| Background | group_or_band |
|---|---|
| Origin | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Genre | Jazz fusion, jazz-funk, jazz, smooth jazz |
| Years active | 1973–1981, 2012–present |
| Label | Fantasy |
| Associated acts | KOJO |
| Current members | Joe Hall Keith Killgo Orville Saunders |
| Past members | Allan Barnes Donald Byrd Barney Perry Kevin Toney Jay Jones Ray Armando Oscar Brashear Perk Jacobs David Williams Wesley Jackson Stephen Johnson Gary Hart |
The Blackbyrds are an American rhythm and blues and jazz-funk fusion group, formed in Washington, D.C., in 1973[1] and reformed in 2012 by Keith Killgo.[2]
History
The group was inspired by trumpeter Donald Byrd[3] and featured some of his Howard University students: Kevin Toney (keyboards), Keith Killgo (vocals, drums), Joe Hall (bass guitar), Allan Barnes (saxophone, clarinet), and Barney Perry (guitar).[1] Orville Saunders (guitar), and Jay Jones (flute, saxophone) joined later.[1] Merry Clayton joined them to sing on "Rock Creek Park" and "Happy Music".[4]
The band signed with Fantasy Records in 1973. Their 1975 hit "Walking in Rhythm" received a Grammy nomination and sold over one million copies by May 1975. It was later awarded a gold disc.[5] Subsequent albums City Life, Unfinished Business, and Action also reached Gold sales status.
Founding member Allan Barnes died on July 25, 2016, at the age of 66.[6] Pianist Kevin Toney died from cancer on March 18, 2024, at the age of 70.[7]
Sampling of Blackbyrds music
The Blackbyrds work has been sampled by hip-hop artists including Tupac Shakur, Gang Starr, Da Lench Mob, and Full Force.[8] Their song "Happy Music" was issued on 45 rpm 12-inch single as the first club mix release by Fantasy Records, in November 1975, to enable club deejays to drop sequences into a mix.[9] In particular, their 1975 song "Rock Creek Park" from the City Life album has been sampled by groups and artists such as MF Doom, De La Soul, Da Lench Mob, Eric B. & Rakim, Massive Attack, Heavy D, Nas, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Tone Lōc, Mac Dre, and Wiz Khalifa.[10]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Label | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [11] | US R&B [11] | US Jazz [11] | ||||
| 1974 | The Blackbyrds | 96 | 14 | 6 | Fantasy | |
| Flying Start | 30 | 5 | 2 | |||
| 1975 | Cornbread, Earl and Me (soundtrack) | 150 | 19 | 39 | ||
| City Life | 16 | 3 | 1 | US: Gold (RIAA)[12] | ||
| 1976 | Unfinished Business | 34 | 6 | 5 | US: Gold (RIAA)[12] | |
| 1977 | Action | 43 | 8 | US: Gold (RIAA)[12] | ||
| 1980 | Better Days | 133 | 40 | — | ||
| 2012 | Gotta Fly | — | — | — | K-Wes Indi Records | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||
Compilations
- 1978: Night Grooves (Fantasy)
- 1989: Greatest Hits (Fantasy)
- 2007: Happy Music: The Best of The Blackbyrds (Fantasy FCD-30194-2)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [11] | US R&B [11] | US Disco [11] | US A/C [11] | UK [13] | ||
| 1974 | "Do It, Fluid" | 69 | 23 | ― | ― | ― |
| "Gut Level" | ― | ― | 9 | ― | ― | |
| 1975 | "Walking in Rhythm" | 6 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 23 |
| "Future Children, Future Hopes" | ― | ― | 3 | ― | ― | |
| "Flyin' High" | 70 | 22 | ― | ― | ― | |
| "City Life" | ― | ― | 4 | ― | ― | |
| 1976 | "Happy Music" | 19 | 3 | 6 | ― | ― |
| "Rock Creek Park" | 93 | 37 | ― | ― | ― | |
| "Unfinished Business" | ― | ― | 14 | ― | ― | |
| "Time Is Movin'" | 95 | 15 | ― | ― | ― | |
| "Party Land" | ― | 30 | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1977 | "Soft and Easy" | ― | 20 | ― | ― | ― |
| "Supernatural Feeling" | ― | 19 | ― | ― | ― | |
| "Street Games" | ― | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1980 | "Don't Know What You Say" | ― | ― | ― | ― | ― |
| "What We Have Is Right" | ― | 38 | ― | ― | ― | |
| "Love Don't Strike Twice" | ― | 52 | ― | ― | ― | |
| "Dancin' Dancin'" | ― | ― | 59 | ― | ― | |
| 2002 | "Mysterious Vibes" (remix, originally released in 1977) | ― | — | ― | ― | 97 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||
References
- ^ Colin Larkin (ed.) (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music. First ed. Guinness Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 0-85112-733-9.
- ^ "The Blackbyrds". Discogs. Archived October 10, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
- ^ "Blackbyrds walking in rhythm song". Udiscovermusic.com. Archived February 18, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "The Blackbyrds : Rock Creek Park". Songfacts.com. Archived October 16, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs. 2nd ed. London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 354. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ Stryker, Mark (July 29, 2016). "Allan Barnes, soulful Detroit saxophonist, dies at 66". Detroit Free Press. Archived January 20, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ "Jazz and Soul great Kevin Toney dies at age 70". Soultracks.com. 21 March 2024. Archived March 21, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ "The Blackbyrds: Talking In Rhythm". Bluesandsoul.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
- ^ Niebur, Louis (2022). Menergy: San Francisco's Gay Disco Sound. Oxford University Press. p. 49. ISBN 9780197511077.
- ^ Thompson, Dave (2001). Funk. Backbeat Books. p. 81. ISBN 0-87930-629-7.
- ^ "The Blackbyrds - Awards". AllMusic. Archived October 21, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
- ^ "The Blackbyrds". RIAA. Archived December 19, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ "BLACKBYRDS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Archived February 16, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
External links
- The Blackbyrds at IMDb
- D’Angelo, Enrico (June 2, 2003). "The Blackbyrds". The Harbus. Retrieved on October 27, 2007.