H.R.

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H.R.
H.R. outside of New York's CBGB in 2006
Background information
Birth name	Paul D. Hudson
Born	February 11, 1956 (1956-02-11) (age 53)
Origin	London, England
Genre(s)	Punk rock, reggae
Occupation(s)	Musician, Vocalist
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, bass
Years active	1977–present
Associated acts	Bad Brains, Human Rights

H.R. ("Human Rights") (born February 11, 1956 in London, England) is the stage name of Paul D. Hudson, the lead singer of the influential hardcore punk band Bad Brains. He has also left the band periodically to record solo albums that are more mellow reggae than Bad Brains' usual offerings. He is the older brother of Earl Hudson, Bad Brains' drummer.

Musical career

H.R. and his bandmates became Rastas around 1979. This spiritual direction influenced the music of Bad Brains via his vocals, and inspired the creation of his reggae band, Human Rights.

Although reggae is the main focus on H.R.'s solo material, he explores rock and other musical genres as well. As a result, he has had an expansive solo career, gaining a reputation as an impressive singer and dynamic performer, with numerous reggae albums released on SST Records. A Village Voice review of a Bad Brains concert described H.R. on stage "like James Brown gone berserk, with a hyperkinetic repertoire of spins, dives, back-flips, splits, and skanks."^{[citation needed]}

H.R. has collaborated with the Long Beach Dub Allstars on their song "New Sun" on the Right Back album, and with P.O.D. on their song "Without Jah, Nothin'", on the album Satellite. During the past several years H.R. has headlined DIA Records Global Rock Showcase tour. H.R. continues to play shows with Bad Brains . The foursome released the album Build a Nation in 2007, produced by Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys. It is a return to their hardcore punk roots, but also encompasses their unique reggae-punk hybrid sound expressed in I Against I, Quickness and later albums. Build a Nation is the first original LP with the original Bad Brains lineup since 1995.

In recent years, H.R.'s performances have become markedly more mellow and restrained, focusing primarily on reggae, and Rasta. This is a stark contrast to his wildly animated, aggressive stage performances of the late 70s and 1980s.^[1] H.R.'s persona, once that of a leonine, no-nonsense, and politically vocal Rasta has also mellowed considerably. He is often seen on stage displaying a sort of Cheshire Cat grin and standing singularly at the microphone. H.R.'s interviews in recent years have also been quite eccentric and free-form, bordering on nonsensical and amusing. His eccentricities, however, have done little to diminish Bad Brains' popularity or his own as a solo artist.

In 2006, HR signed a seven-album deal with D.C. Hardcore, LLC, and began working on the first, Hey Wella, with DC Hardcore's part owner, Grant "OG" Garretson (drummer/guitarist/songwriter) and multiple Grammy winner, David Darlington at Bass Studios in New York. The album, released in late September 2008, is a mix of rock, punk, reggae, and ska.^{[citation needed]}

Interviews with H.R. feature prominently in the 2006 documentary American Hardcore, in which he discusses the early days of hardcore in New York City and Washington D.C., and his association with fellow travelers like Minor Threat and the Cro-Mags. In particular, he recalls encouraging Ian MacKaye to fully articulate Minor Threat's emerging straight edge philosophy, to give kids a positive direction.

Greg Ginn of Black Flag and SST Records purchased the defunct Olive Tree Records, acquiring the rights to many H.R. albums.^{[citation needed]}

H.R. currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland.

Solo discography

• It's About Luv (1984)
• Keep Out of Reach (EP, 1986)© Olive Tree Records
• Human Rights (1987)© Olive Tree Records/SST Records
• Singin' in the Heart (1989)© SST Records
• Charge (1990) © SST Records
• I Luv (1991)
• Rock of Enoch (EP, 1992)
• Our Faith (1992)
• Out of Bounds (2000)
• Hey Wella (2008)

Band Members

• David Byers
• Kenny Dread
• Earl Hudson
• Tico Zamora
• Randy Choice
• Marc Riffle

Compilations

• H.R. Anthology (1991) acts as "best of" album and showcases a diverse array of songs from the 80s albums.
• H.R Tapes '84 - '86 compilation CD including "It's About Luv" and "Keep Out of Reach".

External links

• Punkcast #1034 Live video at CBGB NYC, 10 September 2006. (RealPlayer, mp4).
• 30underdc.com Early biography of Bad Brains, includes interviews and flyers.

References