Jimmy Carl Black
Jimmy Carl Black (born James Inckanish Jr., Feb. 1, 1938 in El Paso, Texas - 31 October 2008) was drummer, percussionist, trumpeter and occasional singer for Frank Zappa's The Mothers.
Contents
Biography
Jimmy Carl Black was born in 1938 and of Cheyenne descent, coining his nickname The Indian of the Group.
In 1959, he was singer and drummer in the group Them Three Guys. As a member of the group The Keys, he recorded the single Stretch Pants/A Matter of Time (Ultimate Records, 1962). [1] He also played drums and provided vocals as a member of The Soul Giants.
Frank Zappa
In 1964, Jimmy Carl Black played with the Mothers Of Invention, providing drums, percussion, trumpet and vocals on the group's 1960s albums, from Freak Out! (1966) up until Weasels Ripped My Flesh (1970). He can be specifically heard during Are You Hung Up? and Concentration Moon (both on We're Only In It For The Money), introducing himself: "Hi boys and girls, I'm Jimmy Carl Black and I'm the Indian of the group." A secret recording of Black complaining to Zappa about lack of financial income, If We'd All Been Living In California... was included on Uncle Meat (1969). During the Royal Albert Hall concert (1968), Black has a memorable scene where he dresses up as a rockstar to hustle some young ladies. The recording can be heard on Ahead Of Their Time (1993) and footage seen in Uncle Meat (The Film) (1988).
Black also performed drums on singles and albums by other artists produced by Zappa: Burt Ward's Boy Wonder I Love You/Orange Colored Sky (1966), Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band's Trout Mask Replica (1969) and Permanent Damage by GTO's. [2]
A bet between Jimmy Carl Black and Bunk Gardner about Gardner showing his ass on the tour bus inspired the title of A Pound For A Brown On The Bus.[3]
In 1969, Zappa disbanded The Mothers. Black did perform on later Zappa albums, though. In 200 Motels, he played the character Lonesome Cowboy Burt and sings the self-titled song both on the album and in the film, 200 Motels (The Film) (1971).
On You Are What You Is (1981), Black sings on the tracks Harder Than Your Husband, Goblin Girl, Beauty Knows No Pain, The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing, Dumb All Over and I Don't Wanna Get Drafted. [4]
Jimmy Carl Black musical contributions on Zappa records
- Freak Out!
- Absolutely Free
- We're Only In It For The Money
- Lumpy Gravy
- Cruising With Ruben & The Jets
- Uncle Meat
- 200 Motels
- Burnt Weeny Sandwich
- You Are What You Is
- The Ark (BTB)
- 'Tis The Season To Be Jelly (BTB)
- Electric Aunt Jemima (BTB)
- Our Man In Nirvana (BTB)
- You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1
- You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 4
- You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 5
- You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 6
- Ahead Of Their Time
- The Lost Episodes
- Mystery Disc
- Joe's Corsage
Post-Zappa career
In 1972, Black recorded an album and two singles under the name Geronimo Black. In 1979, he recorded under the name Big Sonny and The Lo Boys. In 1981, he recorded and performed under his own name. During the 1980s, he also performed with Arthur Brown and recorded an album together, Black, Brown and Blue.
In the summer of 1975, Black also played with Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, under the stage name Indian Ink.
Black played with the nostalgia band The Grandmothers. Don Preston and Jimmy Carl Black performed on Eugene Chadbourne's albums 10 Most Wanted (1993), Locked in a Dutch Coffeeshop (1994). Black also performed on several later albums by Chadbourne. Black recorded on With My Favorite "Vegetables" & Other Bizarre Muzik (1994), Lunar Muzik (1998) and Electronic Church Muzik (2011) by Ant-Bee (A.K.A. Billy James).
From 2004 on, Black was a singer in the Zappa tribute band The Muffin Men. In December 2006, he also performed with Steven De Bruyn and Jos Steen as the Black Brown Stone trio, produced by Zjakki Willems. [5]
Jimmy Carl Black passed away in 2008. He has been subject of a musical album, The Jimmy Carl Black Story (2008), inspired by Black's life, recorded by Jon Larsen (on whose album Strange News From Mars, 2007, Black also performed previously). A documentary, Where's the Beer and When Do We Get Paid? (2013), and a memoir, For Mother's Sake (2013), published by his widow Monika Black, are also available.
Interviews
- Don Preston and Jimmy Carl Black are interviewed in Mother People, 91-5.
- Jimmy Carl Black Interview, 91-5
- Texan Grandmother In Interview Shock Horror (1993)
- He is also interviewed in the documentaries BBC Television Tribute (about Frank Zappa, 1993) and The Artist Formerly Known As Captain Beefheart (1997).
References
- ↑ https://www.jimmycarlblack.com/en/content/jimmy-carl-black
- ↑ https://www.donlope.net/fz/musicians/A-C.html#BlackJimmyCarl
- ↑ http://donlope.net/fz/notes/Uncle_Meat.html#Pound
- ↑ https://www.donlope.net/fz/notes/You_Are_What_You_Is.html#Harder
- ↑ https://www.united-mutations.com/b/jimmy_carl_black.htm
