The frontman Henry Rollins called “the greatest America ever produced”
If we’re going to base how good a frontperson is based upon how much of an intimidating presence they are on stage and on record, then there aren’t many better than Henry Rollins.
One of the central figures of the US hardcore punk scene that emerged in the 1980s, his contribution as the frontman of Black Flag and as the leader of the Henry Rollins Group is virtually unparalleled, with his large frame and grisly vocal delivery being the key factors that made him such a captivating performer. However, from here onwards, he not only continued to contribute to further generations of punk rock, but has proven himself to be knowledgeable in all scenes, and is a frequent champion of new emerging talent across the musical spectrum.
The thing is, one’s musical influences and personal favourites often stem from earliest memories, and given how immersed Rollins was in the punk movement, it makes complete sense for the person he named as the greatest vocalist and frontman of all time to have been a part of the very same scene. While Black Flag were emerging from the West Coast of America, a band following a similar path in Washington DC were Bad Brains, and their frontman, Paul ‘HR’ Hudson, is perhaps the finest of his kind, according to Rollins.
What was so unique about Bad Brains was that they were a band made up of accomplished musicians, and not only were they known for being part of the hardcore punk movement, but they’d risen from origins within both jazz fusion and reggae. It wasn’t just a blaze of fury that they delivered with raucous guitar work, but actually something far more nuanced, and for HR to be performing both as a vocalist and guitarist without ever having to sacrifice his talents on either side was impressive, to say the least.
Rollins’ appreciation for Bad Brains goes back a long way, and in a 1990 interview with Elsewhere Magazine, while discussing the current climate of rock and punk, he proclaimed that no modern acts were delivering anything akin to what Bad Brains had done. “I grew up with Bad Brains and they were the first band I saw up close,” he stated. “I mean right in their faces. I saw them open for The Damned in ’79 and a week later at a party it changed my life. I went home and couldn’t sleep. I walked around my room, hit stuff and then threw out half my records. I’d seen the real thing.”
“I wish they’d got their due,” he continued, while also criticising the flaws of contemporary bands such as Living Colour. “HR is – bar none – the best singer I’ve ever seen, the greatest America ever produced. Even on a bad night he is awesome and on a good night… well, it changed my life. I just had to get into music after experiencing that.”
There probably won’t be another band quite as exhilarating as Bad Brains, at least not in Rollins’ eyes, but that’s not a bad thing either, because they were a band too good to truly warrant being compared to their contemporaries.
