Biography
Vocalist Gwyneth Herbert, born in Farnham, Surrey, England, crossed paths with guitarist Will Rutter, born in England, while both studied music at Durham University in northern England. Their mutual enthusiasm for jazz and blues soon led them to perform locally and later form the duo Black Coffee. Herbert’s musical curiosity had taken root through her mother’s record collection, which included Aretha Franklin, Carol King and Bob Marley; she wrote her first song at age five and, during her early teens, made a demo of original material that drew an offer of a recording contract she ultimately declined. Rutter’s upbringing around his father’s folk group Arran Pilot gave way to a stronger pull toward jazz via Charlie Parker and Stan Getz, while Metallica inspired him to pick up the guitar and later fandom for Oasis, Nirvana and Radiohead followed. Performing as Black Coffee, the pair appeared regularly at venues across the north east of England during their university years and also played dates in Amsterdam and Paris; after graduation they relocated to London, gigging in pubs and selling a self-produced CD at those shows. One copy reached Peter Wallis of the Pizza Express jazz club, who arranged an introduction to Dean Street Records and secured a five-track EP produced by Ian Shaw. Sustained radio exposure quickly positioned them as an emerging act within the UK jazz circuit.