Australian blues rock band, The Black Sorrows, were formed in Melbourne in 1983 by Joe Camilleri. The group initially played covers of R&B, zydeco, soul, and blues music. Their early line-up included Camilleri on vocals, saxophone, and guitar, along with various musicians from other notable bands such as Daddy Cool and Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons. The Black Sorrows released their first two albums, Sonola (1984) and Rockin' Zydeco (1985), which featured covers of classic songs by artists like Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. Their breakthrough came with the release of "Mystified" in 1986, which peaked at number 24 on the Kent Music Report. The band's fourth studio album, Dear Children (1987), reached number 22 on the Australian Kent Music Report albums chart. Their fifth album, Hold On To Me (1988), marked a significant milestone with its peak at number 7 on the ARIA Albums Chart and featured the top 40 singles "Chained to the Wheel" and "The Crack Up". The band continued their success with albums like Harley & Rose (1990) and The Chosen Ones (1993), which included notable songs such as "Never Let Me Go" and "Snake Skin Shoes". Over the years, The Black Sorrows have had a fluid line-up with over 40 musicians, including vocalists Vika and Linda Bull, releasing a steady stream of albums including One Mo' Time (2004), Crooked Little Thoughts (2012), Faithful Satellite (2016) and Saint Georges Road (2021) which featured APRA-nominated single "Livin' Like Kings" (2023). They returned in 2025 with Live from the Shangri La.
