James Carl Inkanish, Jr. (February 1, 1938 – November 1, 2008), known professionally as Jimmy Carl Black, was a drummer and vocalist for

The Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band ...

Background and early career: 1960s–1990s

Born in

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

, Texas, Black was of

Southern Cheyenne The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes are a united, federally recognized tribe of Southern Arapaho and Southern Cheyenne people in western Oklahoma. History The Cheyennes and Arapahos are two distinct tribes with distinct histories. The Cheyenne (Tsi ...

descent through his father. His trademark line was "Hi Boys and Girls, I'm Jimmy Carl Black, and I'm the

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

of the group." The line can be heard several times on

's album ''

We're Only in It for the Money ''We're Only in It for the Money'' is the third studio album by American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on March 4, 1968, by Verve Records. As with the band's first two efforts, it is a concept album, and satirizes left- and righ ...

'' (for example, on the tracks " Are You Hung Up?" and "Concentration Moon"). The line can also be heard in Haskell Wexler's 1969 movie ''

Medium Cool ''Medium Cool'' is a 1969 American drama film written and directed by Haskell Wexler and starring Robert Forster, Verna Bloom, Peter Bonerz, Marianna Hill and Harold Blankenship. It takes place in Chicago in the summer of 1968. It was notable fo ...

'', which uses several songs by Zappa and the Mothers. Black was also addressed as such by

Theodore Bikel Theodore Meir Bikel ( ; May 2, 1924 – July 21, 2015) was an Austrian-American actor, folk singer, musician, composer, unionist, and political activist. He appeared in films, including '' The African Queen'' (1951), ''Moulin Rouge'' (1952), ' ...

in the film '' 200 Motels''. He has been credited on some Mothers albums as playing "drums, vocals, and poverty". Black appeared in the movie directed by

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

, '' 200 Motels'', and sings the song "Lonesome Cowboy Burt". Black also made a few more appearances with Zappa in 1975 and 1980, and also appeared as guest vocalist on "Harder Than Your Husband" on the Zappa album ''

You Are What You Is ''You Are What You Is'' is a 1981 double album by American musician Frank Zappa. His 34th album, it consists of three musical suites which encompass pop, doo-wop, jazz, hard rock, reggae, soul, blues, new wave and country. The album's lyrics sat ...

'' (1981). The same year, 1981, he performed the very same song at the discothèque Aladdin, Oasen, Bergen, Norway, as part of The Grandmothers, after their release ''Grandmothers'' (1980), an anthology of previously unreleased recordings by ex-members of The Mothers of Invention. Jimmy Carl Black on Frank Zappa: In 1972, Black played with Geronimo Black, the band he founded with Mothers wind player

Bunk Gardner Bunk Gardner (born John Leon Guarnera; May 2, 1933 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American musician who most notably played for the original version of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention until the group disbanded in 1969. He plays woodwinds and tenor ...

. In the summer of 1975 he played drums for

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

& the Magic Band under the stage name Indian Ink, notably at the band's appearance at the

Knebworth Festival The Knebworth Festival is a recurring open-air rock and pop concert held on the grounds of the Knebworth House in Knebworth, England. The festival first occurred in July 1974 when The Allman Brothers Band, The Doobie Brothers and other artists ...

. In the eighties Black and Gardner and

Don Preston Donald Ward Preston (born September 21, 1932) is an American jazz and rock keyboardist. He is known for working with Frank Zappa from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s. Biography Preston was born into a family of musicians in Detroit and began st ...

performed under the name "The Grandmothers" along with several other ex-Zappa musicians, but the band soon broke up. Black then moved to

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, Texas, where he met English singer

Arthur Brown Arthur Brown may refer to: Entertainment * Arthur William Brown (1881–1966), Canadian commercial artist * H. Arthur Brown (1906–1992), American orchestral conductor * Arthur Brown (musician) (born 1942), English rock singer * Arthur Brown, ak ...

. The duo recorded an album of classic R&B songs, ''Black, Brown and Blue'', and performed live together. Black moved to Italy in 1992 and then to Germany in 1995, where he reformed The Grandmothers with original members Preston and Gardner and with Dutch bass player Ener Bladezipper (

stagename A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

of René Mesritz) and Italian guitar player Sandro Oliva.

1990s–2008

Black performed as a guest vocalist with the

Muffin Men The Muffin Men are a British band, based in Liverpool, England, which primarily plays the music of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. The group formed in 1990, originally to play a one-off concert to celebrate Zappa's fiftieth birthday ...

, a

tribute band A tribute act, tribute band or tribute group is a music group, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the songs and style of an artist, such as Elvi ...

based in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, England, and with

Jon Larsen Jon Larsen (born 7 January 1959) is a gypsy jazz guitarist, record producer, painter, and amateur scientific researcher. He is the founder of the group Hot Club de Norvège. In 2007 he received the Buddy Award for his lifelong contribution to ...

, on the surrealistic Strange News From Mars project, featuring several other Zappa alumni, such as

Tommy Mars Tommy Mars (born Thomas Mariano on October 26, 1951) is an American keyboard player known for his work with Frank Zappa. Mars began piano lessons at age eight, and later his instrument range expanded to various keyboards and synthesizers. Mars g ...

Bruce Fowler Bruce Lambourne Fowler (born July 10, 1947) is an American trombonist and composer. He played trombone on many Frank Zappa records, as well as with Captain Beefheart and in the Fowler Brothers Band. He composes and arranges music for movies, an ...

Arthur Barrow Arthur Barrow (born February 28, 1952) is a multi-instrumental musician, best known for his stint as a bass guitar player for Frank Zappa in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Early life Barrow was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1952 and grew up in ...

. Black toured around Europe with the

between 1993 and 2007 playing hundreds of gigs, and appearing on many of the band's CDs and DVDs. Black and

Eugene Chadbourne Eugene Chadbourne (born January 4, 1954) is an American banjoist, guitarist and music critic. Life and career Chadbourne was born in Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He started playing guitar when he was eleven or twel ...

played as "the Jack and Jim Show" around Europe and US between 1992 and 2003. They performed many Zappa and Beefheart compositions alongside other material. At

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...

's 2001

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

induction,

Walter Becker Walter Carl Becker (February 20, 1950 – September 3, 2017) was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter of the jazz rock band Steely Dan.Russonello, Giovanni,Listen t ...

asked the assembled if they remembered who the original Mothers of Invention drummer was. Becker unsuccessfully lobbied the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for Black's inclusion as a founding member of The Mothers of Invention. An autobiographical audio production with Jimmy Carl Black was recorded in 2007, called ''

The Jimmy Carl Black Story ''The Jimmy Carl Black Story'' is an album by Norwegian guitarist Jon Larsen. Review The first CD is a Part One: «The Surrealistic Space Odyssey», one hour of music inspired by the life of Jimmy Carl Black. The musical landscape is a groove ...

'', produced by

. Black was diagnosed with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

in August 2008, and died on November 1, 2008 in Siegsdorf, Germany. Benefits were held on November 9, 2008 at the Bridgehouse II in London and December 7, 2008 in Crown Valley, California. He is survived by his wife, Monika Black, by three sons and two daughters from his first marriage and by a daughter born out of wedlock. In 2013, the documentary ''Where's the Beer and When Do We Get Paid?'' about Black began running in Germany. Black's autobiography ''For Mother's Sake'' was published by Monika Black on November 1, 2013 to mark the fifth anniversary of his death. The incomplete manuscript was rounded off using material from the synoptic web-bio Black published on his website, and extracts from various interviews Black gave. The main body of text was transcribed from tapes recorded by Roddie Gilliard in the Muffin Men tour bus during 1995-1998.

Band chronology

* Them 3 Guys (1959–60) * The Keys (1960–2) * The Squires (1963–64) * Soul Giants (1964–65) *

(with

, 1965–1969) *

Geronimo Black Geronimo Black was a short-lived hard rock band founded in 1972 by drummer Jimmy Carl Black. He named the group for his youngest son Geronimo. The performers included members of other bands, principally from Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention: * ...

(1969–70 & 1971–73) * Mesilla Valley Lo boys (1974–77), Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band (1975) * Big Sonny & The Lo Boys (1977–79) * The Grandmothers (1980–2) * Captain Glasspack & his Magic Mufflers (1982–83) * Pound for Pound, Junior Franklin & The Golden Echoes, Rhythm Rats (1983–85) * Jimmy Carl Black and the Mannish Boys (1985/6–1987/8) * (Austin) Grandmothers (1988–1992) * The Jack & Jim Show (with

, 1993–5, 2001–8) * Grandmothers (1993-4, 1998, 2000) * The Farrell and Black Band (1995–2006) *

(1993, 1995–2008) * Sandro Oliva & the Blue Pampurio's, X-Tra Combo, Behind The Mirror, Boogie Stuff, Cosmik Debris, Mick Pini Band, Jimmy Carl Black Band, Tempest Quartet, Happy Metal Band, etc. (1996–2008)

Discography

Solo

* ''Clearly Classic'' (1981) * ''A Lil' Dab'l Do Ya'' (1987) − as Jimmy Carl Black & Mannish Boys * ''Brown, Black & Blue'' (1988) − as

and Jimmy Carl Black * ''When Do We Get Paid?'' (1998) * ''Drummin' the Blues'' (2001) * ''Is Singin' the Blues'' (2002) * ''Hamburger Midnight'' (2002) − as BEP (Jimmy Carl Black, Roy Estrada and Mike Pini) * ''Mercedes Benz'' (2003) − as Jimmy Carl Black & the X-Tra Combo * ''Indian Rock Songs from Jimmy Carl Black'' (2005) − live album * ''How Blue Can You Get?'' (2006) * ''Where's the $%&#@ Beer?'' (2008) * ''I Just Got in from Texas'' (2008) − as Chris Holzhaus, Jimmy Carl Black & Louis Terrazas * ''Can I Borrow a Couple of Bucks Until the end of the Week?'' (2008) * ''I'm Not Living Very Extravagantly, I'll Tell You for Sure...'' (2008) * ''Where's My Waitress?'' (2008) * ''If We'd All Been Living in California...'' (2008) * ''Freedom Jazz Dance'' (2008) – as Jimmy Carl Black, Valentina Black, Bruno Marini, Daniele D'Agaro, Cristina Mazza * ''Black/Brown/Stone'' (2009) − as Jimmy Carl Black, Steven De Bruyn & Jos Steen * ''Live All-Stars'' (2009) − live album − as Jimmy Carl Black & the Route 66 All-Star Blues Band * ''More Rockin' Blues'' (2009) − as Jimmy Carl Black & the Route 66 All-Star Blues Band * ''Live in Steinbach'' (2009) − live album − as Jimmy Carl Black, Mick Pini & Uwe Jesdinsky

The Mothers of Invention

* ''

Freak Out! ''Freak Out!'' is the debut studio album by American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on June 27, 1966, by Verve Records. Often cited as one of rock music's first concept albums, it is a satirical expression of frontman Frank Zappa ...

'' (1966) * '' Absolutely Free'' (1967) * ''

'' (1967) * '' Cruising with Ruben & the Jets'' (1968) * ''

Uncle Meat ''Uncle Meat'' is the fifth studio album by the Mothers of Invention, released as a double album in 1969. ''Uncle Meat'' was originally developed as a part of ''No Commercial Potential'', a project which spawned three other albums sharing a con ...

'' (1969) * ''

Mothermania ''Mothermania'' (1969), subtitled ''The Best of the Mothers'', is a compilation album by the Mothers of Invention. While the songs were previously released on ''Freak Out!'', ''Absolutely Free'' and ''We're Only in It for the Money'', it contains ...

'' (1969) − compilation * '' Burnt Weeny Sandwich'' (1969) * ''

Weasels Ripped My Flesh ''Weasels Ripped My Flesh'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock group the Mothers of Invention, and the tenth overall by Frank Zappa, released in 1970. It is the second album released after the Mothers disbanded in 1969, preceded by ...

'' (1970) * ''

Ahead of Their Time ''Ahead of Their Time'' is a live album by The Mothers of Invention. It was recorded at the Royal Festival Hall, London, England, on October 25, 1968, and released in 1993 on CD by Barking Pumpkin. It was reissued on Rykodisc in 1995. Performanc ...

'' (1993)

Frank Zappa

* ''

Lumpy Gravy ''Lumpy Gravy'' is the debut solo album by Frank Zappa, written by Zappa and performed by a group of session players he dubbed the Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra. Zappa conducted the orchestra but did not perform on the album. It ...

'' (1967) * '' 200 Motels'' (1971) * ''Confidential'' (1974) − live album * ''Remington Electric Razor'' (1980) − live album * ''

'' (1981) * ''The Supplement Tape'' (1990) − compilation * ''Tis the Season to Be Jelly'' (1991) − live album * ''The Ark'' (1991) − live album * ''Our Man in Nirvana'' (1992) − live album * ''Electric Aunt Jemima'' (1992) − live album * ''Lost Episodes'' (1996) − compilation * ''Cheap Thrills'' (1998) − compilation

Others

* ''Permanent Damage'' (

The GTOs ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, 1969) * ''Geronimo Black'' (

, 1972) * ''Grandmothers'' ( The Grandmothers, 1980) – an anthology of previously unreleased recordings by ex-members of The Mothers of Invention (

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

) * ''In Heat'' ( Big Sonny and the Lo Boys, 1979) * ''Welcome Back'' (Geronimo Black, 1980) * ''The Highway Cafe of the Damned'' (

Austin Lounge Lizards The Austin Lounge Lizards are a musical group from Austin, Texas, formed in 1980. The band includes founding members Hank Card and Conrad Deisler, along with Tim Wilson and Kirk Williams. The third founding member, Tom Pittman, retired from the ...

, 1988) * ''Locked in a Dutch Coffeeshop'' (

, 1993) * ''Dreams on Long Play'' (The Grandmothers, 1993) * ''

With My Favorite "Vegetables" & Other Bizarre Muzik ''With My Favorite "Vegetables" & Other Bizarre Muzik'' is the second album by Ant-Bee, released in 1994 through Divine Records. Track listing Personnel ;Musicians *Greg Brosius (Lunar Egg-Clips) – keyboards, freaky laughter *Bunk G ...

'' (

Ant-Bee Ant-Bee (stage-name for Billy James) is an American experimental musician and writer. In his musical work, he is a psychedelic era revivalist, working with members of The Mothers of Invention; the original members of the Alice Cooper (band), Alic ...

, 1994) * ''Vile Foamy Ectoplasm'' (

, 1994) * ''Who Could Imagine?'' (The Grandmothers, 1994) * ''Who The F**k Is Sandro Oliva??!?'' (Sandro Oliva, 1994) * ''A Mother of an Anthology'' (The Grandmothers, 1995) * ''Pachuco Cadaver'' (Eugene Chadbourne, 1995) * ''Jesse Helms Busted with Pornography'' (Eugene Chadbourne, 1996) * ''Uncle Jimmy's Master Plan'' (Eugene Chadbourne, 1996) * ''Chadbourne Barber Shop'' (Eugene Chadbourne, 1996) * ''Frankincense: The Muffin Men Play Frank Zappa'' ( The Muffin Men, 1998) * ''

Lunar Muzik ''Lunar Muzik'' is the third studio album by Ant-Bee, released in 1997 by Divine Records. Track listing Personnel Adapted from ''Lunar Muzik'' liner notes. ;Musicians *Daevid Allen (Father Gong) – guitar, engineering *Harvey Bai ...

'' (

, 1998) * ''Eating the Astoria'' (The Grandmothers, 2000) * ''Communication Is Overrated'' (Eugene Chadbourne, 2000) * ''2001: A Spaced Odyssey'' (Eugene Chadbourne, 2001) * ''The Taste of the Leftovers'' (Eugene Chadbourne, 2001) * ''The Perfect C&W Duo's Tribute to Jesse Helms'' (Eugene Chadbourne, 2001) * ''The Early Years'' (Eugene Chadbourne, 2001) * ''The Jack & Jim Show- 2001: A Spaced Odyssey'' (Eugene Chadbourne, 2001) * ''The Eternal Question'' (The Grandmothers, 2001) * ''Roland Kirk Memorial Barbecue'' ( Blind Riders on Mad Horses, 2004) * ''The First Album'' (

Ella Guru Ella Guru (born May 24, 1966) is an American painter and musician living in Hastings, East Sussex, England. She was a member of Mambo Taxi and the Voodoo Queens. In 1999, she became one of the founding members of the Stuckist art movement. E ...

, 2004) (sings on the last two tracks) * ''Heavy Lightining'' (Sandro Oliva, 2005) * ''

Strange News From Mars ''Strange News from Mars'' is an album by Norwegian guitarist Jon Larsen. Review Larsen is a Norwegian string swing guitar virtuoso, and not the one we would suspect to record music inspired by Frank Zappa. This production is noteworthy for t ...

'' (

, 2007) * ''

'' (Jon Larsen, 2008) * ''People with Purpose'' ( Wizards of Twiddly, 2010) * ''

Electronic Church Muzik ''Electronic Church Muzik'' is the fourth Album#Studio album, studio album by Ant-Bee, released on February 28, 2011 by Barking Moondog Records. Recorded over the course of several years, it features musical contributions from members of Alice Coo ...

'' (

, 2011)

References

External links

Official siteLos Angeles Times obituary and biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Jimmy Carl 1938 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians American expatriates in Italy American expatriates in Germany American male drummers American people of Cheyenne descent American rock drummers Deaths from lung cancer in Germany Musicians from El Paso, Texas Record producers from Texas The Mothers of Invention members