I've had an affinity for black rock ever since I saw the "Cult of Personality" video on MTV. I was riveted. I found it fascinating that four black dudes could rock as hard as any white band. To me, a black rock band was groundbreaking. Before Living Colour, I thought black guys just rapped and sang R&B. That day I began a quest - to seek out all the black rock bands. I became fans of Living Colour, Lenny Kravitz, Fishbone and DC's own Bad Brains. I grew up in Atlanta which had their very own black rock band, Follow For Now. They put out one eponymously named album. I went to a ton of their concerts.
Living Colour were the groundbreakers - they co-founded the Black Rock Coalition. Check out the BRC's website for a list of bands, concerts, compilations and music. Rock bands with black members are more common these days thanks to the early trailblazers. Spin magazine recently published an article Black Rock: An Oral History. It's the history as told by those who lived it. If I've intrigued you, read the article then listen to some black rock.
