COLIN BLACK is a singer-songwriter hailing from the Gulf Coast of Alabama - by way of central Illinois via New Orleans and recently back from five years in Europe (it’s a long story ... ). With his third and latest record - “I Just Want You” - Colin has raised the bar once again, with a great collection of new original songs and recording sessions bringing together musicians from across the South to create a sound both familiar and fresh. While the nods to Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Greg Brown, Springsteen and others shine through again, "I Just Want You" could be no one's record but Colin Black's.

Born in Peoria, Illinois, Colin grew up in a small town along the Illinois River. One of his earliest musical memories is of sitting in his mother’s basement art studio listening to tapes of Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson and other country music greats whom he still cites as important influences. And it was while flipping through his parents’ record collection during high school that Colin discovered an old LP of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, a moment which he now says marked the beginning of a lifelong fascination with the simple power of “a guy, a guitar, and great songs.”

In 1988, Colin began spending summers and holidays in the small Gulf Coast community of Josephine, Alabama, where he was introduced to a vibrant local music culture. Miles from the nearest city, the most common entertainment on summer nights was acoustic music - song circles and late night jams on the beach or at the local bar, where unknown musicians mixed comfortably with local and regional music legends (such as Guthrie Trapp, Jerry Trapp, Gove Scrivenor and others). Everyone would grab a guitar or mandolin, sometimes a banjo or a fiddle, occasionally a trumpet or a sax, or just sing along to songs ranging from old folk standards to tunes by the Grateful Dead, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, John Hartford, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Nanci Griffith, Gordon Lightfoot and many more. Although Colin has since lived in many places throughout the United States and the world, it was this musical genesis on the Alabama Gulf Coast that most dramatically shaped his songs and his approach to writing and playing music. Ultimately, Colin’s songs are a reflection of his own life – born in the American Midwest, a creature of the Mississippi River Valley, inspired by the great folk and country songwriters of the last century, and steeped in a sense of musical community special to the Gulf Coast, Colin’s songs reveal a truly “Americana” identity.

Colin started playing acoustic guitar around 1990, and began writing songs soon after. Since then he has developed a unique style on harmonica and also occasionally plays (or tries to play ... ) electric guitar, lap steel, bass, cuatro, autoharp, concertina and whatever else he can get his hands on (a clear reflection of his roots in the Gulf Coast where everybody seems to play a little bit of everything). His emphasis, however, is squarely and decidedly on songwriting – finding words and a melody to tell a story or capture a moment or an emotion. It is primarily the words of his songs that reveal their unusual depth, wearing as well over time as a favorite pair of jeans or an old hat.

When Colin is home in Alabama, you can more often than not find him singing and playing with friends on the porch or in the lounge at Pirates Cove in Josephine. He also occasionally played publicly in The Hague or in Amsterdam, Holland, where he lived from 2002 until 2006. However, he has always been first and foremost a songwriter, and typically records at home on a Roland VS880EX digital 8-track (which he has used to record all three of his CDs).

Colin self-released an untitled debut CD in 2001 (recorded and produced with Brian Rueb of New Orleans) and a second CD called simply "No. 2" in 2005, for which he enlisted the instrumental and vocal assistance of friends Jerry Trapp (Lillian, Alabama), Hirsh Katzen (New Orleans, Louisiana), and Alexandra Bilak (Paris, France, currently living in the Netherlands). “No. 2” received airplay in Europe and the United States, and was picked as the Alt Country Cooking (Radio Winschoten) “Flavor of the Month” in April 2005. "No. 2" is currently available online at the finest independent record store on the Internet - CD Baby. Most recently, Colin's third record was released on December 18, 2007. "I Just Want You" is arguably the best offering yet, combining the easy melodies and strong songwriting of "No. 2" with a great multi-musician recording effort with guest appearances by Jerry Trapp and others.

Colin currently lives in Washington, DC, where he continues to write, play and record. He travels home to Alabama as often as possible, and also surfaces occasionally in Chicago. In addition to the places mentioned above, Colin has lived in New Orleans, Louisiana; Madrid, Spain; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and The Hague, The Netherlands.