Hard Rock
United States
Living Colour
About Living Colour
The breakout success of Living Colour in the late ’80s served as a throttling reminder that rock music is a Black art form. British-born guitarist and activist Vernon Reid formed the band with the express purpose of marrying the heavy-metal-informed fusion then popular in New York’s jazz underground with the anti-racism politics of the Black Rock Coalition (the artist collective he co-launched in 1985). Between 1988 and 1993, Living Colour released three ferociously innovative albums and secured a headlining slot on Lollapalooza’s inaugural tour. Whereas the group’s debut full-length, Vivid, showcases infectious social anthems like the MTV smash “Cult of Personality,” Time’s Up challenges listeners with biting political commentary, and Stain dials up the aggression to Helmet-like levels of intensity. Living Colour wouldn’t return to the studio until the early 2000s. In that time, however, countless alt-metal and nu-metal acts emerged who would build on the band’s bold experiments in integrating searing guitar riffs with funk grooves and hip-hop’s layered production techniques.
Musical InfluencesLiving Colour's musical influences include Rick James, James Brown, Talking Heads and more.
Influenced by Living ColourLiving Colour has influenced the music of Limp Bizkit, Sevendust, Mark Ronson and more.
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