Edwin Birdsong
Encyclopedia
Edwin Birdsong is a keyboard/organ player who was known in the 70's and 80's for his experimental funk
/disco
music. He never achieved chart success, but developed a strong fan base, and has also been sampled
by other artists many times, most famously by Daft Punk
who sampled "Cola Bottle Baby" in "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
", and Gang Starr
who sampled his single "Rapper Dapper Snapper" for their song "Skillz".
. He then went on to play in clubs in Germany
, and then moved to New York
to pursue his music career. There he headed a Jazz
and Blues
trio but with little success. While he was in New York he also attended the Manhattan School of Music
and Juilliard
as a composition major.
In 1971 he signed a record deal with Polydor. Under Polydor, he issued his first 2 full length albums, What It Is and Supernatural. Birdsong then issued one album for Bamboo, Dance of Survival, in 1975, then recorded Edwin Birdsong for Philadelphia International in 1979, which included the single "Phiss-Phizz." Edwin had also worked extensively with Roy Ayers
; he co-produced 3 of his albums and wrote "Running Away" and "Freaky Deaky" with him.
Birdsong slowly stopped making his own music, but carried on playing session work for many well known artists, including Stevie Wonder
.
Served as a mentor early in the career of Hip-Hop Artist/Producer Funkghost
.
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
/disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
music. He never achieved chart success, but developed a strong fan base, and has also been sampled
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...
by other artists many times, most famously by Daft Punk
Daft Punk
Daft Punk are an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop...
who sampled "Cola Bottle Baby" in "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is a song by French duo Daft Punk. The single was first released on 13 October 2001. A live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was released as a single from the album Alive 2007 on 15 October 2007. This version won a Grammy Award for Best Dance...
", and 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:...
who sampled his single "Rapper Dapper Snapper" for their song "Skillz".
Biography
Birdsong was the son of a minister and grew up in a strict fundamentalist environment. http://www.answers.com/topic/edwin-birdsong He joined the Los Angeles Community Choir for a period before serving in the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. He then went on to play in clubs in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and then moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to pursue his music career. There he headed a Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and Blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
trio but with little success. While he was in New York he also attended the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
and Juilliard
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
as a composition major.
In 1971 he signed a record deal with Polydor. Under Polydor, he issued his first 2 full length albums, What It Is and Supernatural. Birdsong then issued one album for Bamboo, Dance of Survival, in 1975, then recorded Edwin Birdsong for Philadelphia International in 1979, which included the single "Phiss-Phizz." Edwin had also worked extensively with Roy Ayers
Roy Ayers
Roy Ayers is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer and vibraphone player. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped pioneer jazz-funk .- Biography :Ayers...
; he co-produced 3 of his albums and wrote "Running Away" and "Freaky Deaky" with him.
Birdsong slowly stopped making his own music, but carried on playing session work for many well known artists, including Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
.
Served as a mentor early in the career of Hip-Hop Artist/Producer Funkghost
Funkghost
Funkghost June 26, 1972 is an American hip-hop artist/producer from Tampa, Florida.-Biography:Funkghost was born in Newport News, Virginia June 26, 1972. In 1986 his family relocated to Tampa Florida...
.
Discography
- What It Is (1972, Polydor)
- Supernatural (1973, Polydor)
- Dance of Survival (1975, Bamboo)
- Edwin Birdsong (1979, Philadelphia International)
- Funtaztik (1981, Uni RecordsUni RecordsUni Records was a record label owned by MCA Inc. The brand, which long featured a distinct UNi logo, was established in 1966 by MCA executive Ned Tanen and developed by music industry veteran Russ Regan...
, Salsoul)