COLIN BLACK is an Americana singer-songwriter hailing from the Gulf Coast of Alabama. He writes with a unique voice while honoring the tradition of writers like Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and Bruce Springsteen.

Colin was born in Peoria, Illinois - a city boxed in on all sides by corn, soybeans, and the Illinois River. Around 1988, his heart moved to the Alabama Gulf Coast, where he was introduced to a local music culture in which song circles and late night jams were the most common entertainment. Circumstance subsequently carried him away to tread four continents, but the Mississippi River Valley and the Gulf Coast - the roots of his life and his music - still define the atmosphere of his songs.

Colin mostly plays acoustic guitar and harmonica, although he'll pick up anything he can get his hands on. After five years in The Netherlands, he's back in the US and now lives, writes, and plays in Washington,

Influences

Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Bruce Springsteen, Jay Farrar, Nancy Griffith, Jerry Trapp, Greg Brown

Bio

COLIN BLACK is an Americana singer-songwriter hailing from the Gulf Coast of Alabama - by way of central Illinois via New Orleans, now living in Europe (it’s a long story). With his 2005 self-release “No. 2”, Colin explores and develops his own unique voice while honoring the tradition of such writers as Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.

Born in Peoria, Illinois, Colin grew up in a small town along the Illinois River. As a teenager, he began spending summers in the small Gulf Coast community of Josephine, Alabama. Miles from the nearest city, the most common entertainment was acoustic music - song circles and late night jams in which locally renowned and unknown musicians alike would grab their guitars and mandolins or just sing along to songs ranging from old folk standards to tunes by the Grateful Dead, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Nanci Griffith and many others. Colin has since lived in many places across the United States and around the world, but it was this musical genesis on the Alabama Gulf Coast that most dramatically shaped his approach to writing and playing music. Ultimately, Colin’s songs are a reflection of his own life – born in the American Midwest, inspired by the great folk and country songwriters of the 20th century, steeped in Gulf Coast musical community and broadened by a life of travel, Colin’s songs reveal a truly “Americana” identity.

Colin has been playing acoustic guitar and writing songs for more than fifteen years. He has a unique style on harmonica and also occasionally plays some lap steel, cuatro or whatever else he can get his hands on. His emphasis, though, is decidedly on songwriting – finding words and a melody to tell a story or capture a moment. His lyrics best reveal the depth and durability of his songs, which wear as well over time as a favourite pair of old jeans.

Colin’s second CD, "No. 2", was self-released in 2005. Guests include Jerry Trapp of Alabama, Hirsh Katzen of New Orleans, and Alexandra Bilak of Paris, France. “No. 2” has received glowing reviews and radio play in Europe and the United States, and was picked as the Alt Country Cooking “Flavor of the Month” for April 2005 in The Netherlands.

Colin currently lives in The Netherlands, travelling home to Alabama as often as possible. He has also lived in New Orleans; Madrid, Spain; Washington, DC; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.