Kyla Brox
Encyclopedia
Kyla Brox is a blues
and soul
singer from a musical family.
- Caiaphas
in the original cast recording of Jesus Christ Superstar
, amongst other things - and her mother is Annette Brox, the 'maid by the fire' in the original Jesus Christ Superstar
.
She has four other siblings, Ginie (b.1965), Anna (b.1966), Buffy (b.1971) and Sam (b.1976). All are gifted singers, but only the youngest two have gone onto professional careers as musicians. Perhaps significantly, Sam - singer with Dust Junkys - and Kyla were spared their elder sisters’ experience of growing up in the back of a touring van under a haze of cannabis
smoke. She traces her interest in singing
from the age of three, partly from a desire to be closer to her charismatic but distant dad. Upon Victor and Annette’s divorce, Kyla was brought up by Annette and her stepfather Laurie in Didsbury
, Manchester
.
Keen to encourage his daughter’s musical talents, Victor gave Kyla various instruments as a child, although these were apt to be taken back and sold when times were hard. But the flute
remained, and features in live shows to this day. A rare instrument in blues music, Kyla's flute adds a cool counterpart to her fiery voice.
Kyla married long-time life and music partner Danny Blomeley in September, 2008, and is the mother of Sadie (b. 13 June 2009).
at the age of 12. She joined his regular touring group the following year. The core of the Kyla Brox Band go back to this remarkable unit, nominally the Victor Brox Blues Train, but known informally as 'the child slavery band' because of the extreme youth of the players. As well as Kyla (13, but could pass for 21), the group contained bassist Danny Blomeley (13, but could pass for eight), and drummer Phil Considine (19).
Prolonged stays at Victor's house in France
from the age of 16 saw the growth and development of Kyla’s art. Then, in 2000, she accompanied her father on an extensive tour of Australia
. Danny Blomeley had left the Blues Train two years earlier to travel the world, and promised to find Victor some dates in Australia. And so it was that Kyla, just turned 20, found herself singing risque blues songs to hard men in mining camps in remote parts of the Australian outback. This trip was the making of today’s self-assured soul belle. The Victor Brox Blues Train, with Kyla, made a return visit Australia the following year.
Back in Manchester in 2001, Kyla and Danny formed a duo, occasionally augmented by old members of ‘the child slavery band’, and the line-up finally settled into the Kyla Brox Band - Kyla Brox (vocals, flute); Marshall Gill (guitar); Tony Marshall
(saxophones); Danny Blomeley (bass) and Phil Considine (drums). The Kyla Brox Band started playing in North West pubs and clubs: the circuit that had once been the stomping ground of the Victor Brox Blues Train. A career-making performance at Colne Blues Festival in 2002 established Kyla's reputation as the first lady of the British blues.
Consolidating their international fan-base, the Kyla Brox Band toured Australia in 2003, 2004 and (twice) 2007. The Kyla Brox Band made their US debut in 2007.
"An authentic soul diva… sensitive, sexy, and with infinite reserves of sassiness" - City Life
"A classic sound pulled off with finesse… classy, impressive…" - Oldham Chronicle
"Great voice, great presence, great songs, great band…" - Leicester Mercury
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer from a musical family.
Family and Childhood
Her father is a blues singer of note, Victor BroxVictor Brox
Victor Brox is a British blues musician from Manchester, England, widely believed to have been described by Jimi Hendrix and Tina Turner as their favourite white blues singer....
- Caiaphas
Caiaphas
Joseph, son of Caiaphas, Hebrew יוסף בַּר קַיָּפָא or Yosef Bar Kayafa, commonly known simply as Caiaphas in the New Testament, was the Roman-appointed Jewish high priest who is said to have organized the plot to kill Jesus...
in the original cast recording of Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar (album)
Jesus Christ Superstar is a 1970 rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. The album musical is a musical dramatisation of the last week of the life of Jesus Christ, beginning with his entry into Jerusalem and ending with the Crucifixion....
, amongst other things - and her mother is Annette Brox, the 'maid by the fire' in the original Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
.
She has four other siblings, Ginie (b.1965), Anna (b.1966), Buffy (b.1971) and Sam (b.1976). All are gifted singers, but only the youngest two have gone onto professional careers as musicians. Perhaps significantly, Sam - singer with Dust Junkys - and Kyla were spared their elder sisters’ experience of growing up in the back of a touring van under a haze of cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
smoke. She traces her interest in singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
from the age of three, partly from a desire to be closer to her charismatic but distant dad. Upon Victor and Annette’s divorce, Kyla was brought up by Annette and her stepfather Laurie in Didsbury
Didsbury
Didsbury is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre, in the southern half of the Greater Manchester Urban Area...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
Keen to encourage his daughter’s musical talents, Victor gave Kyla various instruments as a child, although these were apt to be taken back and sold when times were hard. But the flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
remained, and features in live shows to this day. A rare instrument in blues music, Kyla's flute adds a cool counterpart to her fiery voice.
Kyla married long-time life and music partner Danny Blomeley in September, 2008, and is the mother of Sadie (b. 13 June 2009).
Career
Kyla joined the family business in 1992, singing with Victor onstage at famed Manchester venue Band on the WallBand on the Wall
Band on the Wall is a live music venue at 25 Swan Street in the Northern Quarter area of Manchester city centre.-Early history:The building dates back to around 1862 when a local brewery, the McKenna Brothers, built it as the flagship pub of their operation. It was called the George and Dragon; the...
at the age of 12. She joined his regular touring group the following year. The core of the Kyla Brox Band go back to this remarkable unit, nominally the Victor Brox Blues Train, but known informally as 'the child slavery band' because of the extreme youth of the players. As well as Kyla (13, but could pass for 21), the group contained bassist Danny Blomeley (13, but could pass for eight), and drummer Phil Considine (19).
Prolonged stays at Victor's house in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
from the age of 16 saw the growth and development of Kyla’s art. Then, in 2000, she accompanied her father on an extensive tour of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Danny Blomeley had left the Blues Train two years earlier to travel the world, and promised to find Victor some dates in Australia. And so it was that Kyla, just turned 20, found herself singing risque blues songs to hard men in mining camps in remote parts of the Australian outback. This trip was the making of today’s self-assured soul belle. The Victor Brox Blues Train, with Kyla, made a return visit Australia the following year.
Back in Manchester in 2001, Kyla and Danny formed a duo, occasionally augmented by old members of ‘the child slavery band’, and the line-up finally settled into the Kyla Brox Band - Kyla Brox (vocals, flute); Marshall Gill (guitar); Tony Marshall
Tony Marshall
Tony Marshall is a British television actor.He is probably best known for his appearance in the BBC drama series Life on Mars and the final episode of its spinoff Ashes to Ashes as the bartender and confidant, Nelson and Rodney's friend Chris in Only Fools and Horses...
(saxophones); Danny Blomeley (bass) and Phil Considine (drums). The Kyla Brox Band started playing in North West pubs and clubs: the circuit that had once been the stomping ground of the Victor Brox Blues Train. A career-making performance at Colne Blues Festival in 2002 established Kyla's reputation as the first lady of the British blues.
Consolidating their international fan-base, the Kyla Brox Band toured Australia in 2003, 2004 and (twice) 2007. The Kyla Brox Band made their US debut in 2007.
Solo Discography
- 2003 - Window (private release)
- 2003 - Beware (private release)
- 2004 - Coming Home (as Kyla Brox Band, Pigskin CD02)
- 2006 - Live at Matt and Phred’s (as Kyla Brox Band) (private release)
- 2007 - Gone (Pigskin, PIGCD01)
- 2009 - Grey Sky Blue (Pigskin, PIGCD03)
With Victor Brox
- 1998 - Kyla Jane & Victor With The Brox Gang
- 2000 - Darwin Night Train, as Victor Brox Blues Train
- 2001 - Belly Shiver (Bridgetown Blues), credited as Victor and Kyla Brox
- 2009 - Frog in Mah Pocket!, credited to Victor ‘Pur & Dur’ & Kyla ‘Raving Jane’ Brox)
Solo Discography
- Kyla Brox - Window (2003). Solo debut, takes its cue from the lo-fi aesthetic of Victor's latter-day albums, gathering home recordings with a smattering of live tracks . A balance is struck between the originals - where the tone is romantic and tender - and songs in the risque blues tradition from the perspective of a much older woman. Arrangements are stripped down to Danny Blomeley's guitar, Tony Marshall's saxophone and, used sparingly, Kyla's flute.
- Kyla Brox - Beware (2003). A showcase for Kyla the soul belle. This is the Kyla who knocked them dead at Colne Blues Festival in 2002. Kyla tips her hat to Ann PeeblesAnn PeeblesAnn Peebles is an African American singer-songwriter who gained celebrity for her Memphis soul albums of the 1970s on the Hi Records label...
(Beware), Etta JamesEtta JamesEtta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
(I Just Want to Make Love to You), Betty Lavette (Damn Your Eyes), and Brox Snr (Sick and Tired).
- Kyla Brox Band - Coming Home (2004). Self-evidently the product of an active working band, this displays the collective at its height. Constant gigging had honed the tight grooves and musical interaction. Twelve out of the 14 selections are Kyla co-writes or come from immediate family members. Victor is represented by Working On Your Love. Brother Sam is producer. The raunch is concentrated on one song - Do I Move You, a smouldering Nina SimoneNina SimoneEunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
number. The other cover is Don't Change Horses, from the repertoire of seventies California funksters Tower of PowerTower of PowerTower of Power is an American R&B-based horn section and band, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing for over 43 years. They are best known for their funky soul sound highlighted by a powerful horn section...
, which mixes real emotion (a plea for a second chance) with outrageous showmanship ("Giddy up, hi ho Silver…") and remains a certified show-stopper to this day.
- Kyla Brox Band - Live at Matt and Phred's (2006). Recorded live in Manchester, UK, on 11 March 2006, this captures the Kyla Brox Band in their prime. The rough and ready sound, complete with electrical hum and audience noise (unavoidable with a weekend crowd at Matt and Phred's) actually add authenticity. The rousing spirit - the songs are lived-in and feel comfortable - makes up for any deficiency in fidelity.
- Kyla Brox - Gone (2007). First album entire of Brox/Blomeley originals, with the exception of a sole Kyla Brox credit (see below). When guitarist Marshall Gill was recruited by New Model ArmyNew Model Army (band)New Model Army are an English rock band, who were formed in Bradford, West Yorkshire in 1980. They have been variously classified by Allmusic as post-punk and alternative rock.-Overview:...
, the Kyla Brox Band ceased to be a regular working unit. This is effectively Kyla and Danny's record, with old band members guesting on assorted tracks. Although Kyla was never averse to putting her feelings on the line - the stock-in-trade of any self-respecting soul singer - the songs have become much more autobiographical. The title track is a moving testament to loss. The self-penned You Said You'd Be My Sunshine, the album’s final track, finds Kyla singing a cappellaA cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
, whipping up a maelstrom of passion about a commitment-shy lover: "five long years, no ring and no change,” she rages. It had the desired effect. Shortly after the recording, Danny proposed marriage to Kyla.
- Kyla Brox - Grey Sky Blue (2009). The acoustic backdrop - just Brox and Blomeley with guests - gives full rein to Danny’s inventive, by turns delicate and unrestrained, virtuosoVirtuosoA virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
guitar. Goose-pimples are roused on the first track, All Breaking Down, and keep on coming. Her blues fans are placated with Get Ready and Shaken & Stirred, but songs like Kasbah and Like The Sky refer directly to solo debut Window, Kyla’s first acoustic album, but with added experience and superior technical resources. And here's an answer song: "Remember when you said you'd be my sunshine / And I cried / Because I thought it would never be my time / Well I was wrong / You came through / And turned my grey sky blue." The album was recorded when Kyla was pregnant with Sadie. It feels like both a summation and a fresh start.
With Victor Brox
- Kyla Jane & Victor With The Brox Gang (1998). Kyla’s first official recordings. Sings solo on Gimme One Reason, Sick and Tired, Double Lovin’, Troubles Trouble and duets with Victor on Stop Breaking Down and Jesus On The Mainline.
- Victor Brox Blues Train - Darwin Night Train (2000). A professional recording made live at Darwin Festival by ABC Radio on the first Australian tour. Kyla’s solo features are Trouble in Mind, Big Boss Man, Double Lovin’, Girlfriend, The Painter and Don’t Fail Me Baby. She duets with Victor on Jesus On The Mainline.
- Victor and Kyla Brox - Belly Shiver (Bridgetown Blues) (2001). Kyla sings solo on Hey Bartender, Troubles Trouble, Gimme One Reason, Baby Get Lost, Steal Away, Baby I Love You, Reconsider Baby and Warning.
- Victor ‘Pur & Dur’ & Kyla ‘Raving Jane’ Brox - Frog in Mah Pocket! (2009). A ragbag of early recordings, some made when Kyla was just 13, made, without Kyla’s permission, for sale at gigs by Victor. She sings Breaking Up Somebody's Home, Backwater Blues and Steal Away.
Quotes
"Her breathing control is superb but, more than this… Kyla's vocal is natural and very clean… with a depth of feeling…" - Blues Matters"An authentic soul diva… sensitive, sexy, and with infinite reserves of sassiness" - City Life
"A classic sound pulled off with finesse… classy, impressive…" - Oldham Chronicle
"Great voice, great presence, great songs, great band…" - Leicester Mercury