Black Country Communion is no more, says vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes.
“Jason [Bonham], Derek [Sherinian] and I will continue when the time is right,” posted Hughes on Saturday. “I have my hands full writing my first solo rock album in 5 years!!!! YES!!”
The bassist later added, “...just so it's crystal... BCC is over... Joe [Bonamassa] left & will not allow us to keep the name... nice huh? Jason, Derek and I will continue with a different name when the time is right...”
Hughes’ update on the supergroup comes on the heels of words from Bonamassa, who recently told Premiere Guitar, "As far as I'm concerned, my involvement is pretty much done, and I'll tell you why: Originally, I did it for the same reasons I did the stuff with Beth Hart and Rock Candy Funk Party — it was an excuse to play a different kind of music that I don't get to play normally.”
"The first two records were a blast — the band is fantastic when the Ritalin kicks in, the ADD goes away, and everyone's focused,” he continued. “It's a devastatingly good rock band of the early-1970s type, and Glenn is a fantastic singer — just one of the best ever. So I did it and did a nine-week tour in 2011 that really, by the end of it, wasn't fun for me. It wasn't because I didn't like the cats in the band, but it was just too much — too much involved in getting people from place to place and getting the band onstage. Everybody seemed to be very tense, and it made my crew very tense, and it's not the way I like to tour.”
The inner tension of the band went public last fall, ahead of the release of the group’s third album, “Afterglow,” when Hughes dropped a bombshell about the group's future, telling ABC News Radio, “This may be the [band's] last album. I hate to break it to you, but it just may be, because I need to be in a band that tours on a regular basis."
Bonamassa has always maintained that the group were aware of his annual touring schedule as a solo artist, which would have made any touring – certainly any extensive road trips – unlikely.
"It just wasn't fun for me anymore,” explained the guitarist. “All the stuff that Glenn says in the media, essentially pinning it on me — that I was the reason for the band's lack of touring and the band's lack of future. It became rapidly not fun at all. It would be dishonest of me to get onstage and pretend like I'm having fun to please the band. I'm just not the guitar player for that band, but, unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any out-of-work guitar players in L.A. that they can get. There are so many guys that can fill that role and I would be the first guy to queue up and buy a ticket. So that's my story with it. I'm happily not involved anymore, but I'm happy with the legacy that I left with that band and happy with the records we made. It was a great three years for me."
Black Country Communion See also:
Glenn Hughes announces Australian tour
Joe Bonamassa says he’s done with Black Country Communion
VIDEO: Black Country Communion – Making of Afterglow part 6
Black Country Communion guitarist speaks out on band feud