Living Colour

This US rock band was originally formed by Vernon Reid (b. England; guitar), Muzz Skillings (bass) and William Calhoun (drums). Reid had studied performing arts at Manhattan Community College, having moved to New York at the age of two. His first forays were in experimental electric jazz with Defunk, before he formed Living Colour as a trio in 1984. Both Skillings and Calhoun were experienced academic musicians, having studied and received acclaim at City College and Berklee College Of Music respectively. The line-up was completed by the induction of vocalist Corey Glover, who had just finished his part in Oliver Stone's Platoon movie, and whom Reid had originally encountered at a friend's birthday party. Their first major engagement came when Mick Jagger caught them performing at CBGB's and invited them to the studio for his forthcoming solo album. Jagger's patronage continued as he produced two demos for the band, which would secure them a deal with Epic Records. Their debut, VIVID, earned them early critical favour and rose to number 6 in the US charts. Fusing disparate black musical formats like jazz, blues and soul, alongside commercial hard rock, its diversity was reflected in the support slots the band acquired to promote it; Cheap Trick, Robert Palmer and Billy Bragg among them. Musically, the band is aligned primarily to the first named of that trio of acts, although their political edge more closely mirrors the concerns of Bragg. In 1985, Reid formed the Black Rock Coalition pressure movement alongside journalist Greg Tate, and Living Colour grew to be perceived as their nation's most articulate black rock band. Two subsequent singles, Cult Of Personality (which included samples of John F. Kennedy) and Open Letter (To A Landlord) were both provocative but intelligent expressions of ethnocentric concerns. The ties with the Rolling Stones are still strong however, with Reid collaborating on Keith Richards' solo album. They also joined the Stones on their STEEL WHEELS tour. After sweeping the boards in several Best New Band awards in such magazines as Rolling Stone, TIME'S UP was released in 1991. Notable contributions, apart from the omnipresent Jagger, included Little Richard on the controversial Elvis Is Dead. 1991 saw worldwide touring establish them as a highly potent force in the mainstream of rock. Bassist Doug Wimbish from Tackhead joined them for STAIN which added a sprinkling of studio gimmickry on a number of tracks.