The Blackbyrds
Encyclopedia
The Blackbyrds were an American
rhythm and blues
and jazz-funk
fusion group, formed in Washington, D.C.
in 1973.
er Donald Byrd
and featured some of his Howard University
students: Kevin Toney
(keyboard
s), Keith Killgo (vocals, drum
s), Joe Hall (bass guitar
), Allan C. Barnes (saxophone
, clarinet
), and Barney Perry (guitar
). Orville Saunders (guitar), and Jay Jones (flute
, saxophone) were later members of the group. They signed to Fantasy Records
in 1973. They are best known for their 1975 hit
"Walking in Rhythm
", which received a Grammy
nomination, sold over one million copies by May 1975, and was awarded a gold disc
.
With eight successful album
s released for Fantasy from 1974 to 1980, The Blackbyrds became an inspiration to late 1970s and early 1980s British
jazz-funk acts such as Light Of The World and Hi-Tension. While, with Gang Starr
, Da Lench Mobb and Full Force
sampling
their music, they have also more recently made a significant impact on the hip-hop generation.
In particular, their 1975 song
"Rock Creek Park" from the City Life album has been sampled numerous times by groups such as De La Soul
, Eric B. & Rakim
, Big Daddy Kane
, NWA
, Massive Attack
, Ice Cube
, Heavy D, Nas
and Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five and Wiz Khalifa
. The song has also appeared on the fictitious radio station Master Sounds 98.3 in the soundtrack
to the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
.
All singles released on the Fantasy label.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and jazz-funk
Jazz-funk
Jazz-funk is a sub-genre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat , electrified sounds, and often, the presence of the first electronic analog synthesizers...
fusion group, formed in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1973.
History
The group was inspired by trumpetTrumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
er Donald Byrd
Donald Byrd
Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II, is an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd is best known as one of the only bebop jazz musicians who successfully pioneered the funk and soul genres while simultaneously remaining a...
and featured some of his Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
students: Kevin Toney
Kevin Toney
Kevin Toney is an American pianist and composer, known as an original member of The Blackbyrds and now is a solo artist and performer.-Biography:...
(keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s), Keith Killgo (vocals, drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s), Joe Hall (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Allan C. Barnes (saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
), and Barney Perry (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
). Orville Saunders (guitar), and Jay Jones (flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, saxophone) were later members of the group. They signed to Fantasy Records
Fantasy Records
Fantasy Records is a United States-based record label that was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. They had previously operated a record-pressing plant called Circle Record Company before forming the Fantasy label...
in 1973. They are best known for their 1975 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
"Walking in Rhythm
Walking in Rhythm
"Walking in Rhythm" is a smooth rhythm and blues & jazz song by The Blackbyrds. The song tells the tale of a man who is passionately desperate to get back home to his female companion. The song charted in March 1975 and reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune was similarly well...
", which received a Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination, sold over one million copies by May 1975, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
.
With eight successful album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s released for Fantasy from 1974 to 1980, The Blackbyrds became an inspiration to late 1970s and early 1980s British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
jazz-funk acts such as Light Of The World and Hi-Tension. While, with Gang Starr
Gang Starr
Gang Starr was an influential East Coast hip hop duo that consisted of the late MC Guru and DJ/producer DJ Premier. Their style combined elements of New York jazz and hip hop.-Background:...
, Da Lench Mobb and Full Force
Full Force
Full Force is a group of R&B performers and producers from Brooklyn, New York, USA, calling itself the original hip hop vocal band.-Members:*B-Fine - drums and drum programming*Shy Shy - bass guitar...
sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
their music, they have also more recently made a significant impact on the hip-hop generation.
In particular, their 1975 song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
"Rock Creek Park" from the City Life album has been sampled numerous times by groups such as De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
, Eric B. & Rakim
Eric B. & Rakim
Eric B. & Rakim were a hip-hop duo composed of DJ Eric Barrier and MC Rakim .Hailing from Long Island, New York, the pair are generally considered by hip hop enthusiasts to be one of the most influential and innovative groups in the genre...
, Big Daddy Kane
Big Daddy Kane
Antonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop...
, NWA
NWA
-Nwa:*Nwa, Kale, a village in Burma*Nwa, Cameroon, a commune in the Nord-Ouest region of Cameroon-Groups or organizations:* Northwest Airlines, a defunct U.S...
, Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
, Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
, Heavy D, Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
and Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five and Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz , better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa , is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007...
. The song has also appeared on the fictitious radio station Master Sounds 98.3 in the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
.
Studio albums
- 1973: The BlackbyrdsThe Blackbyrds (album)The Blackbyrds is the debut album by the American rhythm and blues and jazz-funk fusion group The Blackbyrds. Produced by Larry Mizell and Donald Byrd with Production supervision by Orrin Keepnews.-Track listing:#"Do It, Fluid" 5:27...
(FantasyFantasy RecordsFantasy Records is a United States-based record label that was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. They had previously operated a record-pressing plant called Circle Record Company before forming the Fantasy label...
) - 1974: Flying StartFlying Start (album)Flying Start is the second album by the American rhythm and blues and jazz-funk fusion group The Blackbyrds.-Reception:Produced by Donald Byrd...
(Fantasy) - 1975: City LifeCity Life (album)City Life is the third studio album by the American rhythm and blues and jazz-funk fusion group The Blackbyrds.-Reception:Produced by Donald Byrd...
(Fantasy) - 1975: Cornbread, Earl and Me (Soundtrack)Cornbread, Earl and MeCornbread, Earl and Me is a 1975 American drama film that stars Tierre Turner as Earl Carter, Laurence Fishburne as Wilford Robinson and Jamaal Wilkes as Nathaniel "Cornbread" Hamilton. It was directed and produced by Joseph Manduke...
(Fantasy) - 1976: Unfinished Business (Fantasy)
- 1977: Action (Fantasy)
- 1980: Better Days (Fantasy)
Singles
- "Do It, Fluid" (1974) - R&B #23, Pop #69
- "Walking In Rhythm" (1975) - R&B #4, Pop #6, Easy Listening #5
- "Flyin' High" (1975) - R&B #22, Pop #70, Easy Listening #25
- "Happy Music" (1976) - R&B #3, Pop #19
- "Rock Creek Park" (1976) - R&B #37, Pop #93
- "Time Is Movin'" (1977) - R&B #15, Pop #95
- "Party Land" (1977) - R&B #30
- "Soft And Easy" (1977) - R&B #20
- "Supernatural Feeling" (1978) - R&B #19
- "What We Have Is Right" (1981) - R&B #38
All singles released on the Fantasy label.