Jet Black
This article is about the musician. For article about the anime character, see Cowboy Bebop.Jet Black was born Brian Duffy, on
26 August,
1938 in
Ilford,
Essex,
England. He is an
English drummer with the veteran
punk rock /
new wave band The Stranglers.
Black was a successful
businessman up until the mid
1970s, owning a fleet of
ice cream vans, and an
off-licence in
Guildford,
UK called 'The Jackpot'. This establishment was the base for the early Stranglers. He became a full-time professional
musician in the mid
1970s and is still currently drumming for The Stranglers, despite his advancing years. His style is usually simplistic and
jazz-influenced, although "Duchess", and "Down in the Sewer", are frantic drumming songs live. In the mid 1980s, Black elected to cease playing live drums in the
recording studio and used a
drum synthesiser, most notably on the
Feline and
Aural Sculpture albums. Albums of the 1990s saw him return to playing live drums in the studio.
During a long career in music, Jet, like many other drummers, became aware of certain practical limitations inherent in the basic kit design and set about addressing the issue in the form of the now Patented 'Jet Black Power Bass Drum Pedal'. This has brought new freedoms of comfort and technical feasibility to drummers. The 'Power Bass Drum Pedal' enables the bass drum to be placed anywhere and yet remain playable.
He is of
Irish ancestry and currently lives in
Gloucestershire.
* The Great Rock Discography - 5th Edition - ISBN 1-84195-017-3
* Guinness Rockopedia - ISBN 0-85112-072-5
