James and Black (USA)

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Last Show: Friday 27 th September 2019

PizzaExpress Live (Birmingham)

Bruce James and Bella Black joined musical forces in Austin, Texas in 2011 and have been spreading the word of “Guerrilla Soul” ever since.  The roots of their music spring from the tradition of the Southern Soul from Texas, New Orleans and Memphis, yet they are not a throwback.   They have supported Gregory Porter, Fatoumata Diawara, Candy Dulfer and played alongside Bobby Rush, Lee Fields and fellow Texans, ZZ Top.  Touring and performing at major UK Festivals throughout 2019, James & Black debut at PizzaExpress Live, Holborn to share the stories in their songs.

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"For those who have never seen Otis Redding or Aretha Franklin perform, go to a concert of Bruce James and Bella Black - this is the best option to close your eyes and go back to pure American sound whose songs echo to this day, for connoisseurs and non-connoisseurs alike. Bruce with his street poetry - "past tense is no more than last night's wine" - Bella with her voice that tears thoughts and frees the mind of the listener"

Voci di Citta - Bologna IT

Bruce James and Bella Black joined musical forces in Austin, Texas in 2011 and have been on a mission spreading the word of “Guerrilla Soul” ever since. The roots of their music spring from the tradition of the Southern Soul from Texas, New Orleans and Memphis, yet they are not a throwback. The foundation of James & Black is the voices and stories in their songs. Since relocating to Europe in the summer of 2012, James & Black have toured throughout Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy, Spain and France, playing close to 150 shows per year and covering over 300,000 km in the process. In 2018, their 3-week debut tour across the UK brought “Guerilla Soul” to appreciative British audiences, resulting in Festival bookings and a series of tours planned throughout 2019. They have supported Gregory Porter and Fatoumata Diawara in Leiden at Summer Jazz, Candy Dulfer in Amsterdam at Vondel Park, performed at the Baltic Soul Weekender with Sister Sledge and Lenny Williams, played at Peer Blues Festival alongside fellow Texans, ZZ Top, performed at the Porretta Soul Festival alongside artists such as Bobby Rush and Lattimore, performed at the Enclave de Aguas in Soria, Spain alongside Lee Fields and Nikki Hill, performed at The Barcelona International Jazz Festival and have supported New Yorkers, The Slackers, throughout Germany and Austria. The duo released their second studio album, “This Time”, in July 2017 and are now working on a new album scheduled for release later this year. 

https://www.jamesandblack.org/

Band Lineup

Bella Black (vocals)

Bruce James (vocals/keyboards)

Sam Kelly (drums)

Richard Sadler (bass)