| Black 'n Blue | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Genres | Hard rock |
| Years active | 1981–1989 1997 2003 2007 2008–present |
| Associated acts | Kiss, Warrant |
| Members | |
| Jaime St. James Shawn Sonnenschein Jeff Warner Patrick Young Pete Holmes |
|
| Past members | |
| Virgil Ripper Tommy Thayer |
|
Black 'n Blue is a Hard rock band from Portland, Oregon. The current members are singer Jaime St. James, guitarist Shawn Sonnenschein, guitarist Jeff Warner, bassist Patrick Young, and drummer Pete Holmes.[1]
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The band was formed in 1981 by St. James and Tommy Thayer in Portland, Oregon. In 1982 they made their first recorded appearance on Metal Massacre — an independent compilation album that also introduced newcomers Metallica, Ratt, and Malice.[2]
Black 'n Blue moved to Los Angeles in 1983 and within six months signed a worldwide recording contract with Geffen Records, releasing their self-titled debut album, Black 'n Blue in August 1984. The album included "Hold On to 18" which was released to radio and MTV and the album became a moderate success.
A follow-up album, entitled Without Love, was released the following year. This album saw the band modify their original rougher, hard-edge sound in favor of a more polished, radio-friendly pop-metal approach, a move that alienated many fans. Although the tracks "Without Love" and "Miss Mystery" were both released as singles, neither of them saw chart success, and the album was somewhat of a disappointment. A third track from this album, "Nature of the Beach" appeared in the film Vision Quest and also appeared as the B-side to the Madonna single "Gambler" from the same movie, although it was not included on the soundtrack LP.
The band would go on to release two more albums under the label, both of which saw them making a conscious effort to return to the original raw power that characterized the music on their debut. Both albums were produced by Gene Simmons, but neither could recapture the Black 'n Blue sound of old, and the band broke up in 1989.[1]
All five original members would reunite on Halloween of 1997 for a live performance, which was recorded and released the following year as a live album, One Night Only: Live. This reunion was a one-time affair, and no further touring followed.[3]
The band reunited again in 2003 (this time, without Thayer, who was performing lead guitar duties for Kiss at the time) to tour and record a new album, entitled Hell Yeah!. Shawn Sonnenschein is the new lead guitarist to be featured on the album. The album was initially scheduled to be released in September 2003, but it has been pushed back several times. The most recent projected date for the release of the album was sometime in 2008. [2] [3] However, it was not released during 2008,2009 or 2010. The album was released on these dates:
Japan 20 April 2011 Europe 13 May 2011 America 17 May 2011
Jaime St. James later became the lead singer for Warrant, while Tommy Thayer continues to play lead guitar for Kiss. Pete Holmes is currently playing with Malice and Mandy Lion's WWIII. He was formerly playing with Michael Schenker, Peter Gabriel and Ted Nugent.
Guitarist Jeff "Woop" Warner for a short time played with Kneel Cohn in an early line-up of the band The Dead Stars On Hollywood which is now based in NYC.
Black 'n Blue, including Tommy Thayer, made a reunion appearance in their home town Portland, Oregon December 8, 2007 at Berbati's Pan. The concert benefited the band's long-time friend Kenny Nordone in his struggle with cancer.
Following Jaime St. James' departure from Warrant due to Jani Lane's return to that band, St. James has reunited Black 'n Blue with Shawn Sonnenschein replacing Tommy Thayer who is currently contracted to Kiss. The band performed at Rocklahoma in summer 2008.[4]
Black 'n Blue was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame on October 9, 2010. The classic line up including Tommy Thayer performed a reunion concert that night at the Roseland Theater.[5]
| Year | Album | US | Label | RIAA Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Black 'n Blue (1984) | 129 | Geffen | - |
| 1985 | Without Love | - | Geffen | - |
| 1986 | Nasty Nasty (1986) | 110 | Geffen | - |
| 1988 | In Heat | 133 | Geffen | - |
| 2011 | Hell Yeah! | - | Frontiers Records | - |