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Paul Black (Lead Singer) 1985-1987, 2006

Paul Black (with Jeremy Guns) Live 2006 photo by Trevor Guns

Paul Black & Trevor Guns 2006

Paul Mars had been the drummer in a few punk bands throughout the 1980's. He started off in a band called Mad Captions and quickly moved in to The Mau Maus in 1980 and left the band in 1983.  With The Mau Mau's he recorded one (yet-unreleased) album.  Paul then joined The Joneses and stayed with them until 1985.  Paul released on album with The Joneses (1985's Keeping Up with The Joneses).  Paul switched gears into the singer/songwriter position and teamed up with Mick and Tracii Guns after Tracii had departed Guns N' Roses (mid-1985).  They originally were going to call the band Faster Pussycat, but changed the name to LA Guns as Tracii already had band merchandise with that name on it, a band reputation with the name, a ready manager, a van, etc.  Paul (rightfully) advertises himself as the original LA Guns singer, and he is the original singer for the post-GNR reformed LA Guns who would become commercially successful in the late 80's.  Paul wrote and co-wrote many of the songs on the band's first album, as well as the song 'never enough'.  For the longest time, he went un-credited for these co-writes but has since been added to the liner notes on the self-titled album and acknowledged for a few others.  Paul parted ways with LA Guns in March of 1987, the band has blamed this split on Paul's supposed drug "problems" (at that time) and Paul has said that he was growing more and more unhappy with the direction of LA Guns' music and the pressure from PolyGram to candy-coat his lyrics   After he parted company with LA Guns, he cleaned up his act and formed the band Black Cherry (with whom he was the singer), who throughout the later 1980's and early 1990's made a good name for themselves, although never releasing an album (due to his ongoing lawsuit with LA Guns over songwriting and publishing).  Black Cherry actually only released one song commercially, although many demo songs exist.  Black Cherry also ran into problems due to the fact that Paul and the band were playing some of the songs that he had written while in LA Guns, and LA Guns were now playing re-done versions of some of these songs as well.  Black Cherry became frustrated and broke up in 1993.  Paul then took time out in general from music.  More recently, Paul formed a band called Sonic Boom with Jo "Dog" Almieda from Dogs D'Amour.  Sonic Boom released two albums (Out of the Blues & Sundown Yellow Moon).  Paul released an album called Black City Breakdown in 2000, which features some of the demos that he recorded with the LA Guns before they were signed to PolyGram.  In 2005, he released another (and this time, complete and remastered) CD of old LA Guns songs called Black List and agreed to reunite with Nickey, Tracii, & Mick to do a string of west-coast tour dates (scheduled for early 2006) which were quickly cancelled.  In the spring of 2006, Nickey, Paul, & Tracii did reunite as the Tracii Guns Band or Tracii Guns Group and toured America, playing LA Guns, Brides of Destruction, and cover songs.  Paul also plans to release a CD of Black Cherry Material as well as recording some (new and old) music with Tracii and Nickey.  He also has a solo album that he has been working on for awhile.  Paul's birthday is March 17.   Paul is featured on the LA Guns releases Black List & Black City Breakdown.  He is also featured on The Joneses' Keeping Up with the Joneses & Criminal History and Sonic Boom's Out of the Blues & Sundown Yellow Moon.

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