Black Pumas

American psychedelic soul band From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Black Pumas

Black Pumas is an American psychedelic soul band based in Austin, Texas, led by singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada.[1][2] The group received its first Grammy Award nomination in 2020 for Best New Artist.

Quick Facts Background information, Origin ...
Black Pumas
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Black Pumas performing at SunFest in West Palm Beach in 2022
Background information
OriginAustin, Texas, U.S.
Genres
Years active2017–present
LabelsATO
Members
Websiteblackpumas.com
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History

Summarize
Perspective

In 2017, singer and songwriter Eric Burton made his way from California to Texas. Born in the San Fernando Valley, he grew up singing in church and then got heavily involved in musical theater. He started busking at the Santa Monica Pier, where he brought in a few hundred dollars a day and developed his performance skills. Burton traveled through the Western states, studying music at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, before deciding to settle down and busk in Austin, Texas.[1][3][4][5] Burton had previously been a contestant on the eleventh season of American Idol, being eliminated in the Hollywood rounds.[6]

In the meantime, Grammy Award-winning guitarist and producer Adrian Quesada was looking to collaborate with someone new. Through a mutual friend, Quesada connected with Burton. Quesada felt that Burton's vocals were a match for the retro-funk- and R&B-flavored tracks Quesada had been working on, and the two joined forces in 2018 as Black Pumas.[1][3][4]

Quesada was a member of Latin funk band Grupo Fantasma when it won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album for the 2010 album El Existential, and when it was previously nominated for the same award in 2008 for Sonidos Gold.[1][3][4]

Working out their material both in the studio and on-stage during a weekly residency at Austin's C-Boys Heart & Soul Bar, they signed a deal with ATO Records and released a pair of singles, "Black Moon Rising" and "Fire".

Career

Summarize
Perspective

The duo released their debut album, Black Pumas, on June 21, 2019. They performed at South by Southwest in 2019 and won a best new band trophy at the 2019 Austin Music Awards. On November 20, 2019, they were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.[1][2]

The album received acclaim from Rolling Stone, who praised "the tireless, charismatic energy of singer Eric Burton",[3] and Pitchfork, who wrote "The duo's flair for drama is so stirring, they can seem acutely cinematic",[7] as well as NPR, The Fader, The Guardian, Billboard, Essence and Headliner Magazine, among others.

Black Pumas made their network TV debut on CBS This Morning[8] and performed "Colors" on Jimmy Kimmel Live![9] which proved to be their breakout, along with a taping on season 45 of Austin City Limits.[10] The band's single "Colors" later reached number one on AAA radio. The single has been streamed over 100 million times across all platforms. Meanwhile, the official live video of "Colors" has been viewed over 253 million times on YouTube.

In 2020, the band performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show,[11] The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,[12] Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert[13] who premiered their live cover of Tracy Chapman’s "Fast Car".

The band has sold out multiple tours across North America and Europe. In their hometown of Austin, Texas, Black Pumas became the first band to sell out four consecutive shows at Stubbs, one of the city's live venues.[14] On May 7, 2020, mayor Steve Adler proclaimed the date as Black Pumas Day.

On November 24, 2020, "Colors" received Grammy Award nominations for Record of the Year and Best American Roots Performance, while their self-titled album received a nomination for Album of the Year, at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[15]

In January 2021, then President-elect Joe Biden invited the Black Pumas to perform during his Celebrating America primetime special during the President's Inauguration activities.[16] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the band performed virtually.

In September 2021, Black Pumas were awarded Duo/Group of the Year at the 20th Annual Americana Honors & Awards.[17] On November 23, 2021, Black Pumas received two Grammy Award nominations at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. They were nominated twice in the Rock category.[18] That brought their total Grammy nominations up to six. Their "Know You Better (Live From Capitol Studio A)" performance was nominated for Best Rock Performance, and their album Capitol Cuts (Live from Studio A) was nominated for Best Rock Album.[19]

Members

  • Eric Burton – vocals, guitar
  • Adrian Quesada – guitar

Backing band

  • Angela Miller – backup vocals, tambourine
  • Lauren Cervantes – backup vocals
  • JaRon Marshall – keyboards
  • Brendan Bond – bass
  • Stephen Bidwell – drums

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

More information Title, Details ...
Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[20]
BEL
(FL)

[21]
BEL
(WA)

[22]
FRA
[23]
GER
[24]
NLD
[25]
SCO
[26]
SPA
[27]
SWI
[28]
UK
Sales

[26]
Black Pumas
  • Released: June 21, 2019[29]
  • Label: ATO
865779112514645815845
Chronicles of a Diamond
  • Released: October 27, 2023
  • Label: ATO
69151921162018791922
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Live albums

More information Title, Details ...
Title Details Peak chart positions
US
Sales

[32]
SCO
[26]
UK
Indie

[26]
Capitol Cuts (Live from Studio A)
  • Released: June 4, 2021[33]
  • Label: ATO
866249
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Singles

More information Title, Year ...
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
Dig.

[34]
US
AAA

[35]
US
Adult

[36]
US
Rock

[37]
BEL
(FL)
Tip

[21]
CAN
Dig.

[38]
CAN
Rock

[39]
ICE
[40]
NLD
Air

[41]
UK
Down.

[42]
"Black Moon Rising"[43] 2018 31 Black Pumas
"Colors" 2019 12137214625104399
"OCT 33"[46] 2020 [A]
"Fire"[47] 3[B][C]20
"I'm Ready"[49] 3432 Black Pumas (Deluxe)
"Christmas Will Really Be Christmas"[50] Non-album singles
"Strangers"[51]
(featuring Lucius)
2021
"More Than a Love Song" 2023 1[D]10 Chronicles of a Diamond
"Mrs. Postman"[52] 27
"Ice Cream (Pay Phone)"[53] 4[E]
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
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Awards and nominations

More information Organization, Year ...
Organization Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
Grammy Award 2020 Best New Artist Black Pumas Nominated [19]
2021 Record of the Year "Colors" Nominated
American Roots Performance Nominated
Album of the Year Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition) Nominated
2022 Best Rock Performance "Know You Better (Live from Capitol Studio A)" Nominated
Best Rock Album Capitol Cuts - Live from Studio A Nominated
2024 Best Rock Performance "More Than a Love Song" Nominated
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Notes

  1. "OCT 33" did not enter the Flanders Ultratop Top 50, but charted as an extra tip on the Flanders Ultratop Bubbling Under chart.[21]
  2. "Fire" did not enter the Rock Songs chart, but peaked at number 40 on the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart.[48]
  3. "Fire" did not enter the Flanders Ultratop Top 50, but charted as an extra tip on the Flanders Ultratop Bubbling Under chart.[21]
  4. "More Than a Love Song" did not enter the Rock Songs chart, but peaked at number 22 on the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart.[48]
  5. "Ice Cream (Pay Phone)" did not enter the Rock Songs chart, but peaked at number 30 on the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart.[48]

References

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