Bad Brains

This black American hardcore punk and dub reggae outfit originated in 1978, when the band members were all playing together in an early fusion outfit. They moved from Washington, DC, to New York where they established a reputation as prime exponents, alongside the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag, of the new ‘hardcore’ hybrid of punk, based on a barely credible speed of musicianship. The line-up comprised H.R. (b. Paul Hudson, 11 February 1956, London, England; vocals) and brother Earl Hudson (b. 17 December 1957, Alabama, USA; drums), Dr. Know (b. Gary Miller, 15 September 1958, Washington, DC, USA; guitar) and Darryl Aaron Jenifer (b. 22 October 1960, Washington, DC, USA; bass). They broke up their sets with dub and reggae outings and attracted a mixed audience, which was certainly one of their objectives: ‘We’re a gospel group, preaching the word of unity.’ It is frustrating that so little studio material remains to document this early period, though the singles ‘Pay To Cum’ and ‘Big Takeover’ are regarded as punk classics, and later bands such as Living Colour sung their praises as one of the forerunners of articulate black rock music. Bad Brains were due to support the Damned in the UK in October 1979, having sold most of their equipment to buy aeroplane tickets. On arrival, however, they were denied work permits. They continued through the 80s, releasing only two full-length albums (Rock For Light and I Against I), although tension over the band’s direction meant that H.R. left to pursue a solo career devoted to reggae music. In May 1988 he was temporarily replaced by ex-Faith No More vocalist Chuck Mosley, while Mackie Jayson (ex-Cro-Mags) took over on drums. The move, which allowed the remaining founding members to gig, was singularly unsuccessful. A major label contract with Epic Records was a commercial disaster, but in 1994 Madonna offered them a place on her Maverick label, with H.R. returning to the fold. God Of Love, produced by ex-leader of the Cars, Ric Ocasek, concentrated more on dub and rasta messages than hardcore, but proved again there was still fire in the belly. In 1995 H.R. left the band after assaulting various Bad Brains members before a show on their promotional tour to support God Of Love. He was subsequently arrested at the Canadian border and charged with a drugs offence. The band was then dropped by Maverick, but continued touring and recording under the new moniker Soul Brains. They revived the Bad Brains title for 2002’s I & I Survived (Dub), a largely instrumental dub collection that sampled H.R.’s vocals from previous albums. The maverick vocalist reunited with the original line-up in October 2006 for three shows at CBGB’s. A new studio album followed in 2007, produced by Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys.