History
Black 'N Blue was formed in November 1981 by high school friends Jamie St. James and Tommy Thayer in Portland, Oregon. Originally calling themselves Movie Star, the band later chose the name Black 'N Blue based on their 'in-your-face' sound and denim and leather look. The band got their first break in 1982 when heavy metal fanzine editor Brian Slagel heard their song demo of "Chains Around Heaven" and subsequently added the track to his first edition of '' Metal Massacre'' — an independent compilation album that also introduced newcomersEarly success
Black 'N Blue moved toLater years and solo careers
In 1986, Black 'N Blue gained the attention of Kiss bassistReunions/compilations
In 1997, all five original members of Black 'N Blue reunited to perform a one-night live performance on Halloween night. This gig ended up being a sold-out show, and it was recorded and released as a live album, entitled One Night Only: Live on Thayer's brother John's record label Eon Records. The show was a one-time affair, and no further touring followed. In 2001, following the release of a Greatest Hits compilation ('' The Ultimate Collection''), the band released the album '' The Demos Remastered: Anthology 1'' under the label Crazy Planet. This album contained demos of some of Black 'N Blue's most popular hits, including 5 unreleased tracks and a live version of the song "Autoblast." The band reunited again in 2003 (this time, without Thayer, who was performing lead guitar duties for Kiss at the time) to tour and record a new album, entitled '' Hell Yeah!''. Shawn Sonnenschein was the new lead guitarist to be featured on the album in Thayer's place. The album was initially scheduled to be released in September 2003, but the release date was pushed back on several occasions.Hiatus
Meanwhile, in the ensuing interim period, the band released '' Rarities'', an album which included remakes of a few of their hits, but mostly consisted of many unreleased demos, including some that were not included on the ''Demos Remastered: Anthology 1'' release. In 2004, Jaime St. James became the new front man and lead singer for Warrant, replacing Jani Lane. In 2005, Jaime St. James went into the studio with Warrant to begin recording a new album under Cleopatra Records. Recording for the new album lasted until 2006, and later that year, the band released their new album, '' Born Again'', which received mostly positive reviews. A music video was recorded for each of the songs on the album, and was later released on the DVD "Born Again: Delvis Video Diaries," which also included behind-the-scenes footage, on tour clips, and comments from the band members regarding the making of the album. After the release of ''Born Again'', Jaime St. James performed with Warrant at the 2007 hard rock festivalLater reunions
Black 'N Blue, including Tommy Thayer, made a reunion appearance in their home town of Portland, Oregon on December 8, 2007, at Berbati's Pan & Restaurant. The concert benefited the band's long-time friend Kenny Nordone in his struggle with cancer. In the summer of 2008, Black 'N Blue formally reunited to play at Rocklahoma, with Shawn Sonnenschein once again as guitarist. In 2008, a report on SleazeRoxx.com gave a new projected release date for the ''Hell Yeah!'' album as sometime that year. However, it remained unreleased for another three years. On October 9, 2010, Black 'N Blue was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. The classic line up including Tommy Thayer performed a reunion concert that night at Portland's Roseland Theater. In 2011, Jaime St. James' website posted new release dates for ''Hell Yeah!'' under Frontiers Records. The set release dates for the album included a premiere release date in Japan on April 20, 2011; a European release date on May 13, 2011; and a United States release date of May 17, 2011. The album received a generally positive reviews. The band remains active and continues to tour and play live shows. The band performed five shows in 2013; March 8 at the Hawthorne Theater in their hometown of Portland, October 19 at "SkullFest" in Nebraska, November 15 at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood, November 16 at Vamp'd in Las Vegas, and December 27 at the District in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. These 2013 shows marked the debut of new guitarist Brandon Cook, who replaced Jeff "Woop" Warner. 2017 saw the departure of Shawn Sonnenschein and the debut of former Vicious Rumors guitarist Bobby Capka. The lineup debuting new guitarist Doug Rappoport, performed at Monsters on the Mountain Rock festival, October 2021 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and then again on The Kiss Kruise in October '21 and on The Monsters of Rock cruise Feb '22. Upon the departure of Doug Rappoport, the band recruited Mick Caldwell as their new second guitarist. The band performed in Winchester Virginia with this lineup. Subsequent shows include the Monsters of Rock Cruise 2024 as well as Rocktember 2024 in Hinckley Minnesota. Black 'N Blue performs regularly at annual U.S. Rock festivals and Rock Cruises.Band members
;Current members * Jaime St. James – lead vocals (1981–present); drums (session 2003–2010) * Patrick Young – bass (1981–present) * Pete Holmes – drums (1981–present) * Brandon Cook – lead guitar (2017–present), rhythm guitar (2013–2017); * Mick Caldwell – rhythm guitar (2023–present) ;Touring substitutes * Jimmy D'Anda – drums (2019) * Xavier Muriel – drums (2019–2020) ;Former members * Tommy Thayer – lead guitar (1981–1997; touring guest 2007, 2010, 2011, 2018) * Barry Pendergrass (Virgil Ripper) – rhythm guitar (1981–1982) * Jeff "Woop" Warner – rhythm guitar (1982–2013) * Shawn Sonnenschein – lead guitar (2001–2017) * Bobby Capka – rhythm guitar (2017–2021) * Doug Rappoport – rhythm guitar (2021–2023)Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
*''One Night Only: Live'' (1998) *'' Live in Detroit – 1984'' (2002)Compilation albums
*''The Demos Remastered: Anthology 1'' (2001) *''Ultimate Collection'' (2001) *''Rarities'' (2007)Box sets
*'' Collected'' (2005)Singles
Soundtrack appearances
Music videos
*" Hold On to 18" (1984) *"Miss Mystery" (1985) *" I'll Be There for You" (1986)References
External links