxophonist Martin Green.

The second album Comedy (1988 ) remained along with his singles in the lower regions of the charts. This was also true in 1991 produced LP entitled Black; among other factors here Robert Palmer and singer Sam Brown with, and the Swede Camilla Griehsel (former singer of the band One 2 Many), the Vearncombe had married shortly before. The contract with A & M ran out now; Vearncombe withdrew to Normandy and took with producer Mike Hedges Album Are We Having Fun Yet? on which appeared in 1994 on his own label nero- black. Meanwhile, an insurance company Wonderful Life had used for a commercial, so that the song came to a third stay in the UK singles chart. In the charts, the song also reached in 2000 by a cover version of Hyper Child.

Vearncombe 1999, it introduced a series of recordings under his own name out. A new album as Black, Between Two Churches, was released in November 2005.

Quote

"Black will never be a band. It means a lot to be able to identify myself with it only to me. It is sufficient if the musicians involved do what I expect of them. "

Discography

Albums

Singles

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