THE BLACK SORROWS

The Black Sorrows began as a loose pick-up band in Melbourne in 1983. They played mostly covers of R&B, zydeco, soul and blues music. An early line-up was founding mainstay, Joe Camilleri on vocals, saxophone and guitar (ex-The Pelaco Brothers, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons); with Jeff Burstin on guitar (ex-Company Caine, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons), Wayne Burt on guitar and vocals (ex-Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons); George Butrumlis on piano accordion; Wayne Duncan on bass guitar (ex-Daddy Cool, Living Legends); Steve McTaggart on violin; Paul Williamson on clarinet and saxophone; and Gary Young on drums (ex-Daddy Cool, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons).

Initially Camilleri used the group to play fun, low-pressure gigs in local cafes on a Sunday night after the dissolution of his previous band, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons (1975–1983). From 1983 to 1988 he used his first two names, Joey Vincent, for his work with the band. Membership in the band has been loose and fluid. Most of The Falcons, at one point or another, have been members; numerous other Australian musicians have drifted in and out of the line-ups. Aside from zydeco their early style included cajun music, which Camilleri defined as sort of soul music and it's sort of rhythm and blues, but with a twist. It's the instrumentation, the fact that they use washboards and piano accordions and perhaps the fiddle.

Their first two albums, 'Sonola' (June 1984) and 'Rockin' Zydeco' (March 1985), were each recorded live-in-the-studio, in one day, with Camilleri producing (The Sports, Paul Kelly and The Dots, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons). They consisted almost entirely of R&B cover versions of material from Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Arthur Alexander, Don Covay and John Lee Hooker. Shelley Demspey of The Canberra Times caught their local gig in March 1985 as part of their Mighty Spirit tour promoting 'Sonola' and the launch of Camilleri's own label, Spirit Records. It was established due to Camilleri's "frustration, constantly meeting and knowing very talented musicians and singers who for one reason and another have been ignored by the major labels".

'A Place in the World' followed in November 1985, again produced by Camilleri, it only had one cover version, the rest of the tracks were co-written by Camilleri with Nick Smith, who was also on guitar and backing vocals (ex-Millionaires, The Kevins, Stephen Cummings Band). Camilleri told Catherine Cook of The Canberra Times that they "had to exist on their own merit". She noted the songwriter was "taking all the best from the music he was playing and adding experiences and ideas". Camilleri agreed, "This is what I was trying to achieve and which I think 'A Place in the World' has done in a big way".

Also joining the group, just before recording, was Peter Luscombe on drums and percussion (ex-Tinsley Waterhouse Band, Stephen Cummings Band). The line-up of Camilleri, Burstin, Burt, Butrumlis, Luscombe, McTaggart and Smith were joined in the studio by sessions musicians including Ed Bates on guitar (ex-The Sports); Joe Creighton on bass guitar (ex-Billy T); Ross Hannaford on guitar (ex-Daddy Cool, Billy T); Andrew Pendlebury on guitar (ex-The Sports); and The Blackberries on vocal harmonies.

The Canberra Times‍ '​ Debbie Cameron noted the album was "a cocktail of styles — from a strong piano accordion and calypso sound in 'A Place in the World', to good dancing in 'Country Girls', through a rocky but unremarkable 'The Final Touch' and to a tragic 'Sons of the Sea'". Although Cameron preferred 'Sonola' she found 'A Place in the World' had "the action, the beat and the melody of Ry Cooder". By December 1986 The Black Sorrows line-up was Camilleri, Burstin, Luscombe and Smith; with Johnny Charles on bass guitar. The group were playing mostly original material and their sound had changed: "Gone are the piano accordion, clarinet and violin".

Camilleri opined that the line-up was "a lot rockier but it has to be that way because all the gentle side of it has gone — the accordion player has gone. We still do some wonderful ballads but there is a big difference between a nine-piece band as on the Sorrows' last tour and a five-piece band, something has to go". The group's next album, 'Dear Children' (April 1987), which was co-produced by Camilleri and Burstin, appeared on Camel Records. Initially it was issued independently but CBS signed them to a distribution deal. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, 'Dear Children' "represented a turning point in the band's career". With CBS promoting, it peaked at No. 18 the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart in June.

In May that year the lead single, "Daughters of Glory", had reached the top 50 on the related Kent Music Report Singles Chart. Additional session musicians used on 'Dear Children' included: Butrumlis; Tony Faeshe on guitar and viola; Venetta Fields on backing vocals; Mick Girasole on bass guitar; Paul Grabowsky on piano; Sherlie Matthews on backing vocals; Mick O'Connor on keyboards and Hammond organ. The band often made use of session or touring musicians including Sam See on slide guitar, Tony Norris on trumpet, and Kerryn Tolhurst on guitar. During 1988 Smith left the performance line-up, however he continued writing lyrics for The Black Sorrows over the following two decades. By mid-year Burt had returned on guitar, Charles was replaced by Girasole on bass guitar, and Vika and Linda Bull joined on backing vocals and occasional lead vocals (ex-Sophisticated Boom Boom, The Sacred Hearts of Sweet Temptation, The Honeymooners).

Australian journalist, Ed Nimmervoll, described the "classic line-up" of the group as Camilleri, Linda and Vika Bull, Burstin, Burt, Girasole and Luscombe. The Bull sisters readily identifiable singing style became a big part of The Black Sorrows' sound. At live gigs each had their own "spots" showing different voices: "Vika strong and soulful. Linda soft and gentle". The group's fifth album, 'Hold on to Me', was issued in September 1988, which was co-produced by Burstin and Camilleri. As well as the standard version CBS released a limited edition 2× LP in Australia. AllMusic's Rudyard Kennedy felt the lead singer was able to "channel the voice and persona of" Van Morrison and while the group "borrow many of the same ingredients" however "the trick is in mixing those well-worn ingredients together and coming up with something new" such that the album "deserves to be heard and hailed by music fans the world over".

The album peaked at #7 on the ARIA Albums Chart in May 1989 and remained in the top 50 for 46 weeks. It provided three top 40 hits on the associated Singles Chart: "Hold on to Me" (October 1988), "Chained to the Wheel" (March 1989 – their highest charting single at #9) and "The Crack-Up" (May). At the ARIA Music Awards of 1990 they won Best Group. Internationally 'Hold on to Me' peaked at #6 on the Norwegian Albums Chart; #18 on the Swedish Albums Chart; and #35 on the New Zealand Albums Chart. Before recording their sixth album, 'Harley & Rose' (August 1990), Jen Anderson was added on violin (ex-Kings of the World); and Richard Sega replaced Girasole on bass guitar.

It was co-produced by Camilleri, Burstin and Luscombe; and the CD format has four bonus tracks compared with the LP version. Tom Demalon of AllMusic felt that although "rooted in country, folk, and blues ... the band doesn't allow themselves to be stuck in any one genre and they flirt from one style to another, enthusiastically anchored only by the literate songwriting and tight musicianship displayed throughout". It peaked at No. 3 in Australia and remained in the top 50 for 51 weeks; #5 in Norway and #36 in Sweden.

Burt left The Black Sorrows before recording for their seventh album, 'Better Times' (September 1992), and Stephen Hadley (ex-Kate Ceberano and The Ministry of Fun) replaced Sega on bass guitar. Also added to the line-up were Barker and Black (on keyboards) of The Relevators. Finally, Laurie Polec took over as the band's primary lyricist, although Smith contributed to this and future releases. 'Better Times' peaked at #13 in Australia. In March 1993 the group re-released 'Better Times' as 2× CD pack with The Revelators' Amazing Stories as a bonus disc.

Their first compilation album, 'The Chosen Ones – Greatest Hits', also appeared in November 1993, which peaked at #4. However by the end of that year Camilleri announced that after The Chosen Ones Tour, the current line-up of The Black Sorrows would be dissolved. It became his solo band with "a floating line-up of specially selected musicians". Vika and Linda launched their duo career in March 1994.

For the new iteration of The Black Sorrows, Camilleri retained only Hadley from the previous line-up. The group's next album, 'Lucky Charm' (November 1994) was recorded in New York with Camilleri co-producing with Kerryn Tolhurst. While the group had no fixed line-up at this juncture, in the studio the group most frequently called on the services of Hadley on bass guitar, Tolhurst on guitar, mandolin, tiple and keyboards, Rob Burke on saxophone, Claude Carranza on guitar, Steve Ferrone on drums, and Andy York on guitar. Lyrics for the album's songs were supplied by James Griffin, Smith or Polec. McFarlane noted that the album was "a more reflective, rootsier collection than previous band efforts". It reached No. 20 in Australia.

The next album, 'Beat Club' (November 1998), used the line-up of Camilleri, Black, Burke, and Creighton; with Nick Haywood on bass guitar and Tony Floyd on drums as the new members. The album was co-produced by Camilleri, Black and Tolhurst. It also used guest musicians including Burstin, Burt and Renée Geyer on vocals. McFarlane described it as containing "R&B-tinged jazz and blues tunes". The lead single, "New Craze" (August 1997), was nominated at the 1998 APRA Awards for Most Performed Jazz Work in Australia for its writers Camilleri, Smith and Black. In the early 2000s Camelleri founded another side project, Bakelite Radio, which temporarily supplanted his recording activity with The Black Sorrows.
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The Black Sorrows returned from hiatus and released an acoustic album, 'One Mo' Time', in 2004 with returning members Camilleri, Black, Burstin, Floyd and Hadley. The band's follow-up album was 'Roarin Town', released in October 2006. For this release, The Black Sorrows were Camilleri, Black, Floyd, Hadley, and the returning Carranza. Carranza and Black had also played with Camilleri in Bakelite Radio.

 The 2006 touring line-up of The Black Sorrows consisted of Camilleri, Black, Creighton, Carranza, Floyd, and new recruits Annette Roche and Troy McMillan on backing vocals. When the band resumed touring in 2007, Roche and McMillan had left the group. A one-time only gig in December 2008 featured a Black Sorrows line-up that traversed different eras of the band. This line-up included Camilleri, Anderson, Bates, Vika and Linda Bull, Butrumlis, Carranza, Creighton and Floyd. Camilleri continued performing with The Black Sorrows, The Revelators and Bakelite Radio at gigs with a changing roster of musicians. In late 2009 The Black Sorrows released a CD/DVD compilation pack, '4 Days in Sing Sing' (2009).

The 2010-2012 Black Sorrows line-up consisted of Camilleri, Carranza, Creighton, and the returning Floyd, alongside new vocalist Atlanta Coogan who joined in 2010. In 2012 the line-up released 'Crooked Little Thought's, a 72-page hard cover book including 3× CDs, photos, lyrics and the artwork of Victor Rubin. By 2013 the line-up had shuffled again. Camilleri and Carranza were now joined by Angus Burchall on drums, Mark Gray on bass guitar, and John McAll on keyboards and backing vocals. The group released their 14th album 'Certified Blue', on April Fool's Day 2014. A pair of follow-up albums, consisting of cover songs recorded during the 'Certified Blue' sessions, were released simultaneously the following year. Entitled Endless Sleep, Chapter 46 and Endless Sleep, Chapter 47, these albums were issued on vinyl, with a CD version included as a bonus -- the CDs were not available to purchase separately. In September 2016, keeping the same line-up, The Black Sorrows released 'Faithful Satellite', their 17th studio album.

2019 saw the release of 'Citizen John' produced by Camilleri and recorded at Woodstock Studios in Melbourne. This was all Camilleri and Smith songs with the exception of Silvio, a Bob Dylan Robert Hunter cover. The band was still Camilleri, Carranza, Gray, Burchall, and John McAll. By 2021, the line-up had shifted again, with a complete overhaul except for perennial frontman Camilleri. The band now consists of Camilleri, Shannon Bourne (guitar), Mitch Cairnes (bass), Peter Solley (keyboards) and the once again returning Tony Floyd (drums). The Black Sorrows released their 19th studio album, Saint Georges Road, in September 2021.

Members

Joe Camilleri (guitar, saxophone, vocals), Linda Bull (vocals), Vika Bull (vocals), Jeff Burstin (guitar, mandolin), Wayne Burt (guitar), George Butrumlis (accordion), Wayne Duncan (bass), Steve McTaggart (violin), Paul Williamson (clarinet, sax), Gary Young (drums), Peter Luscombe (drums), Nick Smith (vocals), Joe Creighton (bass), Johnny Charles (bass), Mick Girasole (bass) Jen Anderson (violin), Richard Sega (bass), Michael Barker (percussion), James Black (keyboards, organ, piano), Stephen Hadley (bass), Rob Burke (sax), Claude Carranza (guitar), Steve Ferrone (drums), Kerryn Tolhurst (guitar, mandolin, tiple, keyboards), Andy York (guitar), Tony Floyd (drums), Nick Haywood (bass), Troy McMillan (vocals), Annette Roche (vocals), Atlanta Coogan (vocals), Angus Burchall (drums), Mark Gray (bass), John McAll (keyboards), Shannon Bourne (guitar), Mitch Cairnes (bass), Peter Solley (keyboards)

SINGLES
''Brown Eyed Girl / What A Difference A Day Makes'' 1984 White Label 
''Shape I'm In / My Negress In Black'' 1985 White Label 
''Sons Of The Sea / Gypsy Heart'' 1985 Spirit 
''Country Girls / A Place In The World'' 1986 Virgin 
''Daughters Of Glory (#48) / Foolish Girl'' 1987 CBS 
''Maybe Tomorrow (#91) / Dear Children'' 1987 CBS 
''The Last Frontier / Wild Street Girls'' 1987 CBS 
''Hold On To Me (#41) / Safe In The Arms Of Love'' 1988 CBS 
''The Chosen Ones (#80) / Mercenary Heart'' 1988 CBS 
''Chained To The Wheel (#9) / Waiting For The Rain'' 1989 CBS 
''The Crack-Up (#40) / The Story Never Changes'' 1989 CBS 
''Fire Down Below (#73) / Daughters Of Glory ('89 Remix) / Come On In My Kitchen'' 1989 CBS 
''Harley And Rose (#24) / The Calling'' 1990 CBS 
''Angel Street (#97) / Lay Your Head Down'' 1990 CBS
''Never Let Me Go (#30) / Never Let Me Go (Swamp Mix)'' 1991 CBS
"Hold It Up to the Mirror" (#97) 1991 Columbia
"Ain't Love the Strangest Thing" (#46) 1992 Columbia
"Better Times" (#74) 1992 Columbia
"Come On, Come On" (#70) 1993 Columbia
"Sweet Inspiration" 1993 Columbia
"Stir It Up" (#58) 1993 Columbia
''Snake Skin Shoes 1994 Replay Music
"Last One Standing for You" [with Jon Stevens] (#46) 1994 Columbia
 "Lucky Charm" 1995 Columbia
"New Craze" 1997 Mushroom
"Fix My Bail" 2016 
"It Ain't Ever Gonna Happen" 2016
 "Raise Your Hands" 2017
 "Silvio" 2018 
"Wednesday's Child"2019
"Livin' Like Kings" 2021 
"Revolutionary Blues"2021
"Chiquita" 2021
"Saint Georges Road" 2022
"A Little Love" 2023 [with Joe Camilleri and Darlinghurst] 2022
"One Door Slams" 2024

ALBUMS
'Sonola' (#50) 1984 Spirit 
'Rockin' Zydeco' 1985 Spirit 
'A Place in the World' 1985 Spirit 
'Dear Children' (#22) 1987 CBS 
'Hold on to Me' (#7) 1988 CBS 
'Harley and Rose' (#3) 1990 CBS 
'Better Times' (#13) 1992 Columbia 
'Lucky Charm' (#20) 1994 Columbia
'Beat Club' 1998 Mushroom
'One Mo' Time' 2004 Liberation 
'Roarin' Town' 2006 Warner Music 
'4 Days in Sing Sing' 2009 Head
'Crooked Little Thoughts' 2012 Head 
'Certified Blue' (#73) 2014 Head 
'Endless Sleep Chapter 46' 2015 Head 
'Endless Sleep Chapter 47' 2015 Head 
'Faithful Satellite' 2016 Head 
'Citizen John' (#11) 2019 Mushroom
'Saint Georges Road' (#14) 2021 Ambition 
'The Way We Do Business' 2024 ABC

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Sorrows

http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/