Bad Brains biography
Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members objected to this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of other genres like funk, heavy metal, hip-hop and soul. Bad Brains are followers of the Rastafari movement.
Originally formed as a jazz funk fusion ensemble under the name Mind Power, Bad Brains developed a very fast and intense punk rock sound which came to be labeled "hardcore", and was often played faster and more emphatically than the music of many of their peers. The unique factor of the band's music was the fact that they played more complex rhythms than that of other hardcore punk bands, also adapting non-punk style guitar riffs and solos into their songs.
Bad Brains have released 8 studio albums (one of which is entirely composed of instrumental versions of their past material). The band broke up and reformed several times over the years, sometimes with different singers or drummers. The band's classic and current lineup is singer H.R. (Human Rights), guitarist Dr. Know, bassist Darryl Jenifer, and drummer Earl Hudson, H.R.'s younger brother.
The band was first founded as a jazz funk fusion ensemble called Mind Power (1975) in the mold of bands such as Chick Corea's Return to Forever and John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra as well as creative funk master Stevie Wonder. In 1977, their friend Sid McCray introduced the band, who were already interested in bands such as Black Sabbath, to punk rock, including the Dickies, the Dead Boys, and the Sex Pistols. Mind Power became obsessed with punk rock and changed their name to "Bad Brains", after the Ramones song "Bad Brain", but with the word "bad" in the sense of "good". Despite their burgeoning punk sound, the early Bad Brains, after seeing Bob Marley in concert, also delved deep into reggae music and the Rastafari movement. Sid McCray became their first singer but left in the early days of the group's
hardcore punk era, and guitarist H.R. became the band's new singer.
The band developed an early reputation in Washington D.C., due in part to the relative novelty of an entirely African-American band playing punk rock, but also due to their high-energy performances and undeniable talent.
In 1979, Bad Brains found themselves the subject of an unofficial ban among many Washington D.C. area clubs and performance venues (later addressed in their song, "Banned in D.C."). The band subsequently relocated to New York City.
Their self-titled debut album was released on Neil Cooper's ROIR Records on "cassette only" in January 1982, followed in 1983 by Rock for Light, produced by Ric Ocasek of The Cars.
New sounds (1986-1989)
In 1986, Bad Brains signed with SST Records and released
I Against I. The title track's video was shown on MTV's then-new
120 Minutes program, for which the band appeared in promotional footage. Despite the success of
I Against I, H.R. quit the band again, taking his brother Earl with him after spending most of 1987 touring. 1988 dates for the
I Against I tour were done with Taj Singleton on vocals and Mackie Jayson on drums. In 1988 the Bad Brains signed with Caroline Records, who released their fourth album
Quickness the following year. Since vocalist H.R. and his brother, drummer Earl Hudson were unavailable for the recording sessions,
Quickness was originally recorded with Taj Singleton on vocals and Mackie Jayson on drums but before
Quickness was ready for mastering, H.R. decided that he wanted to return, rewrite the lyrics and record the vocals for
Quickness so Taj Singleton's lyrics and vocals were replaced by H.R.'s.
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