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The Blackbyrds is a former rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues is the name given to a wide-ranging genre of popular music first created by African Americans in the late 1940s and early 1950s....
 and jazz-funk
Jazz-funk

Jazz-funk is a sub-genre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat , electrified sounds, and often, the presence of the first electronic analog synthesizers....
 fusion group, formed in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
 in 1973.

The group was led by trumpet
Trumpet

The trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest Register in the brass instrument family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC....
er Donald Byrd
Donald Byrd

Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II is an United States jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter.BiographyEarly life and education...
 and featured some of his Howard University
Howard University

Howard University is a private university, coeducational, nonsectarian, Historically black colleges and universities university located in Washington, D.C., United States....
 students: Kevin Toney
Kevin Toney

Kevin Toney is an American pianist and composer, known as an original member of The Blackbyrds and now is a renown solo artist and performer....
 (keyboard
Keyboard instrument

A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organ s as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic musical instrument....
s), Keith Killgo (vocals, drum
Drum

The drum is a member of the percussion instrument group, technically classified as a membranophone.. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound....
s), Joe Hall (bass guitar
Bass guitar

The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
), Allan Barnes (saxophone
Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-Bore transposing instrument musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a Single-reed instrument mouthpiece similar to the clarinet....
, clarinet
Clarinet

The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The name derives from adding the suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word clarino meaning a particular type of trumpet, as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet....
), and Barney Perry (guitar
Guitar

The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
). Orville Saunders (guitar), and Jay Jones (flute
Flute

The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike other woodwind instruments, a flute is a reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air against an edge....
, saxophone) were later members of the group. They signed to Fantasy Records
Fantasy Records

Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. They had previously operated a record pressing plant called Circle Record Company before forming the Fantasy label....
 in 1973. They are best known for their 1975 hit
Hit record

A Hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a Single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay , Nightclub, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings....
 "Walking in Rhythm
Walking in Rhythm

"Walking in Rhythm" is a 1975 smooth rhythm and blues song by The Blackbyrds. The song tells the tale of a man who is passionately desperate to get back home to his female companion....
", which received a Grammy
Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards ?or Grammys?are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry....
 nomination.

Their 1975 song
Song

A song is a musical musical composition which contains vocal parts that are performed, 'sung,' and feature words , commonly accompanied by musical instruments ....
 "Rock Creek Park" from the City Life album has been sampled numerous times by groups such as De La Soul
De La Soul

De La Soul is an American hip hop music group formed in 1987 in Amityville, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling and quirky, surreal lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres....
, Eric B. & Rakim
Eric B. & Rakim

Eric Barrier and Rakim were a hip hop music duo from Long Island, New York, in the borough of Queens, New York, New York City, who recorded as Eric B....
, Big Daddy Kane
Big Daddy Kane

Antonio Hardy , better known by his stage name, Big Daddy Kane, is an African-American rapper. He started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group, the Juice Crew....
, NWA
NWA

NWA may stand for:* N.W.A , a hip hop group from Compton, California.* National Weather Association, meteorological society based in Raleigh, North Carolina....
, Massive Attack
Massive Attack

Massive Attack are a United Kingdom trip hop group, founded in 1988 by Robert Del Naja, Daddy G, and Andrew Vowles in Bristol, England. The trio were together prior to the formation of this band, as part of The Wild Bunch ....
, Ice Cube
Ice Cube

O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube is an United States of America rapper, actor, screenwriter, and film producer.He began his career as a member of the rap group N.W.A along with group leader Eazy-E, and later launched a successful solo career in music and Film....
, Heavy D, Nas
Nas

Nasir Jones, , , better known by his stage name Nas, , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapping and actor. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, he was born and raised in the Queensbridge, Queens housing projects in New York City....
 and Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five.






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Encyclopedia


The Blackbyrds is a former rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues is the name given to a wide-ranging genre of popular music first created by African Americans in the late 1940s and early 1950s....
 and jazz-funk
Jazz-funk

Jazz-funk is a sub-genre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat , electrified sounds, and often, the presence of the first electronic analog synthesizers....
 fusion group, formed in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
 in 1973.

The group was led by trumpet
Trumpet

The trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest Register in the brass instrument family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC....
er Donald Byrd
Donald Byrd

Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II is an United States jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter.BiographyEarly life and education...
 and featured some of his Howard University
Howard University

Howard University is a private university, coeducational, nonsectarian, Historically black colleges and universities university located in Washington, D.C., United States....
 students: Kevin Toney
Kevin Toney

Kevin Toney is an American pianist and composer, known as an original member of The Blackbyrds and now is a renown solo artist and performer....
 (keyboard
Keyboard instrument

A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organ s as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic musical instrument....
s), Keith Killgo (vocals, drum
Drum

The drum is a member of the percussion instrument group, technically classified as a membranophone.. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound....
s), Joe Hall (bass guitar
Bass guitar

The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
), Allan Barnes (saxophone
Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-Bore transposing instrument musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a Single-reed instrument mouthpiece similar to the clarinet....
, clarinet
Clarinet

The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The name derives from adding the suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word clarino meaning a particular type of trumpet, as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet....
), and Barney Perry (guitar
Guitar

The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
). Orville Saunders (guitar), and Jay Jones (flute
Flute

The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike other woodwind instruments, a flute is a reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air against an edge....
, saxophone) were later members of the group. They signed to Fantasy Records
Fantasy Records

Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. They had previously operated a record pressing plant called Circle Record Company before forming the Fantasy label....
 in 1973. They are best known for their 1975 hit
Hit record

A Hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a Single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay , Nightclub, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings....
 "Walking in Rhythm
Walking in Rhythm

"Walking in Rhythm" is a 1975 smooth rhythm and blues song by The Blackbyrds. The song tells the tale of a man who is passionately desperate to get back home to his female companion....
", which received a Grammy
Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards ?or Grammys?are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry....
 nomination.

Their 1975 song
Song

A song is a musical musical composition which contains vocal parts that are performed, 'sung,' and feature words , commonly accompanied by musical instruments ....
 "Rock Creek Park" from the City Life album has been sampled numerous times by groups such as De La Soul
De La Soul

De La Soul is an American hip hop music group formed in 1987 in Amityville, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling and quirky, surreal lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres....
, Eric B. & Rakim
Eric B. & Rakim

Eric Barrier and Rakim were a hip hop music duo from Long Island, New York, in the borough of Queens, New York, New York City, who recorded as Eric B....
, Big Daddy Kane
Big Daddy Kane

Antonio Hardy , better known by his stage name, Big Daddy Kane, is an African-American rapper. He started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group, the Juice Crew....
, NWA
NWA

NWA may stand for:* N.W.A , a hip hop group from Compton, California.* National Weather Association, meteorological society based in Raleigh, North Carolina....
, Massive Attack
Massive Attack

Massive Attack are a United Kingdom trip hop group, founded in 1988 by Robert Del Naja, Daddy G, and Andrew Vowles in Bristol, England. The trio were together prior to the formation of this band, as part of The Wild Bunch ....
, Ice Cube
Ice Cube

O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube is an United States of America rapper, actor, screenwriter, and film producer.He began his career as a member of the rap group N.W.A along with group leader Eazy-E, and later launched a successful solo career in music and Film....
, Heavy D, Nas
Nas

Nasir Jones, , , better known by his stage name Nas, , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapping and actor. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, he was born and raised in the Queensbridge, Queens housing projects in New York City....
 and Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. The song has also appeared on the soundtrack
Soundtrack

The term soundtrack refers to three related concepts: recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; and the physical area of a film that contains the synchronized recorded so...
 to the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a Nonlinear gameplay action-adventure game computer game and video game developed by Rockstar North. It is the third 3D computer graphics game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and fifth original game overall....
.

Discography


Albums

  • The Blackbyrds (1973), Fantasy
    Fantasy Records

    Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. They had previously operated a record pressing plant called Circle Record Company before forming the Fantasy label....
  • Flying Start (1974), Fantasy
  • Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975), Fantasy - original soundtrack
    Soundtrack

    The term soundtrack refers to three related concepts: recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; and the physical area of a film that contains the synchronized recorded so...
  • City Life (1975), Fantasy
  • Unfinished Business (1976), Fantasy
  • Action (1977), Fantasy
  • Night Grooves (1978), Fantasy
  • Better Days (1980), Fantasy
  • Greatest Hits (1989), Fantasy - compilation album
    Compilation album

    A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from multiple recording artists, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, source or subject matter....


External links