Age, Biography and Wiki

Black (Colin Vearncombe) was born on 26 May, 1962 in Liverpool, United Kingdom, is an English singer-songwriter (1962–2016). Discover Black's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 54 years old?

Popular As Colin Vearncombe
Occupation N/A
Age 54 years old
Zodiac Sign Gemini
Born 26 May 1962
Birthday 26 May
Birthplace Liverpool, United Kingdom
Date of death 2016
Died Place Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland
Nationality United Kingdom

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 26 May. He is a member of famous singer-songwriter with the age 54 years old group.

Black Height, Weight & Measurements

At 54 years old, Black height not available right now. We will update Black's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
Hair Color Not Available

Who Is Black's Wife?

His wife is Camilla Griehsel (m. ?–2016)

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Camilla Griehsel (m. ?–2016)
Sibling Not Available
Children Not Available

Black Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Black worth at the age of 54 years old? Black’s income source is mostly from being a successful singer-songwriter. He is from United Kingdom. We have estimated Black's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income singer-songwriter

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Timeline

1957

He first aspired to become a musician after seeing Elvis Presley in the 1957 film Jailhouse Rock.

1962

Colin Vearncombe (26 May 1962 – 26 January 2016), known by his stage name Black, was an English singer-songwriter.

1980

He emerged from the punk rock music scene and achieved mainstream pop success in the late 1980s, most notably with the 1986 single "Wonderful Life", which was an international hit the next year.

William Ruhlmann of AllMusic described Vearncombe as a "smoky-voiced singer/songwriter, whose sophisticated jazz-pop songs and dramatic vocal delivery place him somewhere between Bryan Ferry and Morrissey".

Michael Hann of The Guardian described his voice as a "slightly frayed baritone".

Vearncombe was born in West Derby, Liverpool and attended Prescot Grammar School.

He then enrolled on an art foundation course at Liverpool Polytechnic.

1981

Black's first release was the single "Human Features" on Rox Records from Birkenhead in 1981.

At this time the band also included Dane Goulding (formerly of Blazetroopers) on bass and Greg Leyland (another school friend) on drums, with Vearncombe calling himself Black as he did not think his own surname would be remembered.

1982

The single was followed by another independent release, "More than the Sun", in 1982.

It was then that Vearncombe formed a friendship with Dave "Dix" Dickie of the Last Chant, and the two became musical collaborators and signed for WEA Records.

In 1982, Black played with the Thompson Twins on their 'Quick Step and Side Kick' tour and also supported Wah! on a UK tour.

1984

Black signed with WEA in 1984, and the next single was "Hey Presto", which got Vearncombe noticed outside the UK: the video for the song featured on the satellite channel Music Box, and the single was also released in Australia.

The second WEA single was a re-recording of "More than the Sun".

After this, Black was dropped from the record label, and Vearncombe and Dix went their separate ways.

1985

In 1985, Vearncombe wrote the minor key song "Wonderful Life".

It was released independently through Ugly Man Records, and got Black noticed by A&M Records, who signed Vearncombe and launched his international career.

Vearncombe said:

"By the end of 1985 I had been in a couple of car crashes, my mother had a serious illness, I had been dropped by a record company, my first marriage went belly-up and I was homeless. Then I sat down and wrote this song called 'Wonderful Life'. I was being sarcastic."

The song reached number eight in the UK Singles Chart.

"Wonderful Life" was later covered by singers including Kim Wilde and Tony Hadley.

A version by Katie Melua was included on the BBC Radio 2's Sounds of the 80s compilation album, and was released as a single in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Children's Hospital Charity.

But its widespread popularity came from its use on several advertising commercials for brands that included Standard Life, Cadbury's chocolate and Fleury Michon.

1987

The album of the same name, released in 1987, had similar success, reaping commercial and critical acclaim.

1988

Black sold over two million records worldwide with Comedy (1988) and Black (1991).

1991

In 1991, Vearncombe co-founded the Tomato design collective, a worldwide group of directors, designers, artists, writers, producers and composers.

1993

Disillusioned with having to deal with a big record company, Vearncombe founded the independent label Nero Schwarz (which is the word "black" in Italian and in German, respectively), and released one album Are We Having Fun Yet? (1993).

1995

He served as a director until 1995.

1999

After a prolonged hiatus, Vearncombe returned in 1999 to release a string of recordings under his own name.

2005

Vearncombe returned to the name 'Black' to release the album Between Two Churches in November 2005.

On this album, he included a song mocking the success of his hit "Wonderful Life", where he poignantly re-asked the question, ‘Are you having a wonderful life?’

2009

In 2009, he released two albums: The Given was issued on 4 July as a free download under Vearncombe's name; Water on Stone was released on 17 November as the first Black studio album in four years.

2011

In September 2011, the album Any Colour You Like was released through Black's website.

2014

In April 2014, Vearncombe started a pledge fund (via the dedicated music crowd-funding site PledgeMusic) for a new album, co-written with long-time friend and musical collaborator Calum MacColl.

This was the first time he had participated in a crowd-funded project.

2015

In 2015, Melua sang a version in an advertisement for Premier Inn.

Vearncombe suffered from the feeling of being a one-hit wonder:

"Once you have had a hit, it's hard to write another song without having that in the back of your mind. For a long time, I would find myself hearing, 'I like it but it's not Wonderful Life'."

At first, the single "Everything's Coming Up Roses" flopped, but the follow-up, "Sweetest Smile" became a UK top-10 hit.

The third single, a re-release of "Wonderful Life", was a massive hit worldwide.