The Blackbyrds are an American rhythm and blues and jazz-funk fusion group, formed in Washington, D.C., in 1973 and reformed in 2012 by Keith Killgo.

History

The group was inspired by trumpeter

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few hard bop m ...

and featured some of his Howard University students:

Kevin Toney Kevin Kraig Toney is an American jazz pianist and composer who was a member of The Blackbyrds. Biography A native of Detroit, he graduated from Cass Technical High School. In his teens he listened to the music of John Coltrane and Art Tatum. He at ...

(

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

s), Keith Killgo ( vocals,

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

s), Joe Hall ( bass guitar),

Allan Barnes Allan Curtis Barnes (September 27, 1949 – July 25, 2016) was an American jazz musician, based in Detroit for the majority of his career. Early life Barnes was born in Detroit, Michigan, on September 21, 1949. He received his first musica ...

( saxophone,

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

), and Barney Perry ( guitar). Orville Saunders (guitar), and Jay Jones (

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

, saxophone) joined later. On "Rock Creek Park" and "Happy Music", Merry Clayton joined them on vocals. They signed to

Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is an American independent record label company founded by brothers Max and Sol Stanley Weiss in 1949. The early years of the company were dedicated to issuing recordings by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, who was also one of its inves ...

in 1973. Their 1975 hit "

Walking in Rhythm "Walking in Rhythm" is a smooth rhythm and blues and jazz song by the Blackbyrds. It tells the tale of a man who is passionate about getting back home to his female companion. The song charted in March 1975 and reached number six on the US ''B ...

" received a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nomination and sold over one million copies by May 1975. It was later awarded a gold disc. Founding member Allan Barnes died on July 25, 2016, aged 66.

Sampling of Blackbyrds music

The Blackbyrds have influenced the hip-hop generation, with Tupac Shakur, Gang Starr, Da Lench Mob, and Full Force sampling their music. Their song "Happy Music" was issued on 45 rpm

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

as the first club mix release by

, in November 1975, to enable club deejays to drop sequences into a mix. In particular, their 1975 song "Rock Creek Park" from the ''City Life'' album has been sampled numerous times by groups and artists such as MF Doom,

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative ...

, Eric B. & Rakim,

Big Daddy Kane Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in hi ...

, N.W.A, Massive Attack,

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...

, Heavy D,

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

and Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five,

Tone Lōc Anthony Terrell Smith (born March 3, 1966), better known by his stage name Tone Lōc (), is an American rapper, actor, and producer. He is known for his raspy voice, his hit songs " Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina", for which he was nomina ...

, Mac Dre, and Wiz Khalifa.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

*1978: ''Night Grooves'' (Fantasy) *1989: ''Greatest Hits'' (Fantasy) *2007: ''Happy Music: The Best of The Blackbyrds'' (Fantasy FCD-30194-2)

Singles

References

External links

* * * D’Angelo, Enrico (June 2, 2003).
The Blackbyrds
. ''The Harbus''. Retrieved on October 27, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Blackbyrds, The Musical groups from Washington, D.C. American jazz ensembles American soul musical groups American funk musical groups Fantasy Records artists