Jet Black
Encyclopedia
Jet Black is an English
drummer
and founder member of punk rock
/ new wave
band
The Stranglers
.
vans, and an off-licence in Guildford
, called 'The Jackpot'. This establishment was the base for the early Stranglers. He was also the owner of one of the earliest home brewing equipment companies, at the time of a vogue in home brewing.
He became a full-time professional musician
in the mid 1970s and met Hugh Cornwell
of band Johnny Sox after reading an advertisement in the Melody Maker
magazine. Cornwell joined Black in The Stranglers in 1974.
-influenced, although "Duchess" and "Down in the Sewer" are examples of Stranglers songs that feature more frantic drumming. In the mid 1980s, Black elected to cease playing acoustic drums in the recording studio
and used a Simmons
kit
triggered by pick-ups, most notably on the Feline
and Aural Sculpture
album
s. Black is still currently drumming for The Stranglers, despite his advancing years. His name is frequently chanted by the crowd at concerts.
said: "None of us are getting any younger but our drummer, Jet Black, is 70 now so I don't know how much longer he's going to want to carry on. I mean, he was always a lot older than the rest of the band but I don't think we'd carry on without him." However, in October 2009, it was announced that the band (featuring Black) would embark on a 16-date tour in February and March 2010. Talk of his retirement abated and a full UK tour took place starting in March 2011.
album because it was "the first time The Stranglers got major critical approval in the newspapers."
He wrote a short book, Much Ado About Nothing, which detailed the riots in France
which were blamed on The Stranglers' presence in 1981, and also wrote a book in 2010 entitled Seven Days In Nice about the same subject.
ed 'Jet Black Power Bass Drum Pedal'. This has brought new freedoms of comfort and technical feasibility to drummers. The 'Jet Black Power Bass Drum Pedal' enables the bass drum to be placed anywhere and yet remain playable.
and consequently refrained from appearing with the band until he had recovered. He played a full Stranglers concert in early June and regularly played with the band again, although he was unable to travel very long distances at that time.
In mid-2008, he was absent from several Stranglers gigs. It was shortly thereafter announced that he was suffering from chest problems and was "not rushing back to work" on the advice of his doctor. In September 2008, he returned to full rehearsals and began touring with the band on 13 October.
During his absences, his temporary replacement was Ian Barnard, who is also his full-time drum tech. He was also replaced by Barnard in a concert
in Helsinki
, on 13 January 2009 because of jet lag
.
attracted 477 signatures and was mentioned in the national press.
He has apparently had no contact with former Stranglers singer Hugh Cornwell
since he left the band in 1990. According to Cornwell's 2004 autobiography
, when he telephoned Black to announce his resignation, the latter's response was simply "OK, fine."
He currently lives in Tetbury
, Gloucestershire
, where he reportedly designs and builds wooden furniture.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
and founder member of punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/ new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
The Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
.
Early years
Black was a successful businessman up until the mid-1970s, owning a fleet of ice creamIce cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
vans, and an off-licence in Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, called 'The Jackpot'. This establishment was the base for the early Stranglers. He was also the owner of one of the earliest home brewing equipment companies, at the time of a vogue in home brewing.
He became a full-time professional musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
in the mid 1970s and met Hugh Cornwell
Hugh Cornwell
Hugh Alan Cornwell is an English musician and songwriter, best known for being the vocalist and guitarist for the punk/new wave group, The Stranglers, from 1974 to 1990.-Career:...
of band Johnny Sox after reading an advertisement in the Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
magazine. Cornwell joined Black in The Stranglers in 1974.
Later years
His style is usually simple and jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-influenced, although "Duchess" and "Down in the Sewer" are examples of Stranglers songs that feature more frantic drumming. In the mid 1980s, Black elected to cease playing acoustic drums in the recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
and used a Simmons
Simmons (electronic drum company)
Simmons was a pioneering British manufacturer of electronic drums that supplied electronic kits from 1980 to 1994. The drums' distinctive, electronic sound can be found on countless albums from the 1980s....
kit
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
triggered by pick-ups, most notably on the Feline
Feline (album)
Feline was the seventh studio album by The Stranglers and was released in the new year of 1983 . The first edition came with a free one-sided 7" single "Aural Sculpture Manifesto"...
and Aural Sculpture
Aural Sculpture
Aural Sculpture is an album recorded by The Stranglers. It was also the name given to a one-sided 7-inch single given free with a limited number of copies of their Feline album in 1983...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s. Black is still currently drumming for The Stranglers, despite his advancing years. His name is frequently chanted by the crowd at concerts.
Possible retirement
Speaking ahead of their 2008/2009 tour, Stranglers bassist Jean-Jacques BurnelJean-Jacques Burnel
J. J. Burnel , is a Franco-English musician producer and songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist with the British rock band The Stranglers.-Life and career:...
said: "None of us are getting any younger but our drummer, Jet Black, is 70 now so I don't know how much longer he's going to want to carry on. I mean, he was always a lot older than the rest of the band but I don't think we'd carry on without him." However, in October 2009, it was announced that the band (featuring Black) would embark on a 16-date tour in February and March 2010. Talk of his retirement abated and a full UK tour took place starting in March 2011.
Views on The Stranglers
He has said he is particularly fond of The RavenThe Raven (The Stranglers album)
The Raven is an album by The Stranglers, released in 1979. The album was originally released with a limited edition 3-D cover. Another limited edition was inadvertently created when the band was forced to remove an image of Joh Bjelke-Petersen from the inner sleeve artwork...
album because it was "the first time The Stranglers got major critical approval in the newspapers."
He wrote a short book, Much Ado About Nothing, which detailed the riots in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
which were blamed on The Stranglers' presence in 1981, and also wrote a book in 2010 entitled Seven Days In Nice about the same subject.
Customised equipment
During a long career in music, Black, like many other drummers, became aware of certain practical limitations inherent in the basic kit design and set about addressing the issue in the form of the now patentPatent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
ed 'Jet Black Power Bass Drum Pedal'. This has brought new freedoms of comfort and technical feasibility to drummers. The 'Jet Black Power Bass Drum Pedal' enables the bass drum to be placed anywhere and yet remain playable.
Illness
In March 2007, it was announced on The Stranglers' website that he was suffering from atrial fibrillationAtrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia . It is a common cause of irregular heart beat, identified clinically by taking a pulse. Chaotic electrical activity in the two upper chambers of the heart result in the muscle fibrillating , instead of achieving coordinated contraction...
and consequently refrained from appearing with the band until he had recovered. He played a full Stranglers concert in early June and regularly played with the band again, although he was unable to travel very long distances at that time.
In mid-2008, he was absent from several Stranglers gigs. It was shortly thereafter announced that he was suffering from chest problems and was "not rushing back to work" on the advice of his doctor. In September 2008, he returned to full rehearsals and began touring with the band on 13 October.
During his absences, his temporary replacement was Ian Barnard, who is also his full-time drum tech. He was also replaced by Barnard in a concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, on 13 January 2009 because of jet lag
Jet lag
Jet lag, medically referred to as desynchronosis, is a physiological condition which results from alterations to the body's circadian rhythms; it is classified as one of the circadian rhythm sleep disorders...
.
Honour campaign
In 2008, an online petition on the British Government website campaigning for him to be included in the next list of honoursBritish honours system
The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery, achievement, or service to the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories...
attracted 477 signatures and was mentioned in the national press.
Personal life
His second wife, Helena, left him following several arguments over The Stranglers rehearsing in their home during the early days of the band.He has apparently had no contact with former Stranglers singer Hugh Cornwell
Hugh Cornwell
Hugh Alan Cornwell is an English musician and songwriter, best known for being the vocalist and guitarist for the punk/new wave group, The Stranglers, from 1974 to 1990.-Career:...
since he left the band in 1990. According to Cornwell's 2004 autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, when he telephoned Black to announce his resignation, the latter's response was simply "OK, fine."
He currently lives in Tetbury
Tetbury
Tetbury is a town and civil parish within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in the 2001 census.In the Middle Ages,...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, where he reportedly designs and builds wooden furniture.
Further reading
- The Great Rock Discography - 5th Edition - ISBN 1-84195-017-3
- Guinness Rockopedia - ISBN 0-85112-072-5