Living Colour is an American rock 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
America.

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 a number of hits, Living Colour is best remembered
for their signature anthem "Cult of Personality", which won a Grammy Award for Best Hard
Rock Performance in 1990. 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,[6] and has released three more studio
albums since then: Collideøscope (2003), The Chair in the Doorway (2009) and Shade (2017).

Contents
 1 History
o 1.1 Early years (1984–1986)
o 1.2 Mainstream success (1986–1991)
o 1.3 Second line-up and breakup (1992–1995)
o 1.4 Reunion and subsequent events (2000–present)
 2 Acclaim and legacy
 3 Members
 4 Discography
 5 Awards
o 5.1 MTV Video Music Awards
o 5.2 Grammy Awards
 6 References
 7 External links

History
Early years (1984–1986)

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English-born guitarist Vernon Reid had formed a number of bands, and after a few years, he
formed Living Colour in New York in 1984, using the British spelling of "colour".[7][8] Reid
assembled a number of bands under the name Vernon Reid's Living Colour from 1984 to 1986.[9]
Reid was well known on the downtown New York jazz scenes because of his tenure in Ronald
Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society.

Early band members included bassists Alex Mosely, Jerome Harris and Carl James, drummers
Greg Carter, Pheeroan akLaff and J.T. Lewis, keyboardist Geri Allen, and vocalists D.K. Dyson
and Mark Ledford, with Reid occasionally singing lead vocals himself. The band's sound was
vastly different from the songs that showed up later on their major label recordings. Material
from this period included instrumental jazz/funk workouts, politically pointed punk rock burners,
experimental excursions via Reid's guitar synth, and an early version of the song "Funny Vibe",
which was reworked for their debut album Vivid.

Mainstream success (1986–1991)

Living Colour in 1993

In 1986 a stable lineup was formed, consisting of vocalist/actor Corey Glover, guitarist Vernon
Reid, bassist Muzz Skillings, and drummer Will Calhoun (who had graduated with honors from
Berklee College of Music),[5] and the band hired managers Jim Grant and Roger Cramer. Soon
after, the band became experienced at touring, including performing regular gigs at the club
CBGB. Vivid, released on May 3, 1988, gathered sales momentum only when later that year,
MTV began playing the video for "Cult of Personality". The album reached No. 6 on the U.S.
Billboard 200 chart. On April 1, 1989, the band performed on NBC's Saturday Night Live. Four
months later, the band gained further exposure as an opening act, along with Guns N' Roses, for
The Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour.

In 1990 the band's second full-length album, Time's Up, featured songs in numerous musical
contexts; jazz fusion, punk rock, Delta blues, hip hop (cameos by Queen Latifah and Doug E.
Fresh), funk, thrash metal, jive, and hints of electronica were all represented.[10] The album
reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200,[5] and won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock
Performance. Other guests included Maceo Parker and Little Richard.[5]

In 1991, Living Colour joined the inaugural Lollapalooza tour, and released an EP of outtakes
entitled Biscuits.[5]

Second line-up and breakup (1992–1995)

Despite retaining their strong fan base, Living Colour disbanded in January 1995, after failing to
settle on a common musical goal during sessions for their fourth studio album.[5] Four of these
tracks were included on the compilation Pride.

Following the breakup, individual band members released a variety of solo efforts.

Reunion and subsequent events (2000–present)

Living Colour re-formed on December 21, 2000, at CBGB as a gig billed "Head>>Fake w/
special guests". Head>>Fake was the current drum and bass project headed by Calhoun and
Wimbish. Glover was on the bill to sing a few songs and Reid came on after three songs. The
reunion was followed by the release of the band's fourth studio album, Collideøscope, in 2003,
their first album not to chart in the United States, although it was critically praised.[11][12] In 2005,
Sony Records released Live from CBGB's, a live album recorded on December 19, 1989, as well
as another best-of compilation, Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour, with
songs from Vivid to Collideøscope.

Sziget Festival - 2006.08.15

Sziget Festival - 2006.08.15

In August 2006, Glover took on the role of Judas Iscariot in a national tour of Jesus Christ
Superstar, touring with JCS veteran Ted Neeley. Doug Pinnick, vocalist and bassist of King's X,
filled in for Glover on lead vocals.[13] Glover's tour of the musical ran through June 2008, and he
then rejoined the band. On September 22, 2006, Skillings joined the band for the first time in
fourteen years when they played at a private party which drummer Jack DeJohnette threw for his
wife Lydia. Wimbish was unable to come back from his base in London to play for the event, so
Skillings agreed to take over for the special private event.

Corey Glover and Doug Wimbish (2008)

Living Colour, San Diego, CA, March 2013

The band performed a week-long European Tour starting on December 12, 2006. In May 2007,
the band released their first live DVD - On Stage At World Cafe Live. On July 11, 2008, the band
performed at the 1980s hard rock-themed Rocklahoma festival at Pryor, Oklahoma. Once again,
Skillings performed with them in August 2008 for a Black Rock Coalition Band of Gypsys
tribute in Harlem. They performed "Them Changes" and "Power of Soul".

On October 25, 2008, MVD Audio and CBGB Records released CBGB OMFUG MASTERS:
August 19, 2005 The Bowery Collection, a soundboard collection of songs from the Save
CBGB's benefit show. On November 25, 2008, Inakustik and MVD released The Paris Concert,
a DVD recorded at New Morning, in Paris, France, during their 2007 European Tour. The band
released their fifth studio album, The Chair in the Doorway, on September 15, 2009 on
Megaforce Records. The album sold approximately 2,800 copies in its first week and landed at
No. 159 on the Billboard 200. This was the band's first album to chart since Stain in 1993. The
band toured the world in support of the record.[14]

In an interview on breakdownroom.net, Glover hoped to release another album with the band
next year. "We're going to do something different [for us] and make a real record, right now,
right after we've done this one," Glover said with a laugh. The band's song "Cult of Personality"
received fresh exposure from 2011, as it was used as the entrance music for professional wrestler
CM Punk. In 2013, Living Colour performed the song live during Punk's entrance at
WrestleMania 29.
On July 2, 2014 Living Colour announced on their official website that they were putting the
finishing touches on their upcoming sixth album Shade, which was released on September 8,
2017.[15] "Shade is the sound of a band coming to terms with its shadows and light, From the blue
pulpit of Robert Johnson to the mean red streets of Brooklyn to the golden lure of Hollywood,
Shade is the next chapter of a unique American journey," Reid stated on the official website. The
album includes 10 originals and 3 covers: Robert Johnson's "'Preachin' Blues", Notorious B.I.G.'s
"Who Shot Ya?" and Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues'" available on CD, MP3, and vinyl.

On August 19, 2016 the band released a cover of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Who Shot Ya?", from
an upcoming EP entitled Mixtape which was released on September 9.[16] It features appearances
from Chuck D, Black Thought, Pharoahe Monch, Prodigal Sunn, and Kyle Mansa.[17]

Living Colour is currently working on new material for a possible EP or seventh full-length
studio album.[18] When asked about a month after the release of Shade if fans would have to wait
another four years for the follow-up album, Reid replied, "Well I don't know about all that. It's
intriguing to be back in this cycle."[19]