DeWayne Stephen "Blackbyrd" McKnight (born April 17, 1954) is an American

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

. He was a member of

The Headhunters The Headhunters are an American jazz fusion band formed by Herbie Hancock in 1973. The group fused jazz, funk, and rock music. History (and name) Hancock had grown dissatisfied with his prior band, Mwandishi, and wanted to make a band with a st ...

, a

jazz-funk Jazz-funk is a subgenre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat (groove), electrified sounds, and an early prevalence of analog synthesizers. The integration of funk, soul, and R&B music and styles into jazz resulted in the creatio ...

fusion Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole. Fusion may also refer to: Science and technology Physics *Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran *Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

from 1975 through 1978 and

Parliament-Funkadelic Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. Their distinctive fu ...

from 1978 through 2008. He served briefly as guitarist for the

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...

after the death of

Hillel Slovak Hillel Slovak ( he, הלל סלובק; April 13, 1962 – June 25, 1988) was an Israeli-American musician best known as the founding guitarist of the Los Angeles rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he recorded two albums. His guitar wor ...

in 1988 before being replaced by

John Frusciante John Anthony Frusciante (; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers across three stints since 1988. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to e ...

. He also played briefly with

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

in 1986.

Selected discography

*1973 Charles Lloyd – '' Geeta'' *1975

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

– ''

Flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

'' *1975

– ''Survival of the Fittest'' *1977 The Headhunters – ''Straight from the Gate'' *1979

Funkadelic Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, pioneered the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, Bush. Funkadeli ...

– ''

Uncle Jam Wants You ''Uncle Jam Wants You'' is the eleventh studio album by American funk rock band Funkadelic. It was originally released by Warner Bros. Records on September 21, 1979, and was later reissued on CD by Charly Groove Records and Priority Records. It ...

'' *1979

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

– ''

Gloryhallastoopid ''Gloryhallastoopid (Or Pin the Tale on the Funky)'' is the eighth album by the funk ensemble Parliament. It was their penultimate album on the Casablanca Records label, and is another concept album which tries to explain that Funk was responsibl ...

'' *1979

The Brides of Funkenstein The Brides of Funkenstein were an American Soul and Funk girl band, originally composed of singers Dawn Silva and Lynn Mabry. History Previously background singers for Sly Stone, singer of Sly and the Family Stone, Lynn Mabry and Dawn Silva jo ...

– ''

Never Buy Texas from a Cowboy ''Never Buy Texas from a Cowboy'', released on Atlantic Records in November 1979, was the second album from the American female funk band, The Brides of Funkenstein. Morphing into a trio on the second album release, the vocalists consisted of Da ...

'' *1981

– ''

The Electric Spanking of War Babies ''The Electric Spanking of War Babies'' is the twelfth studio album by the American funk rock band Funkadelic, released in April 1981 on Warner Bros. Records. The title is an allusion to the Vietnam War and baby boomers. Sly Stone contributed to ...

'' *1983 George Clinton – '' You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish'' *1983

P-Funk All-Stars Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. Their distinctive fu ...

– ''

Urban Dancefloor Guerillas ''Urban Dancefloor Guerillas'' is the debut album of funk band the P-Funk All-Stars, released in 1983 on Uncle Jam Records. The album features an amalgamation of various alumni from the bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both of which were disbande ...

'' *1985 George Clinton – ''

Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends ''Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends'' is the third studio album by George Clinton. It was released in 1985 by Capitol Records. Though it wasn't as successful as ''Computer Games'', Clinton's first solo album, ''Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends' ...

'' *1985 Jimmy G and the Tackheads – '' Federation of Tackheads'' *1986 George Clinton – ''

R&B Skeletons in the Closet ''R&B Skeletons in the Closet'' is the fourth solo album by Parliament-Funkadelic leader George Clinton. It was released in April 1986 by Capitol Records and was the last album that Clinton would record for the label. Recording sessions for the ...

'' *1988 INCorporated Thang Band – ''

Lifestyles of the Roach and Famous ''Lifestyles of the Roach and Famous'' is an album by the P-Funk spin off act, INCorporated Thang Band. The album was released in 1988 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by George Clinton (funk musician), George Clinton and Bootsy C ...

'' *1989 George Clinton – ''

The Cinderella Theory ''The Cinderella Theory'' is the fifth studio album by American funk musician George Clinton, released August 2, 1989, on Paisley Park Records. It was released three years after his previous studio effort, ''R&B Skeletons in the Closet'', which w ...

'' *1990 Mr. Fiddler – ''With Respect'' *1990 P-Funk All-Stars – ''

Live at the Beverly Theater ''Live at the Beverly Theater'' is a live album by the P-Funk All-Stars. It was recorded at the Beverly Theatre in California on April 23 and 24 of 1983 and was originally broadcast by the Westwood One radio network. Prince claimed that he att ...

'' *1992 Foley – ''7 Years Ago...Directions in Smart-Alec Music'' *1993 George Clinton – ''

Hey Man, Smell My Finger ''Hey, Man, Smell My Finger'' is the sixth studio album by American funk musician George Clinton, released October 12, 1993, on Paisley Park Records. It is Clinton's second and last release for the Paisley Park label, owned by Prince. The album ...

'' *1993 Parliament-Funkadelic/P-Funk All-Stars – ''Dope Dogs'' *1993 George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars- '' Go Fer Yer Funk'' *1994

- ''

Out in L.A. ''Out in L.A.'' is a compilation of rare tracks by the Red Hot Chili Peppers released November 1, 1994 on EMI. Background The tracks contained are varied with the inclusion of four remixes, live cover songs of Jimi Hendrix and Thelonious Monk ("F ...

'' appears on the song "Blues for Meister" *1994 P-Funk Guitar Army – ''Tributes to Jimi Hendrix'' *1995 Parliament-Funkadelic/P-Funk All-Stars – '' Police Doggy'' *1995 Axiom Funk – ''Funkcronomicon'' *1996 George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars – ''

T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. ''T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M.'' is a 1996 album by funk musician George Clinton. The title, which is an abbreviation for ''The Awesome Power of a Fully Operational Mothership'', refers to the P-Funk Mothership that was first introduced in 1975 on Parliament ...

'' *2005 George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars – ''

How Late Do U Have 2BB4UR Absent? ''How Late Do U Have 2BB4UR Absent?'' (How Late Do You Have To Be Before You Are Absent?) is a double album by George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars, released September 6, 2005 on Clinton's label The C Kunspyruhzy. The album also featured re ...

'' *2007 Funkadelic – '' By Way of the Drum'' *2008 Fred Hamm – "Free Music Reunion" appears on the song "Wanna" *2009 'Bout Funkin' Time—Solo Album *2014 Funkadelic – "

First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate ''First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate'' is the fourteenth studio album by American funk rock band Funkadelic. The album was released by The C Kunspyruhzy in 2014 and consists of newly recorded material. The album consists of 3 discs comprising 33 tra ...

" *2018 Parliament – "

Medicaid Fraud Dogg ''Medicaid Fraud Dogg'' is the tenth and final studio album by American band Parliament, led by George Clinton. It was released on May 22, 2018, under the record label Clinton founded in 2003, C Kunspyruhzy Records. Guest musicians on the album in ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKnight, Dewayne 1954 births Living people American funk guitarists American male guitarists P-Funk members Red Hot Chili Peppers members African-American rock musicians Guitarists from Los Angeles 20th-century American guitarists The Headhunters members African-American guitarists