Black is a British band formed in the early 80s. The musicians of the group released about a dozen rock songs, which today are considered classics.
At the origins of the team is Colin Wyrncombe. He was not only considered the leader of the group, but also the author of most of the top songs. At the beginning of the creative path, the sound of pop-rock prevailed in musical works, in more mature tracks, a mix of indie and folk is clearly audible.
"Black" - has become one of the most popular bands in the UK. Their compositions are distinguished by the presence of romanticism and lyrics. The band's discography consists of 7 LPs. The composition Wonderful Life is still considered the hallmark of the group. Until 2016, not one released composition repeated the success of the aforementioned track.
The history of the formation of the Black group
At the origins of the formation of the team is a talented musician K. Virnkoumb. Before the creation of the rock band, Colin already had considerable experience in the band Epileptic Tits.
After some time, he decided to "put together" his own project. In 1980, he formed the Black group. Colin first of all wanted to realize himself as an author and performer of his own tracks.
For the first few years after the formation of the group, session musicians played in the team. A year after the formation of the group, the musicians held their first performance at a party of their friends. In the same year, the presentation of the debut single Human Features took place. The guys released only a thousand copies of singles.
In a short period of time, the cassettes with the recording were sold out.
A year later, the composition of the group increased by one member. Dickey joined the team. The musician was listed in the team until the end of the 80s.
In 1983, the presentation of the single More Than the Sun took place. A year after the premiere of the track, the line-up increased by one more musician. D. Sangster joined the group. The latter, took part in the recording of Hey Presto.
The musicians were in search of a suitable label. Until a certain period, the guys' tracks were ignored by fans of heavy music, so the representatives of the labels believed that Black was obviously not a promising and failed band.
Despite the fact that they appeared on John Peel's radio programs on the BBC, the musicians' work still did not excite music lovers. Tension grew within the team. Dickey, who during this period of time also served as producer. He stopped promoting the group, which only aggravated the situation of the team.
In the 85th year, the group almost found itself on the verge of disintegration. The fact is that the frontman divorced his wife. Colin was left without a roof over his head. That same year, he was involved in a serious car accident that almost took his life.
Presentation of the track Wonderful Life
It was during this difficult period that Colin composed the band's top composition with the ironic title Wonderful Life. A year later, the group still managed to sign an agreement with Ugly Man Records. The record label agreed to release the first version of the aforementioned track.
The piece of music created a real sensation. For the first time in several years, the group's track hit the chart. True, the song took only 42nd chart.
Colin was dissatisfied with the work with the label, so he was in search of new companies. Soon he managed to reach the managers of the label A&M Records. At this time, Sanster decided to leave the team. His place was taken by the talented musician Roy Corkhill. In addition, at this time saxophonist Martin Green and drummer Jimm Hughes joined the line-up.
The collaboration between A&M Records has been beneficial to both parties. Collaborating with the mentioned label, the musicians really managed to unleash the full potential of their capabilities.
In 87, Black's repertoire was replenished with two singles - Everything`s Coming Up Roses and Sweetest Smile. The latter, took 8th place in the country's music chart.
During this period of time, the organizers of the label wanted to re-record the Wonderful Life track. In the same year, a video clip was filmed for the track. A year later, the video received the Golden Lion award.
Black: The peak of the band's popularity
The promotion of the track on the radio helped him become a XNUMX% hit. The rating of the group went through the roof. In the future, Colin received letters from fans with confessions that the composition sounded equally appropriate at wedding and funeral ceremonies.
On the wave of popularity, the guys release a full-fledged debut longplay, with the same name.
The record produced a stunning effect. Not only fans, but also music critics spoke flatteringly about the disc. As a result, the collection took the third position in the music chart. An avalanche of popularity hit the guys. The musicians did not waste time in vain - they went on a large-scale tour.
A year later, the presentation of the group's second studio album took place. It's about the Comedy record. The collection includes several new versions of the top compositions of the group's repertoire. Note that the compilations for Europe and America differed in a different set of tracks.
The second studio album sounded different from the debut LP. Music critics agreed that the tracks of the second album came out lighter and more lyrical. In some works, the musicians touched on social topics.
In general, the album was warmly received by fans and music critics, but the success of the debut album could not be repeated. The record received the so-called "silver" status in the UK.
Changes in the composition of the Black group
A year later, the team left Dickey. Soon, Colin kicked out almost all the musicians, except for saxophonist Green. He updated the squad. At that time Roy was in the line-up: Martin, Brad Lang, Gordon Morgan, Pete Davis.
At the beginning of the 90s, the band's discography became richer by one more album. This year there was a presentation of the LP, which was called Black. Popular singer Robert Palmer and performer Camilla Grisel took part in the recording of the collection. By the way, the latter eventually became the wife of Wyrncombe.
A little later, she will appear as a backing vocalist on Colin's solo records.
The third studio album sold well. Some critics attributed the LP to another strong work of the rock band. Despite the success and excellent sales, A&M Records did not renew the contract with the group. Colin wanted some freedom. He founded an independent label.
In 1994, a presentation of a new LP was already held on an independent label. The record was called Are We Having Fun Yet?. The collection was warmly received by fans and critics.
The collapse of the Black group
The highlight of the fourth studio album was: lyrical sound, the presence of string and wind instruments, experiments with opera. This is the first album that did not find interest among music lovers and fans.
The record did not sell well and went unnoticed by fans of heavy music. In the wake of a decline in popularity, Colin disbanded the lineup. In 1994, the musicians ceased to delight fans with their appearance on stage.
Colin was forced to take a break and did not work on pumping the group. The musician felt frankly bad. He was consumed by depression. In the period 1999-2000, the musician released three solo albums. Colin moved to Ireland with his wife and children. He often performed as a solo singer and musician. At this time, he also took up the fine arts.
In 2005, the group's discography was replenished with a new studio album. Note that this is the group's first longplay since 1994. Colin released a collection under the Black brand. When the collection was mixed, the musician realized that the studio work must be released under this creative pseudonym.
The new collection was designed in the style of rock and folk. The record was saturated with philosophy. Colin seemed to analyze his own life, creative path and his state of mind. Talented session musicians worked on the recording of the aforementioned record.
A couple of years later, the leader of the group, with several musicians, went on a protracted tour with the popular band The Christians. Concert performances became the reason for the release of the live record Road To Nowhere. The presentation of the collection took place in 2007.
In 2009, the frontman composed material for two records at once: the fourth independent record, as well as the sixth studio album under the Black brand.
For several years, Colin and the musicians continued to be active. They traveled with concerts on different continents of the world. Only in 2015, the group's discography was replenished with the seventh studio album. Longplay was called Blind Faith. Note that this is Colin's latest work.
Death of frontman and demise of Black
In early January 2016, the "father" of the Black group was in a serious car accident. He was injured and spent a couple of weeks in a vegetative state. He passed away on January 26, 2016. He didn't regain consciousness. According to the Black website, he died surrounded by family members - his wife and three sons. After the death of the leader of the Black band, the musicians put an end to the history of the group.
