The message ends with a poignant lyric from Vearncombe’s best-known piece: “No need to laugh or cry. His funeral will be a private one, though Vearncombe’s family will be holding a memorial service for him in his hometown in the near future as “we know there are many, many people who will want to celebrate Colin’s life and work,” said a statement posted to the artist’s Facebook page.

Vearncombe went on to release 15 albums under his own name, including the 2015 crowd-funded set Blind Faith. 32 in the U.K.) and his last to chart, Black, in 1991 (which managed a high of No. Vearncombe’s Black released a handful of albums in the following years, Comedy in 1988 (which peaked at No. “Wonderful Life” came to be Black’s signature song, earning Top 10 chart positions across Continental Europe and Australia. singles chart, as did its follow-up, the bittersweet “Wonderful Life” (an earlier release of the song peaked at just No. Posted by Black aka Colin Vearncombe on Tuesday, January 26, 2016īorn in Liverpool in 1962, Vearncombe had his first hit with the single “Sweetest Smile” in June 1987, lifted from his debut album Wonderful Life, which peaked at No. He was 53 years old.Colin Vearncombe – You’ll never walk alone. Colin Vearncombe died on Januin Cork, Ireland from injuries sustained in a traffic accident earlier that month. Three additional Black albums followed on Nero Schwartz after the turn of the millennium: Between Two Churches (2005), Water on Stone (2009), and Blind Faith (2015). Black soon left A&M, and after teaming with producer Mike Hedges, issued Are We Having Fun Yet? on their own mail-order label, Nero Schwartz, in 1993. The group's debut LP, also titled Wonderful Life, appeared in late 1987, and was well-received throughout Europe.īlack's sophomore effort, the Robin Millar-produced Comedy, followed in 1988, but failed to match the success of its predecessor after a long hiatus and a number of lineup changes, the group finally resurfaced in 1991 with an eponymously titled LP featuring cameos from Robert Palmer and Sam Brown. Top Ten hit with 'Sweetest Smile' the follow-up, a reworked 'Wonderful Life,' was also successful. Some 18 months of writing and searching for a new record deal followed before Vearncombe was contacted by the tiny Ugly Man label, which issued the minor hit 'Wonderful Life.' Soon A&M came calling, and in 1987 Black scored a U.K. Although he continued on as producer, Dickie soon relinquished his performing duties, and the fate of the group looked grim. The trio eventually came to the attention of WEA, which funded Black's third single, 'Hey Presto.' The record stiffed, however, and when an orchestral rendition of 'More Than the Sun' met a similar fate, Black were dropped from their contract.

The record quickly sold out, and soon Vearncombe was approached by the Eternal label, operated by fellow Liverpudlians Pete Wylie and Wah! With the addition of ex-Last Chant keyboardist Dave Dickie and bassist Jimmy Sangster, Black became a true band, and soon issued their sophomore effort, 'More Than the Sun.' The first incarnation of Black, consisting of Vearncombe and a cast of anonymous session players, debuted with the single 'Human Features' on the local Rox label. It also was a way for companies to then own the color version of the film without needing to buy any rights to use the black & white original. Formed in Liverpool, England in 1980, the pop group Black was primarily a vehicle for singer/songwriter Colin Vearncombe, who first emerged at the age of 16 in the punk unit the Epileptic Tits.

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