Early years (1984–1986) British-born guitarist
Vernon Reid had formed several bands in the years before forming Living Colour in New York in 1984, using the
British spelling of "colour". Reid assembled several bands under the name Vernon Reid's Living Colour from 1984 to 1986. Reid was well known on the downtown New York jazz scenes because of his tenure in
Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society. Early band members included bassists Alex Mosely,
Jerome Harris and Carl James, drummers Greg Carter,
Pheeroan akLaff and J. T. Lewis, keyboardist
Geri Allen, and vocalists D. K. Dyson and
Mark Ledford, with Reid occasionally singing lead vocals himself. The band's sound was vastly different from the songs later in their significant label recordings. Material from this period included instrumental jazz/funk workouts, politically pointed
punk rock burners, experimental excursions via Reid's guitar synth, and an early version of the song "
Funny Vibe", which was reworked for their debut album
Vivid.
Mainstream success (1986–1991) In 1986 a stable lineup was formed, consisting of vocalist/actor
Corey Glover, guitarist
Vernon Reid, bassist
Muzz Skillings, and drummer
Will Calhoun. The band became experienced at touring and performed regular gigs at the club
CBGB. Around this time, their career also benefited from
Rolling Stones singer
Mick Jagger's involvement. Jagger's interest in Living Colour was piqued when Vernon Reid auditioned for the album
Primitive Cool; Jagger then arranged to see them live at CBGBs. Jagger went on to produce two of their demos. His endorsement encouraged major record labels to renew their interest in Living Colour, resulting in a recording contract with Epic Records. Interviewed in 2018, Vernon Reid looked back on the deal as a bittersweet triumph; "We had to get the co-sign from a person who literally embodied what rock 'n' roll is, the fact that he had to come see us, and dig us, for us to get at the back of the line is crazy."
Vivid, released on May 3, 1988, gathered sales momentum when, later that year,
MTV began playing the
video for "
Cult of Personality". The album reached No. 6 on the U.S.
Billboard 200 chart. On April 1, 1989, the band performed on
NBC's
Saturday Night Live. Four months later, the band gained further exposure as an opening act, along with
Guns N' Roses, for
The Rolling Stones'
Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour. In 1990, the band's second album, ''
Time's Up, featured songs in a variety of musical contexts; jazz fusion, punk rock, Delta blues, hip hop (cameos by Queen Latifah and Doug E. Fresh), funk, thrash metal, jive, and hints of electronica were all represented. The album reached No. 13 on the Billboard'' 200, In 1991, Living Colour joined the inaugural
Lollapalooza tour, and released an EP of outtakes entitled
Biscuits. In 2005, Sony Records released ''
Live from CBGB's, a live album recorded on December 19, 1989, as well as another best-of compilation, Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour, with songs from Vivid
to Collideøscope''. On September 22, 2006, Skillings joined the band for the first time in fourteen years when they played at a private party that drummer
Jack DeJohnette threw for his wife, Lydia. Wimbish could not come back from his base in London to play for the event, so Skillings agreed to take over for the special private event. The band performed a week-long European Tour starting on December 12, 2006. In May 2007, the band released their first live DVD –
On Stage At World Cafe Live. On July 11, 2008, the band performed at the 1980s hard rock-themed
Rocklahoma festival at
Pryor, Oklahoma. Once again, Skillings performed with them in August 2008 for a Black Rock Coalition
Band of Gypsys tribute in Harlem. They performed "Them Changes" and "Power of Soul". On October 25, 2008, MVD Audio and CBGB Records released
CBGB OMFUG Masters: August 19, 2005 The Bowery Collection, a soundboard collection of songs from the Save CBGB's benefit show. On November 25, 2008, Inakustik and MVD released
The Paris Concert, a
DVD recorded at
New Morning, in Paris, France, during their 2007 European Tour. The band released their fifth studio album,
The Chair in the Doorway, on September 15, 2009, on Megaforce Records. The album sold approximately 2,800 copies in its first week and landed at No. 161 on the
Billboard 200. This was the band's first album to chart since
Stain in 1993. The band toured the world in support of the record. In 2013, Living Colour performed "Cult of Personality" live during CM Punk's entrance at
WrestleMania 29 for his match against
The Undertaker. On July 2, 2014, Living Colour announced on their official website that they were putting the finishing touches on their upcoming sixth album
Shade, which was released on September 8, 2017. "
Shade is the sound of a band coming to terms with its shadows and light, From the blue pulpit of Robert Johnson to the mean red streets of Brooklyn to the golden lure of Hollywood,
Shade is the next chapter of a unique American journey," Reid stated on the official website. The album includes ten originals and three covers:
Robert Johnson's "Preachin' Blues",
The Notorious B.I.G.'s "
Who Shot Ya?" and
Marvin Gaye's "
Inner City Blues" available on CD, MP3, and vinyl. On August 19, 2016, the band released a cover of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Who Shot Ya?" from an upcoming EP entitled
Mixtape which was released on September 9. It features appearances from Chuck D, Black Thought, Pharoahe Monch, Prodigal Sunn, and Kyle Mansa. Also in 2016, the band performed "Cult of Personality" on
The Howard Stern Show. By late 2018, Living Colour had begun working on new material for a possible
EP or seventh studio album. On September 2, 2022 during a performance at
Rock in Rio in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, guitarist
Steve Vai joined Living Colour on stage for a rendition of "Cult of Personality." The band announced on December 10, 2022 that they had entered the studio to begin recording their seventh studio album. In 2023, the band embarked on a US tour with
Extreme. In 2025, Living Colour performed "Cult of Personality" live during CM Punk's entrance at
WrestleMania 41 for his main event match against
Roman Reigns and
Seth Rollins. In April 2026, Reid announced that Living Colour will release their new album in 2027. ==Acclaim and legacy==