Pauline Black returned to the ska stage in 2009, after a 2 years, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 2-Tone movement. She kicked off this celebration in March 2009 with a South American tour of Argentina and Brazil, where she performed alongside Doreen Schaffer of The Skatalites as ‘The Queens of Reggae and Ska’.
'3 Minute Hero' with the 'Rudeboy Band'
In April 2009 she joined her long time friends Neville Staple (The Specials) and Ranking Roger (The Beat) for the ‘Stars Of Ska’ tour of Dubai and Australia. She is currently writing her much anticipated memoirs entitled ‘A Bird's Eye View'’ for publication in 2010.
Pauline Black, Ranking Roger & Neville Staple being interviewed on a beach in Dubai
Pauline Black is the lead singer with legendary 2-TONE group The Selecter and enjoyed a string of hits in the early '80'S, top 5 single 'ON MY RADIO' selling more than 250,000 copies and gaining two gold discs, to mark 100,000 sales of the albums 'TOO MUCH PRESSURE’ and ‘DANCE CRAZE’. The critically acclaimed album ‘CELEBRATE THE BULLET’ followed. In 1982
she left The Selecter (the original band split up soon after), gained her Equity card and diversified into theatre, TV and film acting, TV and radio presentation and writing. She won the Time Out/01 Best Actress Award in 1990 for her portrayal of jazz singer 'Billie Holiday' in a play by acclaimed novelist and playwright Caryl Phillips. She also won the 'Manchester Evening News Best Actress Award' 1993 for 'From The Mississippi Delta' by Dr. Endesha Mae Holland.
ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE: 2005:
Hands down Pauline Black possessed the best voice that ever graced a 2-Tone release. Blessed with a bewitching soprano and dramatic panache, Blacks voice reached plateaus that made every
other musical detail sound like part of a backdrop painted just to set the stage for her entrance. While The Specials were content to merely jazz up old ska standards, and Madness pleased themselves by playing up the zany angle, The Selecter shuttled through their songs like a band of ska revisionists, with Black rewriting songs with her voice and leaving her
signature in every piercing note. Even if The Specials outsold them, and Madness outlasted them, The Selecter were arguably the best that 2-Tone had to offer.
The Selecter re-formed in 1991, with a different line-up and regularly toured in U.S.A, Europe and Japan and recorded new material. The band retired from the touring circuit in December 2006.
THIS IS SOUL TOUR 2008
In January 2008, Pauline Black joined soul legends Eddie Floyd & Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, both of whom she worked with during the Soul Britannia Concerts that were broadcast by the BBC from the Barbican Theatre in London in April 2007, on a 30 date ‘THIS IS SOUL
TOUR’ of Britain.
Pauline Black presents Soul Britannia concert excerpts @ the Barbican in London 2007
In 2007, Pauline narrated 'Soul Britannia' a critically acclaimed 3 part TV series for BBC; episodes 1 & 2 directed by Jeremy Marre, episode 3 directed by Don Letts and hosted and performed in two televised live concerts from the Barbican on 16th & 23rd Feb 2007, featuring Jane Kay, Carroll Thompson, Carol Grimes, Gonzalez, Average White Band, Madeline Bell, Linda Lewis, Geno Washington, Jimmy James, Eddie Floyd, Eric Burdon & Solomon Burke.
Pauline took a sabbatical from The Selecter during 2007 and successfully toured a solo project with The Blue Jazz Trio (drums: Pick Withers ex Dire Straits; double bass: Nigel Portman-Smith, ex Pentangle; keyboards: Dom Pipkin, ex Morcheeba) entitled 'The Very Best of Nina Simone & Billie Holiday'.
Pauline Black & The Blue Jazz Trio @ Nantwich Jazz Festival 2007
..........
WHAT HAS BEEN SAID:
3 MEN & BLACK: ACOUSTIC
.....Pauline Black has never been given the true credit she deserves. Here The Selecter tunes are great, but the true revelation is the way her resonant voice floats in and out of the non Selecter tracks, giving each a new found warmth and beauty.........Ian Templeton for
Record Collector January 2005
...Black's voice sounds sublime in the stripped down environment, this is overall a successful project. Keep an eye out for live dates. Brett Callwood for Acoustic Magazine
Feb/March 2005
Pauline has also performed with an 'acoustic supergroup' show '3 Men+ Black', which began in 2001 and has had varied line-ups with Jake Burns (Stiff Little Fingers), Jean Jacques Burnel
(The Stranglers), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), Roddy Radiation (The Specials), Dave Wakeling (The Beat), Nick Welsh (Skaville UK), Rhoda Dakar (The Bodysnatchers),Dave Sharpe (The Alarm) and Eric Faulkner (Bay City Rollers) gracing the stage with Pauline over the intervening years.
Pauline has released two acoustic albums, "Unplugged For The Rudeboy Generation" and "Requiem For A Black Soul" with a raw ska and reggae sound.
Her most recent television acting performance was in ‘Grownups’ BBC3 in 2007 and as 'Diane Valentine', mother of the new black family in 'Hollyoaks' in 2006 (Channel 4).
Pauline is a regular writer, presenter and contributor for BBC Radio 4.
Pauline Black with the English Beat and Lynval Golding in Philadelphia Sept 2006
..........
The Selecter(original line-up) perform 'on my radio' in 1980
......
The Selecter promo video for 'Missing Words' in 1980
hi there folks just surfing my friends pages to say hello and remind you that if you want to listen to some local irish bands try http://youtube.com/stephenlockhart after all one hundred and eight thousand hits can't all have got it wrong i would recommend SANDSTONE as a great listen...regards stephen....
Just to let you know
the new (XOVA) C.D "THE PRESSURES OF LIFE" is OUT NOW!!....ORDER IT
ON-LINE from our website. www.xovalive.com
Tell
your friends, family, and workmates.. the new "XOVA" album "THE
PRESSURES OF LIFE" is now available to purchase from our website: www.xovalive.com
Just go to the SHOP & CONTACT page and we will ship it directly to you anywhere in the world.
Vespatime is a NEW brand born to sadisfy all Vespa fans, our target is to became soon a synonym of quality and reliability in italy and all over the world. Our BIG VALUE is the HIGH quality of spare parts and the accuracy in restoring Vespas
Don’t lose the opportunity to have your spare parts directly at home and we guarantee without any bad surprise,our web site www.vespatime.it will offer you what all u need:
Michael Jackson (the physical) was a Loving, caring, humble human being
that was a phenomena of nature that ushered in a wave of change that
transformed the perceptions of countless millions of people of all
nationalities particularly about people of African origin more than
anyone. As the greatest entertainer the world has ever known Michael
Jackson changed the world of entertainment forever inspiring a whole
generation of popular artists and young people with his artistic
genius. Michael Jackson has been maliciously and venomously maligned by
some envious, calous and jealous people. These people have played a
critical role in the untimely passing of Michael Jackson. It is ironic
that it took the passing of MJ for Evan Chandler to admit that he lied
about Michael molesting him. I never, ever believed that Michael was
ever guilty of the charges trumped up against him. I Love Michael
Jackson, He was and is and will always be magical. Michael Jackson
Lives - His Spirit is Immortal. He gave far too much Love to ever
really die. Michael Jackson Lives, Long Live Michael Jackson. Jah Bless
Him Eternally. Maximum, Maximum, Maximum Raspect MJ, You are a Peerless
Warrior a First Without Second and The Best among Us. Peace, Love,
Harmony, Freedom and Serenity Be Upon your Forever.