Black Pumas

Black Pumas is an American psychedelic soul band based in Austin, Texas, led by singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada.[1][2] The group received its first Grammy Award nomination in 2020 for Best New Artist at the 62nd awards.

Black Pumas
Black Pumas in 2019
Background information
Origin	Austin, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Psychedelic soul, R&B, soul
Years active	2017–present
Labels	ATO Records
Website	https://www.theblackpumas.com/
Members	Eric Burton Adrian Quesada

History

In 2017, singer and songwriter Eric Burton made his way from California to Texas. Born in the San Fernando Valley, he grew up singing in church and then got heavily involved in musical theater. He started busking at the Santa Monica pier, where he brought in a few hundred dollars a day and developed his performance skills. Burton traveled through the Western states before deciding to settle down in Austin, TX—setting up his busking spot on a downtown street corner, at 6^th Street and Congress, for maximum exposure.

Meantime, Grammy Award-winning guitarist and producer Adrian Quesada was looking to collaborate with someone new. Through a mutual friend, Quesada connected with Burton, Quesada felt that Burton's vocals were a match for the retro-funk- and R&B-flavored tracks Quesada had been working on, and the two joined forces in 2018 as Black Pumas.

Quesada was a member of Latin funk band Grupo Fantasma when it won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album for the 2010 album El Existential, and when it was previously nominated for the same award in 2008 for Sonidos Gold.[2]

Working out their material both in the studio and on-stage during a weekly residency at Austin's C-Boys Heart & Soul Bar, they signed a deal with ATO Records and released a pair of singles, "Black Moon Rising" and "Fire".

Career

The duo released their debut album, Black Pumas, on June 21, 2019. They performed at South by Southwest in 2019 and won a best new band trophy at the 2019 Austin Music Awards. On November 20, 2019, they were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.[1][2]

The album won acclaim from Rolling Stone, who praised “the tireless, charismatic energy of singer Eric Burton,”[3] Pitchfork, who raved, “The duo’s flair for drama is so stirring, they can seem acutely cinematic,”[4] NPR, The Fader, The Guardian, Billboard, Essence, and many more.

Black Pumas made their network TV debut on CBS This Morning[5] and performed "Colors" on Jimmy Kimmel Live![6] along with a taping on season 45 of Austin City Limits.[7] The band's single "Colors" later reached number one on AAA radio. The single has been streamed over 60 million times across all platforms. Meanwhile, the official live video of “Colors” has been viewed over 25 million times on YouTube.

In 2020, the band performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show,[8] The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,[9] Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert[10] who premiered their powerful live version of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” a song that has a particular resonance for Burton and his nomadic past.

The band has sold out multiple tours across North America and Europe. In their hometown of Austin, Texas, Black Pumas became the first band to sell out four consecutive shows at Stubbs, one of the city's live venues,[11] and on May 7, 2020, mayor Steve Adler proclaimed the date as Black Pumas Day.

Members

Eric Burton - Vocals & Guitar

Adrian Quesada - Guitar

Touring Band

Angela Miller - Backup Vocals

Lauren Cervantes - Backup Vocals

JaRon Marshall - Keys

Brendan Bond - Bass

Stephen Bidwell - Drums

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
		US Heat [12]	US Indie [13]	BEL (FL) [14]	FRA [15]	NLD [16]	SPA [17]	SWI [18]
Black Pumas	Released: June 21, 2019[19] Label: ATO	1	12	76	112	46	81	58

Singles

Title	Year	Peak chart positions							Album
		US AAA [20]	US Adult [21]	US Rock [22]	BEL (FL) Tip [14]	CAN Rock [23]	NLD Air [24]	UK Down. [25]
"Black Moon Rising"	2018	31	—	—	—	—	—	—	Black Pumas
"Colors"	2019	1	38	30	46	—	43	99
"Fire"	2020	3	—	—[upper-alpha 1]	—	43	—	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Notes

1. "Fire" did not enter the Rock Songs chart, but peaked at number 43 on the Rock Airplay chart.[26]

References

1. Carras, Christ (November 20, 2019). "Who are Black Pumas, the Grammys' most mysterious new artist nominee?". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California.
2. Rowley, Glenn (November 20, 2019). "Black Pumas: 5 Things to Know About the 2020 Best New Artist Grammy Nominees". billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
3. Browne, David; Browne, David (2020-01-21). "Black Pumas: Rise of a Psychedelic-Soul Force". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
4. "Black Pumas: Black Pumas". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
5. "Saturday Sessions: Black Pumas perform "Colors"". Retrieved 2020-02-06 – via YouTube.
6. "Black Pumas - Colors". Retrieved 2020-02-06 – via YouTube.
7. "Watch The Raconteurs and Black Pumas on Austin City Limits". Retrieved 2020-02-06 – via YouTube.
8. "Black Pumas Perform 'Colors'". Retrieved 2020-02-06 – via YouTube.
9. "Black Pumas: Colors". Retrieved 2020-02-06 – via YouTube.
10. "Black Pumas: "Fast Car". Retrieved 2020-06-16 – via YouTube.
11. https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2020-01-31/black-pumas-unparalleled-four-show-stubbs-booking/
12. "Black Pumas – Chart History: Heatseeker Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
13. "Black Pumas – Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
14. "Discografie Black Pumas". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
15. "Discographie Black Pumas". lescharts.com (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
16. "Discografie Black Pumas". dutchcharts.nl. Black Pumas. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
17. "Discography Black Pumas". spanishcharts.com. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
18. "Black Pumas Hitparade". Hit Parade. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
19. "Black Pumas by Black Pumas on Apple Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
20. "Black Pumas – Chart History: Adult Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
21. "Black Pumas – Chart History: Adult Top 40". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
22. "Black Pumas – Chart History: Hot Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
23. "Black Pumas – Chart History: Canada Rock". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
24. "Nationale Airplay Top 50 13/07/2019". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
25. • For "Colors": "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
26. "Black Pumas – Chart History: Rock Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2020.