Living Colour

This article is about the band. For the television series, see In Living Color. For the 1992 thriller film, see Living Color (film).

Living Colour
Living Colour in 2017
Living Colour in 2017
Background information
OriginNew York City, U.S.
Genres
DiscographyLiving Colour discography
Years active
  • 1984–1995
  • 2000–present
Labels
Members
Past membersMuzz Skillings

Living Colour is an American hard rock[4] band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band currently consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, lead vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish (who replaced Muzz Skillings in 1992). Stylistically, their music is a creative fusion influenced by heavy metal, funk, jazz, hip hop, punk, and alternative rock. The band's lyrics range from the personal to the political, including social commentary on racism in the United States.

Living Colour has released six studio albums so far. The band rose to fame with their debut album Vivid in 1988.[5] Although they scored several hits, Living Colour is best known for their signature song "Cult of Personality", which won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1990 and has been consistently used as the entrance theme for professional wrestler CM Punk since 2011.[6] They were also named Best New Artist at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards and won their second Grammy Award for their follow-up album Time's Up (1990). Their third album, Stain (1993), was also well received by music critics. After disbanding in 1995,[5] Living Colour reunited in late 2000,[7] and has released three more studio albums since then: Collideøscope (2003), The Chair in the Doorway (2009) and Shade (2017). The band has been in the process of working on new material for the follow-up to Shade.[8]

  1. ^ The following sources refer to Living Colour as hard rock:
    • Chuck Klosterman (November 1, 2007). Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota. Simon and Schuster. p. 165. ISBN 978-1-4165-8952-5.
    • Chuck Klosterman (September 14, 2010). Chuck Klosterman on Rock: A Collection of Previously Published Essays. Simon and Schuster. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-4516-2449-6.
    • Martha Bayles (May 15, 1996). Hole in Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music. University of Chicago Press. p. 338. ISBN 978-0-226-03959-6.
    • "Living Colour: Keeping The Music Alive". All Things Considered. NPR. December 6, 2009. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  2. ^ The following sources refer to Living Colour as funk metal:
  3. ^ The following sources refer to Living Colour as alternative metal:
  4. ^ The following sources refer to Living Colour as a rock band:
  5. ^ a b Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 580–581. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
  6. ^ Wilkening, Matthew (August 20, 2021). "Why Living Colour's 'Cult of Personality' Is CM Punk's Theme Song". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  7. ^ Dustin Schoof (March 29, 2013). "Living Colour singer Corey Glover looks back on 25 years of 'Vivid'". LehighValleyLive.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  8. ^ "Interview: Corey Glover of Living Colour Talks Oz Tour". spotlightreport.net. December 12, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2020.