Living Colour

Living Colour

Group from United States

Genres: hard rock, funk metal, rock, Funk Rock, alternative

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About Living Colour

Living Colour is an American rock band formed in New York City in 1984. The band's lineup consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun, and bassist Doug Wimbish, who replaced Muzz Skillings in 1992. Their music incorporates elements of progressive rock, heavy metal, funk, jazz, hip-hop, punk rock, alternative rock, blues, ska, swing, and other styles. The band's lyrics frequently address personal and political subjects, including social commentary on racism in the United States. Living Colour released their debut album, "Vivid", in 1988. The album achieved commercial success and included the song "Cult of Personality", which won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1990. The band also received the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist in 1989. Their second album, "Time's Up", was released in 1990 and received a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. Their third album, "Stain", followed in 1993. After disbanding in 1995, the band reunited in 2000 and later released the albums "Collideoscope" (2003), "The Chair in the Doorway" (2009), and "Shade" (2017). Vernon Reid, who was born in the United Kingdom, formed Living Colour in New York City in 1984 and used the British spelling of the word "colour" in the band's name. Before the group's stable lineup was established, Reid performed with a number of musicians under the name Vernon Reid's Living Colour between 1984 and 1986. During this period, Reid was associated with New York's downtown jazz scene through his work with Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society. Early members of the group included bassists Alex Mosely, Jerome Harris, and Carl James; drummers Greg Carter, Pheeroan akLaff, and J. T. Lewis; keyboardist Geri Allen; and vocalists D. K. Dyson and Mark Ledford. Reid also occasionally performed lead vocals. The band's early material included jazz-funk instrumentals, punk rock songs, experimental compositions using guitar synthesizers, and an early version of "Funny Vibe", which later appeared on "Vivid". In 1986, Living Colour established a stable lineup consisting of Corey Glover, Vernon Reid, Muzz Skillings, and Will Calhoun. The band became known for its live performances at venues such as CBGB. Around this time, Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones became interested in the band after Reid auditioned for Jagger's album "Primitive Cool". Jagger later attended a Living Colour performance at CBGB and produced two of the band's demo recordings. His support contributed to the group's signing with Epic Records. "Vivid" was released on May 3, 1988. The album gained wider exposure after MTV began airing the music video for "Cult of Personality". The album reached number six on the Billboard 200 chart. On April 1, 1989, Living Colour performed on "Saturday Night Live". Later that year, the band toured as an opening act for The Rolling Stones during the "Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour", alongside Guns N' Roses. The band's second album, "Time's Up", was released in 1990 and featured a wide range of musical styles, including jazz fusion, punk rock, blues, hip-hop, funk, thrash metal, and electronic music. Guest musicians included Queen Latifah, Doug E. Fresh, Maceo Parker, and Little Richard. The album reached number 13 on the Billboard 200 and received the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. In 1991, Living Colour participated in the inaugural Lollapalooza tour and released the EP "Biscuits". In 1992, bassist Muzz Skillings left the band and was replaced by Doug Wimbish. The revised lineup released the album "Stain" in 1993, which reached number 26 on the Billboard 200. Despite maintaining a dedicated fan base, the group disbanded in January 1995 during sessions for a planned fourth studio album. Several tracks from those sessions were later included on the compilation "Pride". Following the breakup, the band members pursued individual projects. Living Colour reunited on December 21, 2000, during a performance at CBGB billed as "Head>>Fake w/ special guests". The reunion led to the release of the album "Collideoscope" in 2003. Although the album did not chart in the United States, it received positive critical reviews. In 2005, Sony Records released the live album "Live from CBGB's" and the compilation "Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour". In September 2006, Muzz Skillings temporarily rejoined the band for a private performance hosted by drummer Jack DeJohnette after Doug Wimbish was unable to attend. The band later toured Europe in December 2006. In 2007, Living Colour released their first live DVD, "On Stage At World Cafe Live". In 2008, the band performed at the Rocklahoma festival in Oklahoma and participated in a Black Rock Coalition tribute to Band of Gypsys in Harlem, where Skillings again appeared with the group. Later in 2008, Living Colour released "CBGB OMFUG Masters: August 19, 2005 The Bowery Collection", a recording from a benefit concert for CBGB, and "The Paris Concert", a live DVD recorded in Paris during their 2007 European tour. Their fifth studio album, "The Chair in the Doorway", was released in 2009 through Megaforce Records. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 161 and became the band's first charting album since "Stain". In 2013, Living Colour performed "Cult of Personality" live during professional wrestler CM Punk's entrance at WrestleMania 29. The band announced work on their sixth studio album, "Shade", in 2014. The album was released on September 8, 2017, and included original songs as well as cover versions of "Preachin' Blues" by Robert Johnson, "Who Shot Ya?" by The Notorious B.I.G., and "Inner City Blues" by Marvin Gaye. In 2016, the band released a cover version of "Who Shot Ya?" ahead of the EP "Mixtape", which featured appearances by Chuck D, Black Thought, Pharoahe Monch, Prodigal Sunn, and Kyle Mansa. That same year, Living Colour performed "Cult of Personality" on "The Howard Stern Show". By 2018, the band had begun working on material for a possible EP or seventh studio album. On September 2, 2022, guitarist Steve Vai joined Living Colour on stage during a performance at Rock in Rio in Brazil for a rendition of "Cult of Personality". In December 2022, the band announced that recording sessions had begun for their seventh studio album. In 2023, Living Colour toured the United States with Extreme. In 2025, the band again performed "Cult of Personality" live during CM Punk's entrance at WrestleMania 41, where he competed against Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. In April 2026, Vernon Reid stated that Living Colour planned to release a new album in 2027. Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_Colour Studio albums Vivid (1988) Time's Up (1990) Stain (1993) Collideøscope (2003) The Chair in the Doorway (2009) Shade (2017)

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