Black Stone Cherry
Encyclopedia
Black Stone Cherry is an American rock band formed in 2001 in Edmonton
, Kentucky
. They are signed to Roadrunner Records
. The band consists of Chris Robertson (lead vocals, guitar), Ben Wells (guitar, backing vocals), Jon Lawhon (bass guitar, backing vocals), and John Fred Young (drums, backing vocals). Black Stone Cherry has released three studio albums and three EPs, and has charted seven singles on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks
charts.
's rhythm guitarist Richard Young, started to play music together early in their teens and Wells and Lawhon soon followed. Black Stone Cherry officially formed on June 4, 2001. They then took over the practice house that had been used by The Kentucky Headhunters since 1968 and began to record tracks. After the band finished recording, they returned to Edmonton for a homecoming gig in the gym of the local middle school, which was attended by 1500 people. After the band’s self-titled debut album was released, Robertson's former school principal invited the band back to Edmonton to celebrate with a concert. As the band entered the town, the streets were filled with people holding "welcome home" signs.
In July 2007, they released a second recording, an EP containing the song "Rain Wizard" along with two previously unreleased tracks.
The first live album by Black Stone Cherry was released on October 31, 2007 immediately following the concert at the Astoria in London. They joined Def Leppard
and Whitesnake
in the summer of 2008 for European dates.
. Four singles from the album, "Blind Man
," "Please Come In
," "Things My Father Said," and "Soulcreek
" have been released.
In May 2009, they supported Nickelback
on their Dark Horse
tour.
On March 9, via Facebook, the band announced the title of the upcoming album to be Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea due to be released on May 31. The first single is titled "White Trash Millionaire" and was released at the end of March.
On January 18, 2011, the band confirmed through Facebook that they are done recording their new album and are "packin' our bags..gettin' ready for the Simple Man Cruise!!".
On May 27, 2011, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was released on the bittorrent tracker, Demonoid. The early release on the tracker was due to an employee error at an unspecified Walmart. It is yet to be known if other store shelved the CD before the official May 31 release date.
Blame It On The Boom Boom is also featured in the trailer for this TV series on CBS Person of Interest
.
. While there are clear influences in Black Stone Cherry’s music, they have created their own style to a great extent. The musical tone and composition of Black Stone Cherry is very comparable to that of The Black Crowes
.
The song writing of Black Stone Cherry is often praised for great storytelling and delivering a strong message. For example, the song "Lonely Train
" is about the effect on families when a relative goes to fight in a war. The song "Rain Wizard" is about a local legend of mysterious wisemen who could bring the rain in times of drought. "Backwoods Gold" is about a local man who ran moonshine out of the hardware store in the middle of Edmonton.
Edmonton, Kentucky
Edmonton is a city in, and the county seat of, Metcalfe County, Kentucky, United States. The area was first surveyed by Revolutionary War veteran and Virginian Edmund P. Rogers in 1800. The city was established by the Kentucky legislature as a trading post in 1836 and was named the county seat in...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. They are signed to Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
. The band consists of Chris Robertson (lead vocals, guitar), Ben Wells (guitar, backing vocals), Jon Lawhon (bass guitar, backing vocals), and John Fred Young (drums, backing vocals). Black Stone Cherry has released three studio albums and three EPs, and has charted seven singles on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
charts.
2001–2008: Early years and self-titled album
The band Black Stone Cherry originated from Edmonton, Kentucky. Chris Robertson and John Fred Young, son of The Kentucky HeadhuntersThe Kentucky Headhunters
The Kentucky Headhunters are an American country rock band. They were founded in 1968 as Itchy Brother, which comprised brothers Richard Young and Fred Young along with Greg Martin and Anthony Kenney...
's rhythm guitarist Richard Young, started to play music together early in their teens and Wells and Lawhon soon followed. Black Stone Cherry officially formed on June 4, 2001. They then took over the practice house that had been used by The Kentucky Headhunters since 1968 and began to record tracks. After the band finished recording, they returned to Edmonton for a homecoming gig in the gym of the local middle school, which was attended by 1500 people. After the band’s self-titled debut album was released, Robertson's former school principal invited the band back to Edmonton to celebrate with a concert. As the band entered the town, the streets were filled with people holding "welcome home" signs.
In July 2007, they released a second recording, an EP containing the song "Rain Wizard" along with two previously unreleased tracks.
The first live album by Black Stone Cherry was released on October 31, 2007 immediately following the concert at the Astoria in London. They joined Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
and Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
in the summer of 2008 for European dates.
2008–2009: Folklore and Superstition
On August 19, 2008 Black Stone Cherry released their second album, entitled Folklore and SuperstitionFolklore and Superstition (album)
Folklore and Superstition is the second studio album by Black Stone Cherry.The band recorded the album at Black Bird Studios, which is owned and operated by country artist Martina McBride, in Nashville, Tennessee. It was produced and mixed by veteran rock producer Bob Marlette...
. Four singles from the album, "Blind Man
Blind Man (Black Stone Cherry song)
"Blind Man" is a track written by the Kentucky-based Black Stone Cherry and the first single from their newly released album, Folklore And Superstition. The band released the new track on their MySpace June 18, 2008 and the single was released on the iTunes Store on June 16, 2008...
," "Please Come In
Please Come In
Please Come In is the second single by the American southern rock band Black Stone Cherry from their second studio album Folklore And Superstition...
," "Things My Father Said," and "Soulcreek
Soulcreek
"Soulcreek" is a track written by the Kentucky-based Black Stone Cherry and the official fourth single from their 2008 album, Folklore And Superstition. The band was sending Soulcreek to rock radio on September 7.-External links:*****...
" have been released.
In May 2009, they supported Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
on their Dark Horse
Dark Horse (Nickelback album)
Dark Horse is the sixth studio album by the Canadian rock band Nickelback, released on November 17, 2008 in Europe and a day later elsewhere...
tour.
2010–present: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Black Stone Cherry has confirmed through their Facebook page that they are working on a new studio album and has continuously posted pictures and videos of them working. A post on December 20, 2010 confirmed they had finished the drums and guitars on 5 tracks. A free download of a new song titled "Blame It on the Boom Boom" is also available.On March 9, via Facebook, the band announced the title of the upcoming album to be Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea due to be released on May 31. The first single is titled "White Trash Millionaire" and was released at the end of March.
On January 18, 2011, the band confirmed through Facebook that they are done recording their new album and are "packin' our bags..gettin' ready for the Simple Man Cruise!!".
On May 27, 2011, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was released on the bittorrent tracker, Demonoid. The early release on the tracker was due to an employee error at an unspecified Walmart. It is yet to be known if other store shelved the CD before the official May 31 release date.
Blame It On The Boom Boom is also featured in the trailer for this TV series on CBS Person of Interest
Person of Interest (TV series)
Person of Interest is an American crime drama television series broadcasting on CBS. It is based on a screenplay developed by J. J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan. The series was officially picked up by CBS on May 13, 2011, and debuted on September 22, 2011. On October 25, 2011 the show was picked up...
.
Musical style
Black Stone Cherry's music is often associated with bands like Lynyrd SkynyrdLynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
. While there are clear influences in Black Stone Cherry’s music, they have created their own style to a great extent. The musical tone and composition of Black Stone Cherry is very comparable to that of The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...
.
The song writing of Black Stone Cherry is often praised for great storytelling and delivering a strong message. For example, the song "Lonely Train
Lonely Train
"Lonely Train" is the debut single of the hard rock band Black Stone Cherry from their self-titled album which was released on July 18, 2006. It peaked at #14 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks Billboard chart, and was also selected as a free single on iTunes in July 2006.-Music video:Additionally, a...
" is about the effect on families when a relative goes to fight in a war. The song "Rain Wizard" is about a local legend of mysterious wisemen who could bring the rain in times of drought. "Backwoods Gold" is about a local man who ran moonshine out of the hardware store in the middle of Edmonton.
Band members
- Chris Robertson - lead vocals, lead & rhythm guitar
- Ben Wells - lead & rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Jon Lawhon - bass guitar, backing vocals
- John Fred Young - drums, percussion, backing vocals
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
AUT Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
CHE Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
FRA Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
IRL Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
UK Rock UK Rock Chart The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales.... |
|||
| 2006 | Black Stone Cherry Black Stone Cherry (album) Black Stone Cherry is the debut album from southern rockers Black Stone Cherry. The album was released on July 18, 2006 through Roadrunner Records...
|
90 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 188 | 34 | |
| 2008 | Folklore and Superstition
|
28 | — | 89 | 167 | 54 | 68 | 45 | 23 | 1 | |
| 2011 | Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (album) Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea is the third studio album by Black Stone Cherry. Produced by Howard Benson, it was released on May 31, 2011.-Track listing:#"White Trash Millionaire" - 3:20#"Killing Floor" - 4:02#"In My Blood" - 3:49... |
29 | 31 | 31 | — | 22 | — | 43 | 13 | 1 | |
Live albums
- Live at the Astoria, London (31.10.07)Live at the Astoria, London (31.10.07)Live At The Astoria, London is the first live album from Southern rock band Black Stone Cherry. The album was released on October 31, 2007 by Concert Live. It is a two disc set of Black Stone Cherry's show at The Astoria in London, England...
(2007); (Limited to 1000 copies)
EPs
- Hell & High Water EPHell & High Water"Hell & High Water" is the second single from Black Stone Cherry's debut, self-titled album, Black Stone Cherry. It follows the first successful single, Lonely Train. This song reached #30 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.-Hell & High Water EP:...
(2006) - Digital-only EP released November 11, 2006
- "Hell & High Water"
- "Big City Lights"
- "We Are the Kings"
- Rain Wizard EP (2007) - Digital-only EP released July 10, 2007
- "Rain Wizard"
- "Drinkin' Champagne"
- "Stop Runnin'"
- The Kerrang! Radio Sessions EP (Acoustic) (2008) - Digital-only EP released January 29, 2008
- "Lonely Train" (Acoustic)
- "Hell & High Water" (Acoustic)
- "Maybe Someday" (Acoustic)
Compilations
- "Roadrunner RecordsRoadrunner RecordsRoadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
: Annual Assault" (2008) - "Roadrunner Records: Between a Rock and a Hard Place" (2008)
- "Roadrunner Records: Hard Rock Christmas (2010)
Singles
| Year | Title | US Main |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Lonely Train Lonely Train "Lonely Train" is the debut single of the hard rock band Black Stone Cherry from their self-titled album which was released on July 18, 2006. It peaked at #14 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks Billboard chart, and was also selected as a free single on iTunes in July 2006.-Music video:Additionally, a... " |
14 | Black Stone Cherry |
| "Hell & High Water Hell & High Water "Hell & High Water" is the second single from Black Stone Cherry's debut, self-titled album, Black Stone Cherry. It follows the first successful single, Lonely Train. This song reached #30 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.-Hell & High Water EP:... " |
30 | ||
| 2007 | "Rain Wizard Rain Wizard "Rain Wizard" is the third single from Black Stone Cherry's debut, self-titled album, Black Stone Cherry. It follows the second successful single, Hell & High Water. This song reached #29 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart... " |
29 | |
| "Big City Lights" | — | Hell & High Water EP | |
| 2008 | "Blind Man Blind Man (Black Stone Cherry song) "Blind Man" is a track written by the Kentucky-based Black Stone Cherry and the first single from their newly released album, Folklore And Superstition. The band released the new track on their MySpace June 18, 2008 and the single was released on the iTunes Store on June 16, 2008... " |
19 | Folklore and Superstition |
| "Please Come In Please Come In Please Come In is the second single by the American southern rock band Black Stone Cherry from their second studio album Folklore And Superstition... " |
24 | ||
| 2009 | "Things My Father Said" | — | |
| "Soulcreek Soulcreek "Soulcreek" is a track written by the Kentucky-based Black Stone Cherry and the official fourth single from their 2008 album, Folklore And Superstition. The band was sending Soulcreek to rock radio on September 7.-External links:*****... " |
— | ||
| 2011 | "White Trash Millionaire White Trash Millionaire "White Trash Millionaire" is a song by American hard rock band Black Stone Cherry. It is the first single from their third studio album Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. It was released onto digital media outlets on April 1, 2011.-Charts:... " |
11 | Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea |
| "Blame It on the Boom Boom Blame It on the Boom Boom "Blame It on the Boom Boom" is the second single from Black Stone Cherry's third studio album, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. The single was released to radio on July 2011.-Music video:... " |
24 | ||
| "In My Blood" | — |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Lonely Train" | Hobos with Guns |
| "Hell & High Water" | JB Carlin | |
| 2008 | "Blind Man" | David Sutton David Sutton David Sutton is the current editor of the Fortean Times magazine. Sutton was educated at the University of East Anglia, University College London, Birkbeck College and the British Film Institute... |
| "Please Come In" | Adam Grabarnick | |
| 2009 | "Things My Father Said" | Andrew Bennett |
| "Soulcreek" | Joe McKinney Joe McKinney Joe McKinney is an Irish stage, screen/television actor and voice-over artist.Dublin-born McKinney trained and worked as a hairdresser for four years, before joining fringe theatre... |
|
| 2011 | "White Trash Millionaire" | David Sutton |
| "Blame It on the Boom Boom" | ||
| "In My Blood" | Andrew Bennett |
External links
- Black Stone Cherry's Official Website
- Black Stone Cherry at Roadrunner RecordsRoadrunner RecordsRoadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
- Black Stone Cherry at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Black Stone Cherry Live Review @ Brixton Academy on The Daily Music Guide
- Interview with GiggingNI.com!
- Interview from Rock on the Range