Black Rose (British band)

History

Black Rose began as Ice in 1976 when three friends from a school in Saltburn by the Sea—Steve Bardsley, Marty Rajn, and Mark Eason—decided to form a rock band. They became a four-piece after recruiting guitarist Kenny Nicholson, whom they saw playing in a local pub. Eason left due to musical differences, and drummer Charlie Mack was brought in. This line-up recorded a five-song demo at Impulse Studios in Wallsend Newcastle, home of Neat Records, featuring the tracks "Alright On The Night", "Biker", "Killer", "Loveshock", and "Raising Hell". The demo was picked up by rock disco playlists and appeared in the local charts section of Kerrang! magazine.

Nicholson and Mack both departed; Mack joined Emerson and later Samson, while Nicholson formed Holland and Fast Kutz. New guitarist Chris "wahwah" Watson and drummer Mal Smith joined, and the band released their first single "No Point Runnin'" on the Teesbeat label. Rajn left after disagreements, and bassist Mick Thompson replaced him. This line-up proved the most stable, recording the debut album Boys Will Be Boys and appearing on various compilation records. The band toured the UK and Europe with acts such as Raven, Terraplane, Budgie, Trust, Vardis, Atomic Rooster, Pretty Maids, and Spider, building fan clubs in Europe, Japan, and the United States.

By the mid-1980s, guitarist and keyboard player Gary Todd joined. Atlantic Records and Bronze Records showed interest but did not sign the band. Watson left, and guitarist Pat O'Neil replaced him. This line-up recorded the second album Walk It How You Talk It, released by Neat Records, featuring more melodic songs. The album was picked up by AJK, a subsidiary of K-tel in the United States, for repackaged release, but a copyright dispute with a US band of the same name prevented its issuance. The band recorded more material but released nothing further, splitting up in 1989.