Daryl L. Cameron (born July 10, 1957, in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...
), better known as Captain Sky, is an American musician and singer. Captain Sky’s funk-based musical style, futuristic costumes, and psychedelic imagery are similar to those of
George Clinton,
Bootsy Collins
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American bass guitarist and singer.
Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s, and later with Parliament-Funkadelic, Collins established himself as one of the leading ...
, and other Parliament/Funkadelic projects.
His signature song 'Super Sporm' was notably referenced in the hip hop standard
Rapper's Delight
"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip-hop track by the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band's " King Tim III (Personality Jock)", "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip-hop ...
by
The Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop trio. Their 1979 hit "Rapper's Delight" was the first rap single to become a top 40 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; reaching a peak position of number 36 on January 12, 1980. This was the trio's o ...
His album ''The Adventures of Captain Sky'' was the first album on vinyl to have expanded grooves for DJ's to identify different parts of the song with, such as the percussion or bass break. The style of production on the album with gaps on the songs made it easier for hip hop artists to sample.
With a group of other Chicago-based musicians, Captain Sky began recording around 1978 and released ''The Adventures of Captain Sky'' in that year, followed quickly by ''Pop Goes The Captain'' in 1979. In the liner notes to the first Captain Sky album, Captain Sky’s origins are explained in this way: “Oh, by the way, if you’re wondering, Daryl Cameron somehow entered the phonebooth of his mind and emerged as Captain Sky. Tune in again.” Both albums were released by
AVI Records. Several singles were released from these albums, most notably “Wonder Worm” and “Super Sporm.” By 1980, Captain Sky had moved to TEC records and on that imprint released his third album ''Concerned Party #1''. After several more singles, ''The Return of Captain Sky'', his final album, was released in 1981 back on AVI records. That particular album was not authorized or endorsed by Captain Sky. Since that time, Captain Sky has released singles sporadically on various labels and older tracks have been included on various compilations.
Captain Sky also signed with Philly World Records, WMOT, and as a concept artist with Sweet Mountain/Sugar Hill Records.
Early life
Cameron grew up in the
Washington Heights neighbourhood of Chicago, with his introduction to music from his father giving him a guitar as gift for his 13th birthday. Cameron attended
Luther High School South playing in rock and funk groups there, while listening to soul music on
WVON
WVON (1690 AM "The Voice of the Nation", originally "Voice of the Negro") is a radio station serving the Chicago market, which airs an African-American-oriented talk format. WVON is owned by Midway Broadcasting Corporation, and broadcasts at 169 ...
radio.
Career
Before going solo, he was in the Bionic Band and South Side Movement. In the mid 70s he was part of a duo, Aura, with Sheryl Sawyer daughter of Chicago mayor
Eugene Sawyer.
Afterwards he joined with Curtis Mayfield's business partner Eddie Thomas who helped sign Cameron to AVI Records. During the first album's recording, Cameron's parents paid for the studio time, working at a pace that was with less pressure from the label alongside keyboardist Donald Burnside. On the 1979 sophomore release 'Pop Goes the Captain', Cameron collaborated with engineer Danny Leake. While touring at the time, his costumes were made by Dexter Griffin who also designed Bootsy Collins' outfits. Cameron brought along then teenager
Vince Lawrence
Vince Lawrence (born January 6, 1964, Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American dance music record producer, businessman and is one of the leading innovators of the genre of music called house music. Industry insiders recognize Lawrence as ...
for pyrotechnics who went to become a notable house music producer. During this time he dealt with cocaine addiction. After his third release in 1980 with 'Concerned Party #1' he moved to back Chicago in 1985.
In 2011 Cameron moved to Houston, becoming a state-certified
peer support specialist for substance abuse recovery. In 2018 he moved back to Chicago to work at a south-side hospital.
In 2020, he released his first album in 40 years, ''The Whole 9''.
Sampled by other artists
Captain Sky’s single “Super Sporm” has been sampled by many artists including:
Discography
Albums
Singles
[ Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles">Captain Sky > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles allmusic. Retrieved on 2008-08-07.][Featured Album: The Adventures of Captain Sky]
Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-07.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Captain Sky
1957 births
Living people
American funk bass guitarists
American male bass guitarists
American funk singers
American male singers
Singers from Chicago
Guitarists from Chicago
20th-century American bass guitarists
20th-century American male musicians