Black Country Communion

Black Country Communion

Black Country Communion is a hard rock supergroup formed in 2009 and based in California, United States. The group consists of Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa, Derek Sherinian and Jason Bonham. Its line-up brings together Hughes on bass and vocals, Bonamassa on guitar and vocals, Bonham on drums, and Sherinian on keyboards.

Formation and name

The band begins as a side project for Hughes and Bonamassa after they perform together in Los Angeles in November 2009. Kevin Shirley helps to bring the project together, and at his suggestion Bonham and Sherinian join later in the year. The name Black Country Communion comes from the term Black Country, which refers to the West Midlands area of England and the region where Hughes and Bonham are brought up.

Style and influences

The group works in blues rock, classic rock, hard rock and rock. Its sound is shaped to recall 1970s classic rock, and it also reflects the members’ earlier work, including Hughes’s history with Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, Bonamassa’s blues rock solo work, and Bonham’s connection to Led Zeppelin through his father John Bonham.

Albums

Black Country Communion releases its debut album, Black Country, in 2010, followed by 2 in 2011 and Afterglow in 2012. The band disbands in 2013, then returns with BCC IV in 2017. That album is recorded in Malibu, California with Kevin Shirley and is its first release since the split. It is recorded in seven days and presents a heavier, more melodic hard rock approach with prominent riffs, hooks and choruses. The group later prepares to return with a fifth album, V.

Activity outside the band

After the split, Glenn Hughes and Jason Bonham form California Breed, while Derek Sherinian joins Joe Bonamassa’s touring band.