Bad Brains | |
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 Bad Brains atSasquatch! Music Festival, 2007 | |
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| Origin | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| Works | Bad Brains discography |
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| Website | badbrains |
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Bad Brains are an Americanpunk rock band formed inWashington, D.C., in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers ofhardcore punk,[1][2][3] though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music.[4] They are also areggae band, while later recordings featured elements of other genres likefunk,[5]heavy metal,[1]hip hop, andsoul.[5]Rolling Stone magazine called them "the mother of all blackhard-rock bands",[6] and they have been cited as a seminal influence to numerous other subgenres in addition to hardcore punk, including various subgenres of heavy metal, such asthrash/speed metal,alternative metal, andfunk metal.[7][8] Bad Brains are followers of theRastafari movement.[5]
Bad Brains have released nine studio albums. They have broken up and reformed several times over their career, sometimes with different singers or drummers. The band originally formed in 1976 as ajazz fusion act under the nameMind Power. Their classic lineup includesDr. Know (guitar),Darryl Jenifer (bass), and brothersEarl (drums) andPaul "H.R." Hudson (vocals, guitar). This lineup was intact until 1987 and has reunited periodically in the years since. Many notable bands and artists cite Bad Brains as an artistic influence on their music.
The band's origins date to 1976, when the members first came together as ajazz fusion band calledMind Power,[5] in the mold of bands such asReturn to Forever andMahavishnu Orchestra.[9] The group included lead guitaristDr. Know (Gary Miller), bassistDarryl Jenifer, and brothers Paul Hudson (later known asH.R.) on rhythm guitar andEarl Hudson on drums.
In 1977, the band's then-singerSid McCray introduced them topunk rock.[9] Mind Power decided to switch their sound tohardcore punk and changed their name toBad Brains,[5] after theRamones song "Bad Brain."[5] Despite their burgeoning punk sound, after seeingBob Marley in concert, the band also became interested inreggae music and theRastafari movement.[10] McCray was briefly the singer for the new hardcore punk incarnation of the band, but he soon departed, and H.R. switched from guitar to lead vocals.[11]
The band gained a fan base in Washington D.C. due to their high-energy performances and occasional reggae songs.[10] In 1979, they were blacklisted from many Washington area clubs due to their destructive fans;[12] this was later addressed in their song "Banned in D.C.".[13] Around 1980, the band relocated to New York City, where they would serve as a catalyst for that city's then-burgeoninghardcore scene.[14]
By 1982, they were a regular act at the New York venueCBGB.[15] Dr. Know recalled, "We played CB's every friggin' night. This whole 'Sunday matinee' thing is from us. When we first played, nobody was there. It's like, 'Who are these niggers?' And we're in their face, killing it. We got a weekend day, and by then a little buzz started happening."[16] Theirself-titled debut album was released on theROIR label, originally on cassette only, in 1982,[17] followed in 1983 byRock for Light, produced byRic Ocasek ofThe Cars.[18] In 1985, the Bad Brains song "Pay to Cum" was featured inMartin Scorsese's filmAfter Hours.[19]
In 1986, Bad Brains signed withSST Records and releasedI Against I.[20] In addition to the band's hardcore punk and reggae sounds, this album added elements fromheavy metal andfunk.[21] H.R. provided the vocals for the song "Sacred Love" over the phone from theLorton Reformatory while serving time for a cannabis charge.[22] H.R. gained additional critical notice for his expanded vocal style onI Against I; according to Rick Anderson ofAllMusic, "[HR] digs deep into his bag of voices and pulls them all out, one by one: the frightening nasalfalsetto that was his signature in the band's hardcore days, an almostbel cantobaritone, and a declamatory speed-rap chatter that spews lyrics with the mechanical precision of a machine gun".[21]
H.R. and Earl Hudson quit the band in 1987 to focus on reggae music.[20] Touring forI Against I was completed with singer Taj Singleton and formerCro-Mags drummer Mackie Jayson.[1] In 1988, Bad Brains signed withCaroline Records and began recording the albumQuickness.[23] The album was recorded with Singleton and Jayson, but the Hudson brothers returned to the band in 1989 and H.R. replaced Singleton's work with new lyrics and vocals.[24] Released in September of that year,Quickness saw Bad Brains expand their sound from that ofI Against I, and has also been recognized as one of the earlygroove metal albums.[25][26]
During this period, the Hudson brothers, who wanted to steer the band toward reggae, often clashed with Dr. Know and Jenifer, who were increasingly interested in hard rock and heavy metal.[1] H.R. often failed to turn up for scheduled concerts and recording sessions. After the tour supportingQuickness ended in 1990, the Hudson brothers again quit the band. Mackie Jayson rejoined on drums, while formerFaith No More memberChuck Mosley took over on lead vocals,[27] and was then replaced by Israel Joseph I (Dexter Pinto).[1] Also in 1990, the band collaborated withHenry Rollins on a cover ofThe MC5's "Kick Out the Jams", which appears on the soundtrack to the filmPump Up the Volume.[28]
As bands influenced by Bad Brains (such asLiving Colour andFishbone) enjoyed commercial success,Epic Records approached Dr. Know in 1992 and offered the band their first major-label record deal.[29] The albumRise was released by Epic in 1993.[30] Jayson left the band in the middle of the ensuing tour and was temporarily replaced byChuck Treece.[31]
The Hudson brothers again returned to the band in 1994,[5] and they signed withMaverick Records for the 1995 albumGod of Love.[32] In support of the album, Bad Brains opened for theBeastie Boys on theirIll Communication tour, and headlined a U.S. tour with a then-unknownDeftones.[33][34] However, the reunion did not last for long, because of H.R.'s erratic behavior while performing and several violent incidents against the band's manager, fans, and venue employees. H.R. landed in jail and the band broke up once again.[35]
In 1997 Bad Brains reconvened to remaster some early recordings, which were released as the EPThe Omega Sessions.[36] From 1998 to 2001, the original lineup toured under the nameSoul Brains and released two live albums.[37][38]
In 2005 the band, known once again as Bad Brains, announced that they were recording their first album of new material in ten years, withMCA of theBeastie Boys producing.[39] They played their first shows in several years atCBGB in 2006.[1]Build a Nation was released in 2007.[40] The band toured extensively in 2007–2008, with former singer Israel Joseph I filling in for H.R. on some dates. Daryl Jenifer released the solo albumIn Search of Black Judas in 2010.[41] A short Bad Brains tour of Australia planned for 2010 was cancelled for health reasons.[42]
Bad Brains announced the recording of another new album in 2011.[43]Into the Future was released in late 2012,[44][45] and included a tribute to the recently deceased MCA.[46] On the ensuing tour, the band added touring keyboardistJamie Saft.[47] In 2014 the band hinted at another new album,[48] though no such album has yet been released. Also in 2014, author Greg Prato released the bookPunk! Hardcore! Reggae! PMA! Bad Brains! which recounted the band's history.[49] In 2015 the band recorded the live EPThe Woodstock Sessions; H.R. did not participate for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Jamaican singer Jesse Royal.[50] H.R.'s status at the band remained unclear throughout that year.[51][52]
In November 2015, Dr. Know suffered a heart attack and was placed on life support due to the risk of organ failure.[53] After three months in the hospital he made a full recovery, thanks in part to aGoFundMe campaign organized by his bandmates.[54] In March 2016, H.R. announced that he had been diagnosed with a rare type of headache calledSUNCT, and received treatment for this condition and other ongoing health issues thanks to another GoFundMe campaign.[55][56]
In October 2016, Bad Brains were nominated for theRock and Roll Hall of Fame,[57] but were not inducted. In a December 2016 interview withRolling Stone, Dr. Know and Darryl Jenifer discussed the band members' health issues and the future of the band. They announced that they hoped to record a new album titledMind Power, after the band's short-lived original moniker.[58] In June 2017, the band played a show featuring guest appearances byLamb of God'sRandy Blythe and original Bad Brains singer Sid McCray, who sang with the band for the first time in 39 years.[59]
Former singer Chuck Mosley died in November 2017.[27] Sid McCray died in September 2020.[60]
Bad Brains have had a significant impact on music, particularly on rock and metal bands that followed them.Dave Grohl ofNirvana andFoo Fighters has stated that they were one of his favorite bands during his childhood and that he "learned to play drums by arranging pillows on my floor and my bed in the formation of a drum set and playing along to Bad Brains."[61]
Bad Brains have also exerted massive influence overpunk rock, being credited as pioneers ofhardcore punk and the associated genre ofyouth crew.[62] They are also cited as influences onthrash metal andextreme metal in general,[8] being cited as an influence by bands such asAnthrax.[63]
Funk metal andska punk also largely owe themselves to Bad Brains' innovations. Pioneering bands of these subgenres that have cited Bad Brains as an influence include theRed Hot Chili Peppers,Faith No More,Sublime,No Doubt,Fishbone,[64][65]311,[66] andLiving Colour.[67]
Other bands and artists that have cited Bad Brains as an influence include theBeastie Boys,Guns N' Roses,Soundgarden,The Dillinger Escape Plan,[68]Jane's Addiction,System of a Down,[69]Rage Against the Machine,Deftones,Clutch,Green Day,the Offspring,the Roots,Lamb of God, andCorrosion of Conformity.[70]
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The Bad Brains would split up shortly after releasing Rock for Light, a 1983 LP produced by new wave maestro Ric Ocasek, but they reformed in 1987 as a pioneering groove-metal outfit.
That is when thefunk came in with bands like Bad Brains,Red Hot Chili Peppers,Jane's Addiction, andFaith No More influencing us.
And we actually did a tour with the Bad Brains. They are hugely influential to us and they are an incredible group.
We have the influences that we always have had. (...) We saw Black Flag and it blew our heads off. There was Bad Brains and all that kind of stuff.
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