Black Death

Established in 1977 under the leadership of vocalist and lead guitarist Siki Spacek, whose name remains unusually striking, Ohio’s Black Death are widely regarded as the earliest all-African-American heavy metal band on record. Progress toward a steady audience proved gradual, yet persistent instability in personnel delayed any recording until the band’s sole release—likewise titled Black Death and completed with second guitarist Greg Hicks, bassist Darrell Harris, and drummer Phil Bullard—finally appeared in 1984. Within a few years the group had withdrawn entirely from public view and has remained silent ever since.