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LIVING COLOUR...

Living Colour exploded onto the 80s heavy metal scene with a collective sound like no other band to date. I wide variety of bands and musicians influenced the music of living Colour, including Parliament, Jimi Hendrix, and Van Halen. Although there were many familiar elements to the music, Living Colour was able to create a completely unique style that blends elements of hard rock, heavy metal, jazz, hardcore, punk, soul and progressive rock. It is one thing to arbitrarily incorporate different musical styles into one's music; yet, it is another thing to do so while maintaining an original and focused voice that is entirely unique unto itself. Living Colour fully achieved a unique voice.

The band was founded in 1984 by Vernon Reid, Living Colour's virtuoso guitarist. Vernon, a very well networked musician in the New York jazz and rock scene, pulled in lead singer, Corey Glover, bassist, Muzz Skillings who was eventually replaced by bass wizard Doug Wimbish, and drummer, Will Calhoun. This all-star line-up of musicians was also unique bunch in that all members were black. It was pretty much unprecedented to have a band of all black musicians playing hard rock and heavy metal music, apart from Jimi Hendrix and his Band of Gypsies circa 1969-70, which featured Billy Cox on bass, and Buddy Miles on drums. Living Colour came along at a crucial time culturally; when blacks, and really, just people in general forgot about the contributions blacks made to rock n roll. Living Colour burst onto the scene with an aggressive, hard and funky reminder that the seeds of hard rock music were originally planted by black musicians, such as Little Richard, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Hendrix, and the countless blues guitarists that shaped the evolution of rock n roll guitar playing and songwriting. Also, during this time period, you saw bands such as Bad Brains (a progressive punk/ska band from D.C./NY areas), Fishbone, and even the Red Hot Chili Peppers - who gave obvious nods to the their black funk heroes such as Parliament, and Bootsy Collins these bands further placed black rock on the map, exposing it to a whole new generation of music listeners, and musicians.

Living Colour was signed to Epic Records in 1987, thanks to one of their biggest fans and supporters, Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones, who produced their demo. The band would go on to earn two Grammy Awards and two MTV Music Video Awards for their efforts on their popular and critically acclaimed albums, Vivid, Times Up, and Stain, respectively. Another significant contribution that Living Colour made to rock music was their ability to push the envelope creatively, capturing a progressive sound that was still inviting to the listening public. In this capacity, Living Colour, to an even greater extent than a band such as Kings X, was able to expose popular music listeners to the world of progressive metal music, while earning the categorization of a musicians band.

With Vernons insane guitar sounds and odd-time signature riffing, laid on top of the nasty beats coming from Will Calhouns drum kit, and the hard, funky grooves coming from Doug Wimbish or Muzz Skillings on the bass, and all topped off by Coreys soulful and powerful voice and interesting vocal lines, Living Colour will forever enjoy a place in history as one of the most talented, original, and inventive bands of all time. And I owe them a huge nod for pushing me further in my musical development, and providing me a whole band of role models to know that I can play the music that is in my soul (METAL) despite the fact that I may not fit the current popular image and aesthetic of a hard rock heavy metal musician.

This profile is a TRIBUTE to one of my favorite bands, and a band that you should all get to know. I encourage you to buy ALL of their albums and go see them LIVE. In my humble opinion, it'll be the best money you ever spend, for sure!!!

For more up to date tour info and Living Colour news please visit:

http://www.livingcolour.com