WHERE ARE THEY NOW? China Black

The only searching you needed to do in 1994 was for China Black. So where have they gone now?

China Black – formed of Anglo-Chinese songwriter Simon Fung and black British singer and songwriter Errol Reid, formed in London in 1992 and they quickly released their debut single, “Searching”, that same year. The song topped the reggae chart but sadly due to their record label going bankrupt, the song was not released commercially. Help came to hand when Polydor Records picked them up and in the Summer of 1994, finally saw CD and cassette pressings and it wasn’t long before it reached No.4 on the singles chart, becoming one of the forty best sellers of the year.

The duo’s second single, “Stars”, came out at the end of 1994 and reached No.19. Their first and as it would turn out, their only album, “Born”, was issued in early 1995 and would peak at No.27 in the UK. The album spawned one further top 40 single with “Almost See You (Somewhere)”, while 1995 would bring a collaboration with South African band, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, with a new version of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”, recorded as the official theme for the England Rugby world cup team. The song reached No.15. Sadly, owing to a legal despite with their American record company, Simon and Errol disappeared soon after and would not materialise for another two years.

Their comeback song, “Emotions”, arrived in 1997, but lack of interest in that style of music, saw the single stall at No.79 and plans for a second album were shelved. Simon continued to work as a songwriter and went on to write hits for boy band Blue, girl group Atomic Kitten and younger sister of Daniel, Natasha Bedingfield. Errol continues to perform as a singer within the soul and dance genres. He has also toured with Sir Tom Jones and with Bee Gee, Robin Gibb, before his untimely death in 2012. Errol also writes and produces and is developing a new girl group called Cinderella Theory.

In 2005, Simon and Errol reformed China Black for the TV series, Hit Me, Baby, One More Time, when they were matched with Hazel O’Connor (“Will You”), Sinitta, The Real Thing (“You To Me Are Everything“) and the Kane brothers, Hue and Cry, who won the round that week. As of 2021, there have been no further rumblings from either side to perform together again, so we will have to carry on searching until such time as…