Bad Brains are an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in
1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though
the band's members have objected to this term to describe their music. They are
also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of other
genres like funk, heavy metal, hip hop and soul. Bad Brains are followers of
the Rastafari movement. Originally formed as a jazz fusion
ensemble under the name Mind Power, Bad Brains developed a very fast and intense
punk rock sound which came to be labeled "hardcore", and was often played faster
and more emphatically than the music of many of their peers. The unique factor
of the band's music was the fact that they played more complex rhythms than
other hardcore punk bands, also adapting non-punk style guitar riffs and solos
into their songs. Bad Brains have released nine studio
albums. The band broke up and reformed several times over the years, sometimes
with different singers or drummers. Since 1998, the lineup of singer H.R.,
guitarist Dr. Know, bassist Darryl Jenifer, and drummer Earl Hudson has
reunited, albeit performing sporadically.
History = From fusion to hardcore=
The band was first founded as a jazz fusion ensemble called Mind Power in the
mold of bands such as Chick Corea's Return to Forever and John McLaughlin's
Mahavishnu Orchestra as well as R&B musician Stevie Wonder. In 1977, their
friend Sid McCray introduced the band, who were already interested in bands
such as Black Sabbath, to punk rock, including the Dickies, the Dead Boys,
and the Sex Pistols. Mind Power became obsessed with punk rock and changed
their name to "Bad Brains", after the Ramones song "Bad Brain", but with the
word "bad" in the sense of "good". Despite their burgeoning punk sound, the
early Bad Brains, after seeing Bob Marley in concert, also delved deep into
reggae music and the Rastafari movement. Sid McCray became their first singer but
left in the early days of the group's hardcore punk era, and guitarist H.R.
became the band's new singer. The band developed an early reputation
in Washington D.C., due in part to the relative novelty of an entirely black
band playing punk rock, but also due to their high-energy performances and
undeniable talent. In 1979, Bad Brains found themselves the
subject of an unofficial ban among many Washington D.C. area clubs and
performance venues. The band subsequently relocated to New York City.
Their self-titled debut album was released on Neil Cooper's ROIR Records
on "cassette only" in January 1982, followed in 1983 by Rock for Light,
produced by Ric Ocasek of The Cars. During 1983, they played a show at
Brendan Mullen's club "Club Lingerie" at the city of Los Angeles, which was
remarkable as their opening act, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, introduced a funk
rock sound that the Bad Brains said they liked. It was also the first show by the
Peppers' at any Los Angeles venue. = New sounds=
In 1986, Bad Brains signed with SST Records and released I Against I, which,
in addition to their hardcore punk and reggae sounds, introduced a heavy
metal/funk hybrid sound. H.R. provided the vocals for "Sacred Love" over the
phone from the Lorton Reformatory while doing a bid for a cannabis charge. Also
critically praised was H.R.'s performance: Rick Anderson wrote on
AllMusic that, "[HR] digs deep into his bag of voices and pulls them all out,
one by one: the frightening nasal falsetto that was his signature in the
band's hardcore days, an almost bel canto baritone, and a declamatory
speed-rap chatter that spews lyrics with the mechanical precision of a machine
gun". The title track's video was shown on MTV's then-new 120 Minutes program,
for which the band appeared in promotional footage. Despite the success
of I Against I, H.R. quit the band again, taking his brother Earl with him
after spending most of 1987 touring. 1988 dates for the I Against I tour were
done with Taj Singleton on vocals and Mackie Jayson on drums. In 1988 the Bad
Brains signed with Caroline Records, who released their fourth album Quickness
the following year. Since vocalist H.R. and his brother, drummer Earl Hudson
were unavailable for the recording sessions, Quickness was originally
recorded with Taj Singleton on vocals and Mackie Jayson on drums but before
Quickness was ready for mastering, H.R. returned, rewrote the lyrics and
overdubbed the vocals for Quickness replacing Taj Singleton's recorded
lyrics and vocals. = More turmoil and more singers=
Bad Brains were plagued by internal tensions nearly from their beginning.
Aside from the problems with H.R., who sometimes refused to perform at
scheduled concerts and sessions, he and his younger brother, drummer Earl
Hudson, also wanted to devote the band strictly to reggae, while Dr. Know and
Darryl Jenifer were increasingly interested in heavy rock.
H.R. experienced financial problems after an unsuccessful European tour with
the group Human Rights and Bad Brains touring replacement singer Taj Singleton
did not fit well with the band so H.R. and Earl both returned for the Quickness
tour. After the Quickness tour, H.R. and Earl left once again and H.R. was
replaced by former Faith No More vocalist Chuck Mosley. Soon afterwards,
Bad Brains broke up yet again. In 1990, Bad Brains backed longtime
friend, fan, and protege Henry Rollins on a cover version of The MC5's "Kick
Out the Jams". The recording appears on the soundtrack to the film Pump Up the
Volume. As bands influenced by Bad Brains
enjoyed commercial success, Dr. Know was approached by Mundane Records in 1992,
offering the band a major-label record deal. The former Cro-Mags drummer Mackie
Jayson, and vocalist Israel Joseph I joined at this time. Rise was released
in 1993. The Rise tour began in 1993 with Mackie Jayson on drums and finished
in 1994 with drummer Chuck Treece. = Reunion with the original lineup and
name change= With the original band back together for
the first time in five years, Bad Brains signed to the Maverick Records label for
the 1995 release God of Love. Two years later, the band worked
together to remaster some early studio recordings which were then released as
the EP The Omega Sessions by Victory Records. In 1998-1999, the original
lineup toured under the name Soul Brains. A live album, A Bad Brains
Reunion Live from Maritime Hall, was released in 2001.
Soul Brains was the name used by the original Bad Brains from 1998 to 2001.
H.R. appeared on the track "Without Jah, Nothin' ", on P.O.D.'s Satellite. In
2002, Bad Brains released I & I Survived. In 2004, Lil Jon, recruited
Dr. Know, Jenifer and Earl Hudson to back him on a version of his song "Real
Nigga Roll Call", which interpolated the music of "Re-Ignition". The recording
appeared on the limited-edition release of Lil Jon's album Crunk Juice. The
accompanying DVD featured footage of the session.
H.R. performed his song "Who's Got the Herb?" with the band 311 on June 22,
2004, in Long Beach, California. H.R. was also featured in a live song version
of "Shame in Dem Game" with Sublime, who are also from Long Beach, California.
= Build a Nation and Into the Future= In 2005, Darryl Jenifer told Billboard
that the band was in the studio recording their first proper studio
album in ten years, to be released later in the year. Beastie Boy Adam Yauch also
gave interviews indicating that he was producing the sessions, for which basic
tracks featuring the original lineup had been recorded.
While homeless and faced with severe poverty, H.R. reunited with Bad Brains
for two dates at CBGB. While H.R. & Dubb Agents geared up to tour Global Rock
Showcases '07 dates, in early January 2007, Bad Brains had Build a Nation
released on June 26, 2007. The album debuted at No. 100 on the Billboard 200.
Bad Brains played five dates including Sasquatch Fest. These were followed by
concerts in California and a European tour in October 2007. Upon return to the
U.S. the band took stage in Chicago for the Riotfest rock concert. The internet
has also contributed to the band's resurgence, as it is now possible to
view old and new concert footage via YouTube, or read archived interviews.
Before the release of the new album, Dr. Know stated he was eager for the band to
record more albums. H.R. was ripped off due to poor management through the
remainder of 2007. The title of bassist Darryl Jenifer's solo effort is In
Search of Black Judas. In January 2008, the band announced they
are working on a box set of 7" vinyl records. Bad Brains toured South America
during April 2008 with former singer Israel Joseph I, temporarily filling in
for H.R. The band performed at the Smoke Out festival in San Bernardino,
California on October 24, 2009. As of 2009, two documentaries of the
band were in production as well as a documentary focusing on H.R. Bad Brains
were planning a three-date tour of Australia in June 2010, but were forced
to cancel due to health reasons. In March 2011, it was reported that Bad
Brains had begun work on new material for their follow-up to Build a Nation.
In April 2012, H.R. revealed the album would be called Let's Have Fun. However,
the title was changed to Into the Future and the album was released on November
20, 2012. On March 22, 2014, Bad Brains posted a
picture of Darryl Jenifer and Dr. Know in the studio on their Facebook page,
hinting that the band has been working on new material.
The band appears on the HBO documentary Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways.
On May 30, 2015, Bad Brains recorded a new EP in a studio in Woodstock, New
York in front of approximately 70 people. The EP is part of a series aptly
titled, The Woodstock Sessions, and for unknown reasons, H.R. did not
participate in the sessions; Jamaican singer Jesse Royal filled in for him. At
first it was unclear if H.R. was no longer a member of Bad Brains, but when
asked if he would work with him again, guitarist Dr. Know replied, "Only Jah
know." Members
= Timeline= Discography
For a more comprehensive list, see Bad Brains discography.
1982: Bad Brains 1983: Rock for Light
1986: I Against I 1989: Quickness
1993: Rise 1995: God of Love
2002: I & I Survived 2007: Build a Nation
2012: Into the Future References
External links Bad Brains' Myspace
Official website Bad Brains at AllMusic
Bad Brains at ROIR