Black Pumas Make The Perfect Pair

Black Pumas Make The Perfect Pair

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.
Grammy Award-winning musician and producer Adrian Quesada was just about to get in the car after having lunch with a producer friend in Austin when he casually tossed out the question, “Oh hey! By the way, do you know anybody who would, like, sing on these songs?” Quesada had been on the hunt for the right voice to bring the soulful sound he heard in his head to life on a new project to no avail, and asked his friend whether any names popped to mind. Quesada’s friend asked if he had heard of Austin-by-way-of-LA busker and singer-songwriter Eric Burdon? Quesada did some digging and found it was love at first listen. Together they became Black Pumas, a band that caught major buzz at SXSW in 2018, a mere month after its formation. Black Pumas have now released its self-titled full-length debut album. Hear live performances and a conversation with Quesada and Burdon about their unique, respective backgrounds, including why Quesada says musicians are the “truck drivers of the art world.“