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Black Country Communion

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Black Country Communion
Black Country Communion in 2011. From left to right: Derek Sherinian, Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa and Jason Bonham.
Black Country Communion in 2011. From left to right: Derek Sherinian, Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa and Jason Bonham.
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active
  • 2009–2013
  • 2016–present
Labels
SpinoffsCalifornia Breed
MembersGlenn Hughes
Joe Bonamassa
Jason Bonham
Derek Sherinian
Websitebccommunion.com

Black Country Communion is an English-American hard rock band based in Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2009, the band is a supergroup composed of bassist and lead vocalist Glenn Hughes, guitarist and second vocalist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham, and keyboardist Derek Sherinian.

Hughes and Bonamassa started the side project in November 2009 after an impromptu performance together. From the advice of their producer, Kevin Shirley, they recruited Bonham and Sherinian to finalize the band's lineup. The name Black Country Communion is derived from the term Black Country, which refers to an area of the West Midlands of England where Hughes and Bonham grew up. The group's sound is intentionally reminiscent of popular classic rock groups of the 1970s, reflecting the previous work of frontman Hughes (in bands such as Trapeze and Deep Purple) as well as the link between Bonham and his father John's band Led Zeppelin.

After playing together for a while, the group released its self-titled debut album in 2010. Black Country Communion 2 followed the next year, which was promoted on the group's first concert tour of the US and Europe. The band released its third album Afterglow in 2012. Early the next year, Bonamassa left and Black Country Communion subsequently broke up, with Hughes and Bonham forming California Breed shortly thereafter. In 2016, Hughes and Bonamassa reconciled and the band returned, with BCCIV released the following year. In 2024, the group released its fifth album, V.

History

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2009–10: Formation and debut album

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Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa formed Black Country Communion in November 2009.

Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa first met at the 2006 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, after which they jammed together at Hughes' studio in Hollywood with the idea to make music together in the future.[1] Bonamassa also worked with Jason Bonham that year, when the drummer performed on the guitarist's fifth studio album You & Me on the recommendation of producer and mutual friend Kevin Shirley.[2] Hughes and Bonamassa reunited three years later in November 2009, performing together at the House of Blues in Los Angeles for Guitar Center.[2] It was at this point that the two decided to form a new band.[1] The idea of enlisting Bonham and keyboardist Derek Sherinian to complete the band's lineup was suggested by Shirley,[3] after a second guitarist was briefly considered instead of a keyboardist.[1]

The completed quartet first performed together during the encore at one of Bonamassa's solo shows in Riverside, California on March 17, 2010, playing "One Last Soul" and a cover version of the Deep Purple song "Mistreated".[4] The name Black Country Communion was not finalised until May 2010,[4] after the threat of legal action from another band prevented the group from using the name Black Country.[5] Hughes later revealed that the band in question, from Baltimore, Maryland, reportedly demanded $500,000 for the right to use the name Black Country, a move which he quickly condemned as "just rude".[6] The bassist later elaborated on the situation in a 2016 interview, explaining that his group had successfully bought the name Black Country from the Baltimore-based band (for less than the initially touted $500,000), although by the time the case was settled it was too late to use the name and they instead had to continue using the longer moniker Black Country Communion.[7]

The band recorded its debut album at Los Angeles' Shangri-La Studios in early 2010, scheduling a September release through Mascot Records in Europe and Bonamassa's label J&R Adventures in North America.[8] Hughes described the album as "a big British rock statement", comparing the band's sound to that of his previous groups Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, as well as Led Zeppelin.[6] "One Last Soul" was the first song to be released, receiving its worldwide debut on British digital radio station Planet Rock on August 2, 2010.[9] The track was later released as a free digital download on the band's official website.[10] Shortly before the album's release, Planet Rock also broadcast an hour-long documentary featuring exclusive interviews with the band and a selection of tracks from the album.[11]

Black Country Communion was officially released in Europe on September 20, 2010, and in North America a day later.[8] On the night of its European release, the band played its first official show at the John Henry Rehearsal Studios in London, in front of a limited crowd of "around 75–100 people".[12] The performance was broadcast on Planet Rock that night, and again later on September 24.[13] The album was a commercial success in the UK, reaching number 13 on the UK Albums Chart and topping the UK Rock Albums Chart,[14][15] while in the US it peaked at number 54 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.[16] It also received mainly positive reviews from music critics, including four-star reviews from AllMusic reviewer Eduardo Rivadavia and Mojo writer Paul Elliott.[3][17] The band did not tour in promotion of the album, playing just two shows in the UK at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall and London's Shepherd's Bush Empire.[18] At the end of the year, Black Country Communion won the Planet Rock awards for Band of the Year and Best New Band.[19]

2010–12: Second album and touring

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Talk of a second album began to circulate as early as October 2010, just a month after the release of Black Country Communion, when Bonham estimated that the band would start recording again in January 2011.[20] By December, Hughes had already written nine tracks for the album, which he suggested would serve as a direct sequel to the first album.[1] The album was scheduled for release in June 2011, with the band set to embark on a promotional tour to coincide with its release.[21] "The Outsider" was released as a free digital download on the band's website in May,[22] followed by a music video for "Man in the Middle" the next month.[23] The album was released on June 13, 2011 in Europe and the following day in North America, selling over 8,000 copies in its first week in the US (compared to the 7,100 units of Black Country Communion) but only debuting on the Billboard 200 chart at number 71.[16][24] The album was also less successful on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number 23 (ten places lower than its predecessor).[14]

In 2011, the band embarked on its debut tour to promote Black Country Communion 2.

In promotion of Black Country Communion 2, the band completed a short tour of Europe between June and July supported by the Michael Schenker Group.[25][26] The group also performed in the US for the first time on the Black Country Communion 2 cycle, playing a total of seven shows in six states between June 10 and 19, 2011.[27] The band's first live video album, Live Over Europe, recorded during the summer tour of Europe, was released in October 2011 and screened in a select number of Vue Cinemas across the UK and Ireland the next month.[28][29] At the end of the year, the group won the Classic Rock award for Breakthrough Act of the Year.[30]

2012–13: Afterglow and disbandment

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The band returned to the studio in June 2012 to record the follow-up to Black Country Communion 2.[31] Discussing the direction of the group's third album, Hughes explained that it serves as "a continuation of the first and second albums", while also containing "darker [material]" and "moments of drama".[31] The first track released from the album was "Confessor", which was made available as a free download on the band's official website from September 19, 2012.[32] Afterglow was released the next month,[33] reaching number 29 in the UK and number 48 in the US.[14][16] Black Country Communion scheduled a one-off show at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on January 5, 2013,[34] with a video release of the concert planned for later in the year.[35] However, it was later announced that the concert had been cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances".[36] The band's producer Kevin Shirley offered an apology to fans the next day, suggesting that the show would be rescheduled at a later date.[37]

Speaking in August 2012, Hughes doubted the long-term future of the band by suggesting that Afterglow "just may be [the band's last album]", blaming the band's lack of regular touring (due in part to Joe Bonamassa's busy solo touring schedule) as a hindrance to the group's continued success.[38] He later clarified his comments by stating that they "were fuelled from frustration and aimed at motivating other members of the group to commit to a proper touring schedule", adding that if the band was unable to tour regularly then he would seek another band which could.[35] Later, both Bonamassa and Hughes both mentioned that they were "ready to move on" from Black Country Communion.[39]

After Black Country Communion's breakup in 2013, Hughes and Bonham formed California Breed with guitarist Andrew Watt.

Bonamassa eventually responded to rumors that he was to leave Black Country Communion, condemning Hughes' "bullying" of the guitarist to complete the planned 2013 show despite knowing that he was not able to, as well as the way in which he publicly revealed the tensions in the band and his claim of being the sole songwriter on Afterglow.[40] Bonham also revealed his frustration with the situation,[41] while Bonamassa's manager and business partner Roy Weisman admitted that it was his decision to cancel the Wolverhampton gig, based on Hughes's actions.[42] On March 13, 2013, Bonamassa announced that he was "happily not involved any more" with Black Country Communion.[43] Ten days later, Hughes confirmed that the band was over, revealing that Bonamassa would not allow the remaining members to continue with the Black Country Communion name.[44] Speaking about the future, he hinted that "Jason, Derek and I will continue with a different name when the time is right".[44] In August 2013, Sherinian joined Bonamassa's solo band as a full-time member,[45] and in February 2014, Hughes and Bonham unveiled a new band with guitarist Andrew Watt named California Breed.[46]

2016–present: Reformation, BCCIV and V

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In April 2016, it was announced that Black Country Communion would be reuniting in 2017 to record a fourth album.[47] Speaking about the supergroup's comeback, Bonham explained that the reunion was initially suggested by Bonamassa, who reached out to the other band members with the proposal.[48] Hughes and Bonamassa started writing new music for the forthcoming album in September,[49] with recording beginning the following January.[50] The album, entitled BCCIV, was released on September 22, 2017, and was promoted at two UK shows in January 2018.[51] BCCIV was the band's first release to reach the top ten of the UK Albums Chart.[14]

After the band's members returned to their respective solo careers, Bonham suggested in 2018 that Black Country Communion would be potentially returning to the studio the following January to start work on a new album.[52] However, Hughes later estimated that the band would likely not have time to work on new music until 2020.[53] This schedule was subsequently pushed back another year, when the bassist explained that "Joe [Bonamassa] and I have been talking ... for nine months now about album number five. At the moment ... we're looking at January 2021 to record."[54] Subsequently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this schedule was pushed for another year with possible work for new studio album not commencing until late 2021 with new studio album coming in 2022 at earliest, as iterated by Bonamassa, who also said that they still exist as a band: "We had on the books, we were gonna attempt a record in January 2021, but the timeline got pushed back. So it'll probably be a year from there — at the end of 2021. But, yeah, we're still a band, and we still all text each other and talk and stuff like that."[55] Bonamassa later stated that he and Hughes would start writing in October 2022, with the hope of recording the band's fifth album in 2023.[56]

BCC announced its first live shows in six years in March 2023, with the band set to perform on the Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea cruise a year later.[57] The group released its fifth album V in June 2024, with lead single "Stay Free" issued on March 1.[58]

Style and songwriting

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As a supergroup, Black Country Communion's style is often described as a mix of various different sounds and influences. Particular significance is attributed to the band's mix of blues rock (attributed primarily to Bonamassa's work within the genre) and hard rock (originating from Hughes' previous work with Deep Purple and Black Sabbath and from Bonham's tie with Led Zeppelin via his father John),[17] with some critics going as far as to claim that the group's sound is based on "the vintage Deep Purple template".[3] In reviews for the band's second album, a number of critics compared the sound of the group to that of Led Zeppelin – Eduardo Rivadavia of website AllMusic noted that the album "sounds like the baby of drummer Jason Bonham",[59] while Paul Cole of the Sunday Mercury claimed that it is "haunted by the spirit of Zeppelin".[60] Hughes has dubbed the group "a rock and roll band in the true sense of the word".[61]

Traditionally, the lyrical processes for Black Country Communion's albums have been led by Hughes, with Bonamassa only occasionally providing lyrical input.[62][63] The majority of the music on Black Country Communion was composed by Hughes and Bonamassa,[62] with Sherinian increasing his composition presence for the second album.[63] Noting the extensive touring commitments of Bonamassa, Hughes has claimed that he was "left as the keeper of the keys to write [the band's] albums", noting that for each record – which have been continuations of their predecessors – he has had more and more time to write material (six weeks for Black Country Communion, four months for Black Country Communion 2, six months for Afterglow).[64] Bonham has described the band's writing style as "spur of the moment".[48]

Band members

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Discography

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Main article: Black Country Communion discography

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Seaver, Morley. "Black Country Communion (Glenn Hughes) Interview". antiMusic. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Black Country Communion – Interviews Part 1. YouTube. July 1, 2010. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Black Country Communion - Black Country Communion: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Hughes, Bonham, Bonamassa, Sherinian Supergroup Names Itself Black Country Communion". Blabbermouth.net. May 31, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  5. ^ "Hughes, Bonham, Bonamassa, Sherinian Supergroup Names Itself Black Country Communion". Blabbermouth.net. May 31, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Interview: Glenn Hughes – Black Country Communion Name". EspyRock. August 4, 2010. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  7. ^ Ling, Dave (April 28, 2016). "Glenn Hughes recalls Black Country Communion name wrangle". Classic Rock. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Black Country Communion: Debut Album Details Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. June 10, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  9. ^ "Black Country Communion: 'One Last Soul' Song to Debut on U.K.'s Planet Rock". Blabbermouth.net. August 1, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  10. ^ "Black Country Communion: First Single Available for Free Download". Blabbermouth.net. August 10, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  11. ^ "Black Country Communion Documentary to Air on Planet Rock". Blabbermouth.net. September 2, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  12. ^ "Black Country Communion Plays First Official Gig in London: Video Footage, Review Available". Blabbermouth.net. September 21, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  13. ^ "Black Country Communion: Debut Concert to Be Re-Broadcast on Planet Rock". Blabbermouth.net. September 24, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  14. ^ a b c d "Black Country Communion Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  15. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40: 26 September 2010 - 02 October 2010". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  16. ^ a b c "Black Country Communion Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  17. ^ a b "Mojo Magazine Review". J&R Adventures. August 24, 2010. Archived from the original on October 4, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  18. ^ "Black Country Communion: Two U.K. Shows Announced". Blabbermouth.net. November 9, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  19. ^ "End of Year Poll 2010". Planet Rock. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  20. ^ "Jason Bonham Says Black Country Communion Will Begin Work on Second Album in January". Blabbermouth.net. October 27, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  21. ^ "Black Country Communion to Release New Album in June". Blabbermouth.net. January 11, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  22. ^ Stickler, Jon (May 9, 2011). "Black Country Communion Offer Free Download of First Track From New Album '2'". Stereboard. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  23. ^ "Black Country Communion: 'Man in the Middle' Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. June 6, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  24. ^ "Black Country Communion: '2' First-Week Sales Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. June 22, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  25. ^ "Black Country Communion: More European Tour Dates Announced". Blabbermouth.net. February 5, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  26. ^ "Michael Schenker Group To Support Black Country Communion In U.K." Blabbermouth.net. April 20, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  27. ^ "Black Country Communion: More U.S. Dates Announced". Blabbermouth.net. March 9, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  28. ^ "Black Country Communion: Complete 'Live Over Europe' DVD Details Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. September 1, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  29. ^ Parker, Matthew (October 12, 2011). "Black Country Communion – in a cinema near you". Total Guitar. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  30. ^ Barton, Geoff (November 10, 2011). "CR Awards: The Winners". Classic Rock. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  31. ^ a b Fanelli, Daniel (January 5, 2012). "Black Country Communion Plan New Album in 2012". Guitar World. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  32. ^ "Black Country Communion: New Song Available for Free Download". Blabbermouth.net. September 19, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  33. ^ "Black Country Communion: Complete 'Afterglow' Album Details Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. August 30, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  34. ^ Hodgson, Peter (September 17, 2012). "Black Country Communion Plan U.K. Homecoming". Gibson. Archived from the original on September 23, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  35. ^ a b "Black Country Communion to Play Wolverhampton Civic Again". Express & Star. September 17, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  36. ^ "Black Country Communion Cancel Gig". Planet Rock. September 20, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  37. ^ Kielty, Martin (September 21, 2012). "Newsbites: Kevin Shirley apologises for Black Country Communion". Classic Rock. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  38. ^ Dukes, Billy (September 4, 2012). "Black Country Communion Frontman Glenn Hughes Says New Album May Be Group's Last". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  39. ^ "Black Country Communion Feud Goes Public". Ultimate Guitar. September 24, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  40. ^ Childers, Chad (October 18, 2012). "Black Country Communion's Joe Bonamassa Claims Glenn Hughes Used Press To Bully Him". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  41. ^ Wink, Roger (October 22, 2012). "Tension In The Black Country Communion Camp". Noise11.com. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  42. ^ "Bonamassa Business Partner Takes Cancelled Show Blame". Planet Rock. October 22, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  43. ^ "Bonamassa Walks Away From BCC". Planet Rock. March 13, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  44. ^ a b "Black Country Communion Is Officially 'Over,' Says Glenn Hughes". Blabbermouth.net. March 23, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  45. ^ "Derek Sherinian Officially Joins Joe Bonamassa's Band". antiMusic.com. August 22, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  46. ^ "Glenn Hughes And Jason Bonham Launch California Breed". Blabbermouth.net. February 6, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  47. ^ Kielty, Martin (April 21, 2016). "Black Country Communion return next year". Classic Rock. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  48. ^ a b O'Neill, Christina (May 11, 2016). "Bonamassa was driving force behind Black Country Communion comeback". Classic Rock. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  49. ^ "Glenn Hughes And Joe Bonamassa Begin Writing Fourth Black Country Communion Album". Blabbermouth.net. September 5, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  50. ^ "Black Country Communion: Fourth Album To Be Released In September". Blabbermouth.net. April 10, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  51. ^ Colothan, Scott (July 31, 2017). "Presale: Black Country Communion announce two UK shows & fourth studio album". Planet Rock. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  52. ^ "Jason Bonham Says Black Country Communion Will Return To Studio In January". Blabbermouth.net. July 3, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  53. ^ "Glenn Hughes Doesn't See Black Country Communion Returning To Studio Before 2020". Blabbermouth.net. August 10, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  54. ^ "Glenn Hughes Says Black Country Communion Will Record New Album In January 2021". Blabbermouth.net. August 26, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  55. ^ "No New Black Country Communion Album Before 2022 at the Earliest". Blabbermouth.net. July 12, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  56. ^ "Black Country Communion Hopes To Record Fifth Album In 2023". Blabbermouth.net. October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  57. ^ Colothan, Scott (March 27, 2023). "Black Country Communion return and confirm first live show in six years". Planet Rock. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  58. ^ "Black Country Communion Announces 'V' Album, Shares 'Stay Free' Single". Blabbermouth.net. March 1, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  59. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "2 – Black Country Communion: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  60. ^ Cole, Paul (June 12, 2011). "Black Country Communion: Black Country Communion 2". Sunday Mercury. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  61. ^ "Fate, Karma And Throwing Down That Rock and Roll Gauntlet : An Exclusive Interview with Glenn Hughes of Black Country Communion". Nightwatcher's House of Rock Interviews. September 19, 2010. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  62. ^ a b Black Country (Media notes). Black Country Communion. J&R Adventures. 2010.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  63. ^ a b 2 (Media notes). Black Country Communion. J&R Adventures. 2011.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  64. ^ "Black Country Communion to Begin Work on New Album This Weekend". Blabbermouth.net. June 7, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
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