If You Weren’t Already a Fan of Black Pumas, Their Performance on ‘Celebrating America’ Should Do the Trick

Millions of viewers tuned in to Celebrating America, the primetime special that aired on multiple networks and platforms Wednesday night as part of the Inauguration Day festivities, hours after President Biden and Vice President Harris were sworn into office. The special, hosted by Tom Hanks, featured a variety of musical performances including Bruce Springsteen, the Foo Fighters, Katy Perry, Jon Bon Jovi and more. It also included a performance from Austin-based blues/rock band Black Pumas, and their appearance undoubtedly won over a swath of new fans.

We are so grateful to have been included in the Biden-Harris Inauguration event tonight. Head here to watch the full performance of “Colors” from the @acltv stage in Austin, TX: https://t.co/F1DGv0npUc pic.twitter.com/GvTyqwl2gF

— Black Pumas (@BlackPumasMusic) January 21, 2021

Here’s their performance of “Colors,” the breakthrough single that introduced Black Pumas to listeners in 2019:

If you happened to watch the show and were blown away by the band, here’s a bit of a primer.

Black Pumas is based in Austin, Texas, and is primarily the project of singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada. The band’s self-titled debut album was released in 2019 via ATO Records, and it was so well received it’s among the nominees for Album of the Year at the 2021 GRAMMY Awards:

Congratulations 63rd #GRAMMYs Album Of The Year nominees: @JheneAiko, @BlackPumasMusic, @coldplay, @jacobcollier, @HAIMtheband, @DUALIPA, @PostMalone, and @taylorswift13: https://t.co/teAbOeBzZ9 pic.twitter.com/6QSaEq78wM

— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) November 24, 2020

“Colors,” the song Black Pumas performed on Celebrating America, meanwhile, earned the band two more GRAMMY Nominations: Best American Roots Performance and Record of the Year.

They’ve been enjoying significant buzz in recent months, and their performance on Celebrating America pushed “Colors” up on the iTunes charts:

🙌🙌🙌 https://t.co/APKke5hE9A

— Black Pumas (@BlackPumasMusic) January 21, 2021

Capitalizing on all this well deserved newfound attention, Black Pumas (whom Rock Cellar pegged as a can’t-miss band at the 2020 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival prior to its cancellation) released a Deluxe Edition of its album in October. This edition is is the one nominated for the Album of the Year GRAMMY:

Black Pumas Deluxe Edition is out now on all physical and digital formats wherever you consume music! Listen to the Deluxe Edition and pick up a copy from the @ATORecords store: https://t.co/DsyGhFXhT8 pic.twitter.com/yaYuLx6k6U

— Black Pumas (@BlackPumasMusic) October 9, 2020

Click here to shop Black Pumas in our Rock Cellar Store. 

If the Black Pumas’ Celebrating America performance was your introduction to the band, well, it was a fine welcome indeed. Listen to the Deluxe Edition of their album below, via Spotify: