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Erebus
10-15-2006, 12:04 PM
Just a quick question. How many current rock stars are black?
DonC
10-15-2006, 12:14 PM
Living Colour, if you can count them as "stars."
DDM
10-15-2006, 12:29 PM
Tina Turner
Terrence Trent D'arby
Living Colour
Neneh Cherry
Lenny Kravitz
Chaka Khan
Armless Penguin
10-15-2006, 12:39 PM
Kele Okereke is the only one who matters.
rick
10-15-2006, 12:51 PM
Tina Turner
Terrence Trent D'arby
Living Colour
Neneh Cherry
Lenny Kravitz
Chaka Khan

None of them are exactly current though.

Maybe Kravitz, but that's about it.

Of course if they want to talk about non-current then the whole field opens up, just starting with Hendrix and going on from there.
scratchie
10-15-2006, 01:08 PM
Living Colour, if you can count them as "stars."Or "current".
tangentman
10-15-2006, 01:24 PM
What about Skin, formerly(?) of Skunk Anansie?
howyadoin
10-15-2006, 01:37 PM
These guys aren't stars, but they should be:

http://www.redlotusband.com
Erebus
10-15-2006, 01:43 PM
Tina Turner
Terrence Trent D'arby
Living Colour
Neneh Cherry
Lenny Kravitz
Chaka Khan
Pretty much all of them are has-beens. I'm talking about current. Isn't the lead singer of the metal band, Skindred, black?
Patriot07
10-15-2006, 07:27 PM
I believe Chuck Berry still does like one concert a year.
Patriot07
10-15-2006, 07:27 PM
edit: Double post
Tish-the-Scorpion
10-15-2006, 08:20 PM
beside kravits there really aren't any real current "black rock stars"
Dan Apodaca
10-15-2006, 08:26 PM
Tina Turner
Chaka Khan

Neither of these people make rock music.
Jonathan Bogart
10-15-2006, 08:52 PM
Neither of these people make rock music.
Not anymore, perhaps, but the groups they started out in, the Ike & Tina Turner Rock 'n' Soul Revue and Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, played rock just as much as they played soul, funk, and blues.
Dan Apodaca
10-15-2006, 09:12 PM
Not anymore, perhaps, but the groups they started out in, the Ike & Tina Turner Rock 'n' Soul Revue and Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, played rock just as much as they played soul, funk, and blues.

Eh, that falls under the category of rock and roll, in the classic sense. But as rock? No, definitely not.
Motormouse
10-16-2006, 12:49 AM
Not anymore, perhaps, but the groups they started out in, the Ike & Tina Turner Rock 'n' Soul Revue and Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, played rock just as much as they played soul, funk, and blues.

Ike Turner plays piano on the Gorillaz track "Every planet we reach is dead", that's kinda current (although i really don't know what category to place Gorillaz in), does that count?
elheffe
10-16-2006, 07:06 AM
Kele Okereke is the only one who matters.
Have to agree with that. I was reading some ultra-PC piece where they called Kele as being "Anglo African"
DennyK
10-16-2006, 07:19 AM
Tina Turner
Terrence Trent D'arby
Living Colour
Neneh Cherry
Lenny Kravitz
Chaka Khan


1) Tina Turner: At one time certainly, but in no way shape or form current.

2) Terrence Trent D'arby: See above.

3) Living Colour: See above.

4) Neneh Cherry: Rock star, uh, yeah, no.

5) Lenny Kravitz: I'm not really a fan, but I can't argue with his inclusion.

6) Chaka Khan: At best part of my response to Tina Turner, and more likely my response to Neneh Cherry.


BTW, Jimi Hendrix is still and will always be a rock star.
TinMan
10-16-2006, 08:25 AM
Tina Turner
Terrence Trent D'arby
Living Colour
Neneh Cherry
Lenny Kravitz
Chaka Khan

He said "rock" stars, not "pop" stars. Kravitz would be the closest on that list and even then I would argue that he does more pop than rock.

Howard Jones, vocalist for Killswitch Engage, one of my favorite bands. Howard is an absolutely phenomanal vocalist, his abilities are amazing.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk/shared/pictures/KillswitchEngage/killswitch-london-11.jpg

Byron Davis from God Forbid. Never really gotten into these guys hardcore, but they are pretty good.

http://www.metaljudgment.com/images/mass_godforbid.jpg

Lajon Witherspoon of the band Sevendust. Not a bad band, just never got into them personally, though I do quite enjoy a few of their songs.

http://www.katrinadelmar.com/sevendust.jpg

I can also think of Hootie from Hootie and the Blowfish, but again thats more pop-rock/alt-rock.
Captain Murphy
10-16-2006, 08:51 AM
Slash from Guns and Roses
Jonathan Bogart
10-16-2006, 09:03 AM
No one's gonna mention TV on the Radio?
Shellhead
10-16-2006, 09:13 AM
None of them are exactly current though.

Maybe Kravitz, but that's about it.

Of course if they want to talk about non-current then the whole field opens up, just starting with Hendrix and going on from there.

Currently, there's not too many white people doing rock these days, at least relatively speaking. Rock has definitely seen better days than now.

If we're going to talk about non-current black rock, Fishbone deserves a mention. Musically, they worked with several genres, but they definitely rocked hard when they wanted to.
jessecuster3
10-16-2006, 10:41 AM
The Bellrays ! Not only a black rocker but a female one at that !
Shellhead
10-16-2006, 11:36 AM
Morcheeba, maybe, depending on how you define the genre.
Ottmeister X
10-16-2006, 03:17 PM
One of the dudes from King's X.

The drummer from Tom Petty (not the original guy, but he has been playing with Petty for a number of years now).

I haven't paid attention, but what is Tom Morello from Rage and Audioslave fame?
Armless Penguin
10-16-2006, 04:44 PM
I haven't paid attention, but what is Tom Morello from Rage and Audioslave fame?

Really white.

Actually, he's half-Kenyan or something, but I don't believe it.
blackdragon6
10-16-2006, 07:27 PM
tom morello is black.
rick
10-16-2006, 11:40 PM
Neither of these people make rock music.


Dan, you clearly have not listened to any Ike & Tina Turner from around 1970 have you?

They were playing some solid Rock, not Rock n Roll either, but Rock.
rick
10-16-2006, 11:41 PM
Ike Turner plays piano on the Gorillaz track "Every planet we reach is dead", that's kinda current (although i really don't know what category to place Gorillaz in), does that count?


Ike Turner also plays piano on the first ever Rock N Roll record from 1947, Rocket 88.
Patient Boy
10-17-2006, 02:56 PM
I managed to catch a bit of Jada Pinkett's band (Wicked Wisdom) on TV awhile ago. The music seems suitably heavy, but her voice doesn't seem strong enough to carry the songs.
Adam Crocker
10-17-2006, 03:07 PM
He said "rock" stars, not "pop" stars. Kravitz would be the closest on that list and even then I would argue that he does more pop than rock.

Closest? Not Living Colour who were a rock band?
TinMan
10-18-2006, 10:55 AM
Closest? Not Living Colour who were a rock band?

I thought about that after the fact, but I couldn't remember if they were the band I was thinking of. I don't know a lot of their songs though and honestly, I don't consider a lot of bands "rock" music like some people do.
Ottmeister X
10-20-2006, 10:40 PM
Living Colour definitely. Vernon Reid smokes away most rock guitarists.
howyadoin
10-20-2006, 11:35 PM
Living Colour definitely. Vernon Reid smokes away most rock guitarists.No argument here. The rest of the band are no slouches, either.
G. Wayne
10-21-2006, 10:24 AM
Jada Pinket Smith's band Wicked Wisdom are all black, and not that bad either.
The Mirrorball Man
10-21-2006, 10:32 AM
And what about Bodycount?
nonhosonno
10-21-2006, 06:39 PM
One of the dudes from King's X.

Doug Pinnick.


The drummer from Tom Petty

Steve Ferrone.
Ottmeister X
10-21-2006, 07:42 PM
Doug Pinnick.

Steve Ferrone.

Thank you. Had I taken time to rattle my brain -- or Google -- I would have been a little more respectful of those guys. In either case, they're both solid musicians.