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Black music biography continued...

very first gig at a club in Liverpool in 1981. Black's first release was "Human Features" on the independent label Rox Records in 1981. This was followed by another independent release in 1982 "More Than The Sun" (Wonderful World Of Records), after which Black was signed by WEA Records. The first release for WEA was "Hey Presto" (1984), which got them noticed outside the UK: the video for this track featured on the satellite music channel Music Box, and the single was released in Australia. The second WEA single was a re-recording of "More Than The Sun." After this, Black was dropped from the record label. Discouraged, Black retreated to songwriting and came up with the delightfully ironic "Wonderful Life." Released independently at first, this track got Black noticed by A&M Records who signed him and launched his international career. At first, the singles "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and "Sweetest Smile" were moderately successful in the UK alone, but the third single, a re-release of "Wonderful Life", was a massive hit worldwide. The album of the same name, released in 1987, had similar success, garnering commercial and critical success. Black then went on to sell over two million records worldwide with Comedy 1988 and Black 1991. Despite his tremendous success, Vearncombe was disillusioned with having to deal with a big record company. He broke with A&M and formed his own independent label on which he released 1993's Are We Having Fun Yet? With this, Vearncombe had finally found stardom on his own terms.



After marrying Swedish singer Camilla Griehsel, Black went on a prolonged hiatus and when he came back he recorded several successful albums under his real name, including Abbey Road Live (1999), Live at the Baseline (2001) and Smoke Up Close (2002). In 2004, Vearncombe reconvened Black for the album Between Two Churches. Said one critic: "It reflects the journey of a performer and songwriter who has traveled a long way over a career that already spans almost twenty five years, only to return to his roots, to start all over again." It was clear from the album's reception that fans wanted nothing less