Godspeed You! Black Emperor (formerly punctuated Godspeed You Black Emperor! and commonly abbreviated to GYBE or GY!BE) is a Canadian post-rock band which originated from Montreal, Quebec in 1994. They were the first outside act to release their recordings through Constellation, an influential independent record label also located in Montreal.
After the release of their debut album in 1997, the group toured regularly from 1998 to 2002. In 2003, the band announced an indefinite hiatus in order for band members to pursue other musical interests. In the intervening period the group was occasionally rumored to have broken up, but the band finally reconvened for a tour beginning in late 2010. In October 2012, the band announced the release of a new album, 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!
While the band has never had any charted releases or mainstream success, little advertisement, and rarely features in television or movies, the band has gained a large cult following and a devoted fan base.
Read more about Godspeed You! Black Emperor: History, Live Concerts, Music in Film and Television, Discography
Famous quotes containing the words black and/or emperor:
“... the black woman can never forget—however lukewarm the party may to-day appear—that it was a Republican president who struck the manacles from her own wrists and gave the possibilities of manhood to her helpless little ones; and to her mind the Democratic Negro is a traitor and a time-server.”
—Anna Julia Cooper (1859–1964)
“The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)