Living Colour - ProfilesArchive

About Me

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For serious US booking inquiries please contact :
Bruce Solar
The Agency Group
1880 Century Park East Suite 711
Los Angeles, CA 90067 USA
email contact:
Agent: [email protected]
Assistant: [email protected]
Ph: 310.385.2800
Fax: 310.385.1220

For serious European booking inquires, please contact :
Hubi @ [email protected]
Website : http://www.directbookingberlin.de

During the 1980s, rock had become completely segregated and predictable; the opposite of the late '60s/early '70s, when such musically and ethnically varied artists as Jimi Hendrix, Sly & the Family Stone, and Santana ruled the Earth. But bands such as New York's Living Colour helped break down the doors by the end of the '80s, leading to a much more open-minded musical landscape that would eventually pave the way for future bands (Rage Against the Machine, Sevendust, etc.). The group (singer Corey Glover, guitarist Vernon Reid, bassist Muzz Skillings, and drummer Will Calhoun) first formed in the mid-'80s, with Reid being the only member with real prior band experience; he was a member of Ronald Shannon Jackson's experimental jazz outfit THE DECODING SOCIETY, and had recorded with Defunkt, Public Enemy, as well as issuing a solo album with Bill Frisell, 1984's Smash & Scatteration.
It took the fledgling band a few years for their sound to gel, as they honed their act at N.Y.C.'s famed CBGB's. But the group found an unlikely supporter in Mick Jagger, who took the band under his wing, produced a demo for the quartet, and helped them secure a record deal with Epic (just prior, Glover had to take a brief leave of absence from the band, as he landed a role in Oliver Stone's Vietnam War epic movie, Platoon). Living Colour's debut album, Vivid , was issued in the summer of 1988, yet it would take a few months for momentum to build. By the winter, the band's striking video for their anthem "Cult of Personality" was all over MTV, pushing Vivid to the upper reaches of the charts and to platinum certification. Living Colour also took home their first of several Grammy Awards, as "Cult" won Best Hard Rock Performance at the 1989 ceremony, and the band supported the release with a string of dates opening stadiums for the Rolling Stones' first U.S. tour in eight years that autumn.
Starting with Vivid and continuing on future albums, the band showed that rock could still convey a message (as evidenced by such tracks as "Open Letter to a Landlord," "Funny Vibe," among others). The quartet regrouped a year later for their sophomore effort, Time's Up , an album that performed respectfully on the charts but failed to live up to the expectations of their smash debut. An appearance at the inaugural Lollapalooza tour in the summer of 1991 kept the group in the public's eye, as did an EP of outtakes, Biscuits . Skillings left the group shortly thereafter (replaced by studio vet Doug Wimbish), as their darkest and most challenging release yet, Stain , was issued in 1993. Although it failed to sell as well as its predecessors, it retained the band's large and dedicated following, as Living Colour appeared to be entering an interesting and groundbreaking new musical phase of their career. The band began writing the following year for what would be their fourth full-length, but an inability to settle on a single musical direction caused friction between the members, leading to Living Colour's demise in early 1995, and the best-of Pride , was released.
In the wake of Living Colour's split, all of its former members pursued other projects. Reid issued a solo album, 1996's Mistaken Identity (as well as guesting on other artist's recordings), while Glover attempted to launch a career as a solo artist, issuing the overlooked Hymns in 1998 and finding time to appear as a VJ on VH1 and acting in the 1996 movie Loose Women. Calhoun and Wimbish remained together and launched a new outfit, the drum'n'bass-inspired Jungle Funk , who issued a self-titled debut release in 1997 (Wimbish also issued a solo album, Trippy Notes for Bass , in 1999). With Living Colour out of commission for several years by the early 21st century, Calhoun and Wimbish teamed up once more with Glover in a new outfit, Headfake, playing often in the New York City area. A few days before Christmas in 2000, Headfake played a show at CBGB's, and were joined on-stage by Reid, which led to rumors of an impending Living Colour reunion. The rumors proved to be true, as Living Colour launched their first tour together in six years during the summer of 2001.
In 2003, Living Colour returned with a deal with Sanctuary and their most experimental release to date, CollideÃ¸scope ... Instant Live released Instant Live: Avalon - Boston, MA, 10/17/04 . Two years later the rarities collection What's Your Favorite Color? (Remixes, B-Sides & Rarities) was released, followed by Live at CBGB's Tuesday 12/19/89 , and Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour in 2006, and released their first DVD : On Stage @ World Cafe Live, recorded December 15th 2005 @ World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, PA. In 2007, Living Colour also re-recorded Cult of Personality for Guitar Hero 3.
~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish have also recorded w/ Mos Def, Bernie Worrell, and Dr. Know as Black Jack Johnson, featured on Mos Def's "The New Danger".
Please visit the Living Colour Blog
Sam's Living Colour Site

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 6/27/2007
Band Website: myspace.com/livingcolourmusic
Band Members:
Vernon Reid - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Vocals, Sampling, Guitar Synth

Will Calhoun - Percussion, Drums, Tabla, Vocals, Sampling, Electronic Percussion, Water Drums, Loop

Corey Glover - lead vocals

Doug Wimbish - Bass, Vocals, Beats, Sound Design, Ambience

Influences: Miles Davis, Coltrane, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Carlos Santana, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Mahavishnu Orchestra, James Brown, Parliament Funkadelic, The Isley Brothers, Earth Wind and Fire, Al Green, Mick Jagger, Sly and the Family Stone, Bad Brains, The Clash, Talking Heads, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Marvin Gaye, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Last Exit, Stevie Wonder, Run-D.M.C., Prince, Public Enemy, Fishbone and the list goes on...
Sounds Like:
Living Colour - On Stage at World Cafe Live

Living Colour - On Stage @ World Cafe Live DVD. ORDER NOW!!!

Record Label: Sanctuary/Sony
Type of Label: Major

My Blog

A BRIEF TESTIMONIAL TO BUDDY MILES.....By Will Calhoun

A BRIEF TESTIMONIAL TO BUDDY MILES.....By Will Calhoun Yes, Buddy Miles was a huge influence on my drumming. His groove was heavy and funky. He wrote fantastic classic songs, his voice was directly c...
Posted by Living Colour on Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:09:00 PST

Monthly Playlist

Jan 2007Open Letter to a Landlord (live from Electric Lady Lady 1990) Time’s Up - Live from De Melkweg (9-22-2003) Desperate People - demo 1986 What’s Your Favorite Color medley - 1989Feb ...
Posted by Living Colour on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 06:52:00 PST

Songs in Rotation - March

To commemorate the 15th anniversary of STAIN, we’ve posted Ignorance is Bliss, Leave It Alone, and Bi ... with the alternate solo’s. (We’ve also added 17 Days - Live, released on the...
Posted by Living Colour on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:27:00 PST

Get Ready for Marchs playlist

Will be adding a few songs to the player and getting rid of a few this month.....
Posted by Living Colour on Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:59:00 PST

Actor plays Judas as more than betrayer

Playing Judas, the foil to Ted Neeley's Jesus, in "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines this week is Corey Glover. The New York native broke through in the mid-'80s as fro...
Posted by Living Colour on Sat, 02 Feb 2008 08:38:00 PST

4 songs in rotation...

First off, thank you for your top song requests, we're keeping track of them and your input is GREATLY appreciated! We'll be changing the bottom 4 songs this week, for the month of February, dedicated...
Posted by Living Colour on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 06:32:00 PST

Too Many Spam friend requests

Apologies to all, but we are getting hit with a lot of spam friend requests (especially from the fake Tom), so we will be requires the use of CAPTCHA ( This is a special image that computers h...
Posted by Living Colour on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:37:00 PST

Vernon Reid brings colour to the Adelaide International Guitar Festival

Guitars, guitars, guitars! Adelaide is set to come alive as the finest musicians from around the world head to town for the 1st Adelaide International Guitar Festival through November and December. On...
Posted by Living Colour on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:19:00 PST

Doug Wimbish presents WIMBASH 2008 @ NAMM

Posted by Living Colour on Wed, 02 Jan 2008 01:50:00 PST

Rock singer takes act to the stage as Judas

By Shay QuillenMercury News Nearly 20 years ago, Corey Glover and Living Colour set a new standard for black rock bands, scoring a big MTV hit with "Cult of Personality" and playing stadiums with the...
Posted by Living Colour on Wed, 02 Jan 2008 06:23:00 PST