Singer-songwriter-guitarist Hugh Cornwell was born in North London on 28 August 1949. Happy 75 to the former frontman of legendary punk/new wave band The Stranglers.
He played with the band from 1974 to 1990, writing/recording/releasing 10 LPs.
He launched a career as a solo artist. So far he has 10 albums out, with Moments
Of Madness as his most recent one (2022). He also worked with other artists. In
2016 he released an album written with Manchester‘s punk poet John Cooper Clarke.
London‘s cool post-punk indie band ELASTICA ( (1991-2001), fronted by Justine Frischmann, who played for a couple of weeks with her then-lover’s (Brett Anderson)
band Suede got a lot of attention when they the scene with a series of rad singles and
their 1995 Self-titled debut LP.
One of those singles was WAKING UP (#3 in the UK) of which the intro was exactly sounding like the riff from The Stranglers‘ 1977 hit No More Heroes. The bastards
filed a lawsuit that was in the end settled out of court.
JET BLACK, drummer and co-founder of new-post-punk-wave
heroes THE STRANGLERS has passed away, aged 84.
Press statement: “Jet Black, born Brian John Duffy, passed away peacefully
at home on Tue 6th Dec. A founding member of iconic British new-wave rock band The Stranglers, Jet helped the band achieve a prolific 23 top 40 singles and 19 top 40 albums in the official UK charts.
As the ‘elder statesmen’ of the group, Jet was already a successful businessman in the Guildford area when The Stranglers formed in 1974. Jet owned a fleet of ice cream vans,
one of which, as many fans will fondly remember, was used to tour the UK in the early years. Jet also owned an off license, the upstairs apartment of which doubled as ‘Stranglers HQ’ in the early days.
Jet retired from performing live with The Stranglers in 2015 having suffered with respiratory health issues since childhood. Despite difficulties in performing towards the end of his career, Jet’s charismatic charm resonated with fans who would endlessly chant his name as he took his place at the drums.
As a drummer in jazz bands during the 60s, Jet’s playing style
helped shape The Stranglers’ unique sound.
On reaction to the news, bassist and co-frontman JJ Burnel said “The welcoming committee has doubled. After years of ill health Jet has finally been released. He was a force of nature. An inspiration. The Stranglers would not have been if it wasn’t for him. The most erudite of men. A rebel with many causes. Say hi to Dave for me.”
A new official book about British punk legends THE STRANGLERS – 368 full color pages – arrives on 27th October. It mixes hundreds of fan anecdotes with memories from the band, their collaborators, other musicians, and celebrity admirers garnered from 50 years of recording and performing.
“Passion, excitement, and emotion are the words that keep cropping up in the pages
of this book. The music and live shows The Stranglers have created, have deeply touched and affected the lives of so many people around the world.”
The book comes in two editions.
A Limited Edition Deluxe (500 copies) slipcase priced at £69.99
and a standard hardback edition is priced at £39.99
