Psychedelic soul band Black Pumas is an American group rising in fame and popularity in 2020. While psychedelic music may be a genre from the past, the band is trying to put a new modern twist in their music.
The group has been nominated for a Grammy Award in 2020 in the best new artist category. Read about their journey from buskers to Grammy-nominated artists.
Black Pumas Band Members
Black Pumas is a duo and consists of only two band members:
- Eric Burton
- Adrian Quesada
Apart from this, they have a lineup of studio artists and musicians who play with them on their tours and gigs.
- Angela Miller
- Lauren Cervantes
- JaRon Marshall
- Brendan Bond
- Stephen Bidwell
Here is the information on the 2 actual band members.
Eric Burton: Age, Bio
Burton is the 30 years old musician (he is 13 years younger than Adrian Quesada) who was born in San Fernando Valley. he used to busk at various places before he became famous.
He would even busk in front of Congress and at the Santa Monica Pier. Due to the exposure, he got from busking, and his songwriting skills he was called up by Quesada who needed a singer for his instrumentals.
Adrian Quesada
Adrian Quesada is a singer-songwriter born in 1977. he is a 43-year-old composer popular for his composing skills.
He is a fusion artist, meaning he has worked with various genres and combined them to create a new hybrid genre. Often called the Quincy Jones of Texas, the songwriter is a big deal in the music scene.
Apart from this, he is also using his roots in Texas to bring forth the music from the lone star state. He can play multiple instruments, in fact, he is inspired by playing multiple instruments to create new sounds.
Formation Of Black Pumas
The Pumas founding members almost did not talk to each other, Adrian had a few samples that he needed vocals on and he contacted Eric Burton on the recomendation of a friend.
At the time Burton had no history of working as a recording artist.
Anyway, Burton did not return the call at first but was persuaded by his friends to do so. When he finally contacted Adrian, he was asked to sing.
Quesada was so impressed by his singing over the phone that they decided to join forces and started their band in late 2017.
It was an unlikely partnership as they had 13 years age gap and also had vastly different musical backgrounds.
Albums And Songs
After establishing themselves as the Black Pumas, the duo went to work on their first album. Unlike many other artists, they worked on their self-titled debut for almost a year before releasing them on June 21, 2019.
Out of the album, Colors got critical acclaim and has been streamed more than 28 million times. Established tabloids like Rolling Stone and The Guardian also praised the band as well as their debut effort.
The song ‘Colors’ and its lyrics made them an instant hit. Each line of the song describes a unique color and falls seamlessly into the psychedelic theme of the band.
Tour And Merchandise
The band became a live staple in and around the Texas area, so much so that they even have a day dedicated to them celebrated in Austin, Texas.
Due to them constantly selling out arenas, the mayor Steve Adler himself declared May 7, 2020, Black Pumas day.
In addition to this, the duo’s merchandise also sells like hotcakes, they have a collection of shirts and sleeveless vests on this site.
Their merchandise also includes vinyl discs of all their records.
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