Gil Scott-Heron

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Biography

Gilbert "Gil" Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) Daoud Tyler-Ameen, NPR.org was an American soul music|soul and Jazz poetry|jazz poet , Greg Kot|Kot, Greg (May 26, 2011). . Chicago Tribune . Retrieved on June 6, 2011.Preston, Rohan B (September 20, 1994). . Chicago Tribune . Retrieved on June 6, 2011. musician, and author, known primarily for his work as a spoken word performer in the 1970s and '80s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Jackson (musician)|Brian Jackson featured a musical fusion of jazz, blues, and soul, as well as lyrical content concerning social and political issues of the time, delivered in both rapping and melisma tic vocal styles by Scott-Heron. His own term for himself was "bluesologist",Ben Sisario, The New York Times (May 28, 2011). Retrieved May 29, 2011 which he defined as "a scientist who is concerned with the origin of the blues."Onstage at the Black Wax Club in Washington, D.C. in 1982, Scott-Heron cited Harlem Renaissance writers Langston Hughes , Sterling Brown , Jean Toomer , Countee Cullen and Claude McKay as among those who had "taken the blues as a poetry form" in the 1920s and "fine-tuned it" into a "remarkable art form".Gil Scott-Heron in a live performance in 1982 with the Amnesia Express at the Black Wax Club, Washington, D.C. Black Wax (DVD) Directed by Robert Mugge. His music, most notably on Pieces of a Man and Winter in America in the early 1970s, influenced and helped engender later African-American music genres such as Hip hop music|hip hop and neo soul .

In addition to being widely considered an influence in today's music, Scott-Heron remained active until his death, and in 2010 released his first new album in 16 years, entitled '' I'm New Here . A memoir he had been working on for years up to the time of his death, "The Last Holiday", was also published, posthumously, in January, 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/books/the-last-holiday-a-memoir-by-gil-scott-heron-review.html? _r=1& pagewanted=1& partner=rss& emc=rss http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/jan/08/scott-heron-wonder-martin-luther-king

His recording work received much critical acclaim, especially one of his best-known compositions " The Revolution Will Not Be Televised ". His poetic style was influential upon every generation of hip hop since his popularity began.

Early years

Gil Scott-Heron was born in Chicago , Illinois. His mother, Bobbie Scott-Heron, was an opera singer who performed with the New York Oratorio Society. Scott-Heron's father, Gil Heron , nicknamed "The Black Arrow," was a Jamaican soccer player in the 1950s who became the first black athlete to play for the Glasgow Celtic F.C.|Celtic Football Club . Gil's parents separated in his early childhoodAlec Wilkinson, The New Yorker (August 9, 2010). Retrieved May 29, 2011 and he was sent to live with his maternal grandmother, Lillie Scott, in Jackson, Tennessee|Jackson , Tennessee.Dacks, David at Exclaim! March 2010.Harold, Claudrena , Southern Spaces 12 July 2011. When Scott-Heron was 12 years old, his grandmother died and he returned to live with his mother in the Bronx , New York City . He enrolled at DeWitt Clinton High School , but later transferred to The Fieldston School after impressing the head of the English department with one of his writings and earning a full scholarship. As one of five black students at the prestigious school, Scott-Heron was faced with alienation and a significant socioeconomic gap. During his admissions interview at Fieldston, an administrator asked him, “'How would you feel if you see one of your classmates go by in a limousine while you're walking up the hill from the subway? ' And I said, 'Same way as you. Y'all can't afford no limousine. How do you feel? '" This type of intractable boldness would become a hallmark of Scott-Heron’s later recordings.

Scott-Heron attended Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)|Lincoln University in Pennsylvania , as it was the college chosen by his biggest influence Langston Hughes . It was here that Scott-Heron met Brian Jackson (musician)|Brian Jackson with whom he formed the band Black & Blues. After about two years at Lincoln, Scott-Heron took a year off to write the novels The Vulture and The Nigger Factory . The Last Poets performed at Lincoln in 1969 and Abiodun Oyewole of that Harlem group said Scott-Heron asked him after the performance, "Listen, can I start a group like you guys? " Scott-Heron returned to New York City, settling in Chelsea, Manhattan . The Vulture was published in 1970 and well received. Although Scott-Heron never received his undergraduate degree , he received a Master's degree in Creative Writing in 1972 from Johns Hopkins University . His 1972 masters thesis was titled Circle of stone .

Recording career

filename = SmallTalkat125thandLennox.ogg

title = "Small Talk at 125th and Lenox"

description = The early live recording from Scott-Heron's debut album features spoken word vocal delivery and African-style congas.

filename2 = The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.ogg

title2 = "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"

description2 = One of his best-known compositions contains hip hop elements such as rapping, cultural and political references, heavy drumbeats, and minimalist production.

filename3 = The Bottle sample.ogg

title3 = "The Bottle"

Scott-Heron began his recording career in 1970 with the Gramophone record|LP Small Talk at 125th and Lenox . Bob Thiele of Flying Dutchman Records produced the album, and Scott-Heron was accompanied by Eddie Knowles and Charlie Saunders on conga drum|conga and David Barnes on percussion and vocals. The album's 15 tracks dealt with themes such as the superficiality of television and mass consumerism, the hypocrisy of some would-be Black revolutionaries, and white middle-class ignorance of the difficulties faced by inner-city residents. In the liner notes, Scott-Heron acknowledged as influences Richie Havens , John Coltrane , Otis Redding , Jose Feliciano , Billie Holiday , Langston Hughes , Malcolm X , Huey Newton , Nina Simone , and the pianist who would become his long-time collaborator, Brian Jackson (musician)|Brian Jackson .

Scott-Heron's 1971 album Pieces of a Man used more conventional song structures than the loose, spoken-word feel of Small Talk . He was joined by Johnny Pate (conductor), Brian Jackson (musician)|Brian Jackson on keyboards, piano, Ron Carter on Double bass|bass and bass guitar, drummer Bernard Purdie|Bernard "Pretty" Purdie , Burt Jones playing electric guitar, and Hubert Laws on flute and saxophone, with Thiele producing again. Scott-Heron's third album, Free Will , was released in 1972. Jackson, Purdie, Laws, Knowles, and Saunders all returned to play on Free Will (album)|Free Will and were joined by Jerry Jemmott playing Double bass|bass , David Spinozza on guitar, and Horace Ott (arranger and conductor). Carter later said about Scott-Heron's voice, "He wasn’t a great singer, but, with that voice, if he had whispered it would have been dynamic. It was a voice like you would have for Shakespeare.”

1974 saw another LP collaboration with Brian Jackson, the critically acclaimed opus Winter in America , with Bob Adams on drums and Danny Bowens on bass. The album contained Scott-Heron's most cohesive material and featured more of Jackson's creative input than his previous albums had. Winter in America has been regarded by many critics as the two musicians' most artistic effort. The following year, Scott-Heron and Jackson also released The First Minute of a New Day|Midnight Band: The First Minute of a New Day . A live album, '' It's Your World , followed in 1976 and a recording of spoken poetry, The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron , was released in 1979. In the July 1976 Bicentennial issue of Playboy Magazine|Playboy Scott-Heron was profiled; the accompanying artwork shows Scott-Heron singing or speaking into a microphone as it melts from the heat of his words. Another hit success followed with the hit single "Angel Dust", which he recorded as a single with producer Malcolm Cecil . "Angel Dust" peaked at No.15 on the Rhythm and blues|R& B charts in 1978.

In 1979, Scott-Heron played at the No Nukes concerts at Madison Square Garden . The concerts were organized by Musicians United for Safe Energy to protest the use of Nuclear power|nuclear energy following the Three Mile Island accident . Scott-Heron's song, "We Almost Lost Detroit" was included in the No Nukes (album)|No Nukes album of concert highlights. It alluded to a previous nuclear power plant accident and was also the title of a book by John G. Fuller . Scott-Heron was also a frequent critic of President Ronald Reagan and his conservative policies. The Scotsman (December 2, 2008). Retrieved June 2, 2011

Scott-Heron recorded and released only four albums during the 1980s: 1980 and Real Eyes (1980), Reflections (1981) and Moving Target (1982). ). In February 1982, Ron Holloway joined the ensemble to play tenor saxophone . He toured extensively with Scott-Heron and contributed to his next album, Moving Target the same year. His tenor accompaniment is a prominent feature of the songs "Fast Lane" and "Black History/The World." Holloway continued with Scott-Heron until the summer of 1989, when he left to join Dizzy Gillespie . Several years later, Scott-Heron would make cameo appearances on two of Ron Holloway's CD's; Scorcher (1996) and Groove Update (1998), both on the Fantasy/Milestone label.

Scott-Heron was dropped by Arista Records in 1985 and quit recording, though he continued to tour. The same year he helped compose and sang "Let Me See Your I.D." on the Artists United Against Apartheid album Sun City (album)|Sun City , containing the famous line, "The first time I heard there was trouble in the Middle East, I thought they were talking about Pittsburgh." The song compares racial tensions in the US with those in apartheid-era South Africa, implying that the US was not too far ahead in race relations. In 1993, he signed to TVT Records and released Spirits , an album that included the seminal track "'Message to the Messengers". The first track on the album criticized the rap artists of the day. Scott-Heron is known in many circles as "the Godfather of rapping|rap " and is widely considered to be one of the genre's founding fathers. Given the political consciousness that lies at the foundation of his work, he can also be called a founder of political rap . Message to the Messengers was a plea for the new generation of rappers to speak for change rather than perpetuate the current social situation, and to be more articulate and artistic. Regarding hip hop music in the 1990s, he said in an interview:
Gil Scott-Heron was honored posthumously as a 2012 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner by the National Academy of Recordings Arts and Sciences (see http://www.grammy.com/). Charlotte Fox, member of the Washington, DC, NARAS and president of Genesis Poets Music, nominated Scott-Heron for the award. The letter of support came from Grammy award winner and Grammy Hall of Fame inductee Bill Withers (see Press section at http://www.gilscottherononline.com/). Scott-Heron's memoir, The Last Holiday, published posthumously by Canongate in the UK and Grove Press in the US, went on sale in January 2012 (see http://www.canongate.tv/the-last-holiday.html).

Later years

In 2001, Scott-Heron was sentenced to one to three years' imprisonment in New York State for possession of cocaine . While out of jail in 2002, he appeared on the Blazing Arrow album by Blackalicious . He was released on parole in 2003. On July 5, 2006, Scott-Heron was sentenced to two to four years in a New York State prison for violating a plea deal on a drug-possession charge by leaving a Drug rehabilitation|drug rehabilitation center . Scott-Heron's sentence was to run until July 13, 2009. He was paroled on May 23, 2007.

The reason given for the violation of his plea deal was that the clinic refused to supply Scott-Heron with HIV medication. This story led to the presumption that the artist was HIV positive , subsequently confirmed in a 2008 interview.

After his release, Scott-Heron began performing live again, starting with a show at "SOB's" restaurant and nightclub in New York on September 13, 2007. On stage, he stated that he and his musicians were working on a new album and that he had resumed writing a book titled The Last Holiday , previously on long-term hiatus, about Stevie Wonder and his successful attempt to have the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. declared a federally recognized holiday in the United States.

On October 10, 2007, the day before a scheduled (but ultimately cancelled) second SOB's performance, he was arrested on felony possession of cocaine charges. He continued to make live appearances at various US venues during the course of 2008 and 2009, including further appearances at SOBs in New York. He stated in interviews that work was continuing on his new album, which would consist mainly of new versions of some of his classic songs, plus some cover versions of other artists' work. Canongate Books originally planned to publish The Last Holiday in 2003, before it was put on hold; the book was due to be previewed via a website set to be launched on April 1, 2009, but this did not appear.
Malik Al Nasir|Mark T. Watson , a student of Scott-Heron's work, dedicated a collection of poetry to Scott-Heron titled Ordinary Guy that contained a foreword by Jalal Mansur Nuriddin of The Last Poets. The book was published in the UK in 2004 by Fore-Word Press Ltd. Scott-Heron recorded one of the poems in Watson's book Black & Blue due for release in 2008 as part of the album Rhythms of the Diaspora by Malik & the OG's on the record label CPR Recordings.
In April 2009 on BBC Radio Four , poet Lemn Sissay presented a half-hour documentary on Gil Scott-Heron entitled Pieces of a Man . Having interviewed Gil Scott-Heron in New York a month earlier, Pieces of a Man was the first UK announcement from Gil of his forthcoming album and return to form. In November 2009, the BBC's Newsnight interviewed Gil Scott-Heron for a feature titled The Legendary Godfather of Rap Returns . In 2009, a new Gil Scott-Heron website, gilscottheron.net, was launched with a brand new track "Where Did The Night Go" made available as a free download from the site.

Scott-Heron released his new album '' I'm New Here on independent label XL Recordings on February 9, 2010. Produced by XL label owner Richard Russell, I'm New Here'' is Scott-Heron's first studio album in sixteen years. The pair started recording the album in 2007, with the majority of the record being recorded over the last twelve months with engineer Lawson White at Clinton Studios in New York. Some have called the record “reverent” and “intimate” due to Scott-Heron’s half-sung, half-talked delivery of his poetry. “I’m New Here” is 28 minutes long with 15 tracks. However, casual asides and observations collected during recording sessions are also included as interludes. The album attracted substantial critical acclaim with The Guardian newspaper's Jude Rogers declaring it one of the next decade's best records.

The first single from the album was "Me And The Devil", which was released on February 22, 2010. It was debuted by BBC Radio 1 's Zane Lowe as his "Hottest Record In The World", along with other specialist DJs such as Gilles Peterson and Benji B . The album's remix, '' We're New Here '', was released in 2011, featuring reworking by English music producer Jamie xx of material from the original album.Richter, Mischa (January 28, 2011). . Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on February 24, 2011. It was also very well-received by music critics.. Metacritic . Retrieved on February 24, 2011.

In 2010 he was due to play a gig in Tel Aviv , but this attracted criticism from Palestinian groups who stated "Your performance in Israel would be the equivalent to having performed in Sun City during South Africa’s apartheid era... We hope that you will not play apartheid Israel." In response, he cancelled the gig.

Death

Scott-Heron died on the afternoon of May 27, 2011, at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center|St. Luke's Hospital , New York City, after becoming ill upon returning from a European trip.
Scott-Heron had confirmed previous press speculation about his health, when he disclosed in a 2008 New York Magazine interview, that he had been HIV-positive for several years, and that he had been previously hospitalized for pneumonia .
The cause of Scott-Heron's death has yet to be announced.

He is survived by his son Rumal Rackley from his relationship with Lurma Rackley , blAck Americaweb (May 31, 2011). Retrieved June 2, 2011 daughter Gia Scott-Heron from his marriage to Brenda Sykes ; and daughters Raquiyah Kelly Heron Twitter (May 29, 2011). Retrieved June 2, 2011 and Chegianna Newton.Courtland Milloy, The Washington Post (June 1, 2011). Retrieved June 2, 2011 He is also survived by his sister, Gayle and a brother, Denis Heron, who once managed Scott-Heron;Norman Otis Richmond, BlackVoices (November 2008). Retrieved June 2, 2011 an uncle, Roy Heron;Frank Dell'Apa, Boston Globe (December 4, 2008). Retrieved June 2, 2011 and by nephew Terrance Kelly, an actor and rapper who performs as Mr. Cheeks and who was a member of the Lost Boyz .

In response, Public Enemy (group)|Public Enemy 's Chuck D stated "RIP GSH...and we do what we do and how we do because of you." on his Twitter account. His UK publisher, Jamie Byng, called him "one of the most inspiring people I've ever met". On hearing of the death, R& B singer Usher (entertainer)|Usher stated "I just learned of the loss of a very important poet...R.I.P., Gil Scott-Heron. The revolution will be live!!". Richard Russel, who produced Scott-Heron's final studio album, called him a "father figure of sorts to me". Eminem stated that "He influenced all of hip-hop". Lupe Fiasco wrote a poem about him and posted it on his website. http://www.lupefiasco.com/news/8e7295-rip-gil-scott-heron/ Scott-Heron's memorial service was held at Riverside Church in New York City on June 2, 2011, where in tribute to Scott-Heron, Kanye West performed "Lost in the World"Charley Rogulewsk, The Boombox (June 3, 2011). Retrieved June 4, 2011 and "Who Will Survive in America", Brooklyn Vegan (June 2, 2011). Retrieved June 4, 2011 songs from his last album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy . "Who Will Survive in America" was co-written by Scott-Heron.Jayson Rodriguez, MTV (November 22, 2010). Retrieved June 4, 2011

Influence

The music of Scott-Heron's work during the 1970s influenced and helped engender later African-American music genres such as Hip hop music|hip hop and neo soul . He has been described by music writers as "the godfather of rap" and "the black Bob Dylan ". Chicago Tribune writer Greg Kot comments on Scott-Heron's collaborative work with Jackson, "Together they crafted jazz-influenced soul and funk that brought new depth and political consciousness to ‘70s music alongside Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder . In classic albums such as Winter in America and From South Africa to South Carolina , Scott-Heron took the news of the day and transformed it into social commentary, wicked satire, and Proto-rap#Roots|proto-rap anthems. He updated his dispatches from the front lines of the inner city on tour, improvising lyrics with an improvisational daring that matched the jazz-soul swirl of the music". Of Scott-Heron's influence on hip hop, Kot writes that he "presag hip-hop and infus soul and jazz with poetry, humor and pointed political commentary". Ben Sisario of The New York Times writes that "He preferred to call himself a "bluesologist," drawing on the traditions of blues, jazz and Harlem renaissance poetics". Tris McCall of The Star-Ledger writes that "The arrangements on Gil Scott-Heron's early recordings were consistent with the conventions of jazz poetry – the movement that sought to bring the spontaneity of live performance to the reading of verse".McCall, Tris (May 28, 2011). . The Star-Ledger . Retrieved on June 6, 2011. On his influence, a music writer later noted that "Scott-Heron's unique proto-rap style influenced a generation of hip-hop artists".Azpiri, Jon. . Allmusic . Retrieved on July 31, 2009. The Washington Post wrote that "Scott-Heron's work presaged not only conscious rap and poetry slams, but also acid jazz, particularly during his rewarding collaboration with composer-keyboardist-flutist Brian Jackson in the mid- and late '70s."Harrington, Richard. "". The Washington Post : June 30, 1998. The Observer s Sean O'Hagan discussed the significance of Scott-Heron's music with Brian Jackson, stating:

Will Layman of PopMatters writes of the significance of Scott-Heron's early musical work, "In the early 1970s, Gil Scott-Heron popped onto the scene as a soul poet with jazz leanings; not just another Bill Withers , but a political voice with a poet’s skill. His spoken-voice work had punch and topicality. 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised' and 'Johannesburg' were calls to action: Stokely Carmichael if he’d had the groove of Ray Charles . ' The Bottle ' was a poignant story of the streets: Richard Wright (author)|Richard Wright as sung by a husky-voiced Marvin Gaye. To paraphrase Chuck D , Gil Scott-Heron’s music was a kind of CNN for black neighborhoods, prefiguring hip-hop by several years. It grew from the Last Poets , but it also had the funky swing of Horace Silver or Herbie Hancock —or Otis Redding . Pieces of a Man and Winter in America (collaborations with Brian Jackson) were classics beyond category".Layman, Will (February 11, 2010). . PopMatters . Retrieved on 2011-06-09. Scott-Heron's influence over hip hop is primarily exemplified by his definitive single "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," sentiments from which have been explored by various rappers, including Aesop Rock , Talib Kweli and Common (rapper)|Common . In addition to his vocal style, Scott-Heron's indirect contributions to rap music extend to his and co-producer Brian Jackson's compositions, which have been sampled by various hip hop artists. "We Almost Lost Detroit" has been sampled by Brand Nubian member Grand Puba ("Keep On"), Native Tongues duo Black Star (group)|Black Star ("Brown Skin Lady"), and underground notable MF DOOM ("Camphor"). Scott-Heron's 1980 song "A Legend in His Own Mind" was sampled on Mos Def 's "Mr. Nigga".. The (Rap) Sample FAQ. Retrieved on June 9, 2011. The opening lyrics from his 1978 recording "Angel Dust" were appropriated by rapper RBX on the 1996 song "Blunt Time" by Dr. Dre .Staff (June 2011). . BET . Retrieved on June 9, 2011. CeCe Peniston 's 2000 song " My Boo (CeCe Peniston song)|My Boo " samples Scott-Heron's 1974 recording " The Bottle ".. WhoSampled. Retrieved on June 9, 2011.

Among the most notable is rapper/producer Kanye West , who has sampled Scott-Heron and Jackson's "Home is Where the Hatred Is" and "We Almost Lost Detroit" for his song "My Way Home" and the single "The People," respectively, both of which are collaborative efforts between West and Common. Scott-Heron, in turn, has acknowledged West's contributions, sampling the latter's 2007 single "Flashing Lights" on his latest album, 2010's '' I'm New Here . Scott-Heron admitted ambivalence about his association with rap, remarking in 2010 in an interview for the , "I don't know if I can take the blame for it", referring to rap music. He preferred the moniker of "bluesologist". Referring to reviews of his last album and references to him as the "godfather of rap", he said, "It’s something that’s aimed at the kids." He added, "I have kids, so I listen to it. But I would not say it’s aimed at me. I listen to the jazz station.”

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album	Label
1970	Small Talk at 125th and Lenox	Flying Dutchman Records
1971	Pieces of a Man	Flying Dutchman Records
1972	Free Will	Flying Dutchman Records
1974	Winter in America	Strata-East Records
1975	The First Minute of a New Day	Arista Records
1976	From South Africa to South Carolina	Arista Records
1976	It's Your World	Arista Records
1977	Bridges	Arista Records
1978	Secrets	Arista Records
1980	1980	Arista Records
1980	Real Eyes	Arista Records
1981	Reflections	Arista Records
1982	Moving Target	Arista Records
1994	Spirits	TVT Records
2010	'' I'm New Here	XL Recordings

Live albums

Year	Album	Label
1976	It's Your World	Arista Records
1990	Tales of Gil Scott-Heron and His Amnesia Express	Castle Music UK/ Peak Top Records
1994	Minister of Information: Live	Peak Top Records
2004	The Best Of Gil Scott-Heron Live	Intersound
2004	Tour De Force	Phantom Sound & Vision
2004	Save The Children	Delta Music
2004	Winter In America, Summer In Europe	Pickwick
2005	Greatest Hits Live	Intersound
2008	Live At The Town & Country 1988	Acadia / Evangeline Records

Compilations

Year	Album	Label
1974	The Revolution Will Not Be Televised	Flying Dutchman
1979	The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron	Arista Records
1984	The Best of Gil Scott-Heron	Arista Records
1988	The Revolution Will Not Be Televised	Bluebird Records
1990	Glory: The Gil Scott-Heron Collection	Arista Records
1998	The Gil Scott-Heron Collection Sampler: 1974–1975	TVT Records
1998	Ghetto Style	Camden Records
1999	Evolution and Flashback: The Very Best of Gil Scott-Heron	RCA Records
2005	Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson – Messages (Anthology)	Soul Brother Records
2006	The Best of Gil Scott-Heron	Sony/ BMG
2010	Storm Music (The Best of Gil Scott-Heron)	Phantom Sound & Vision

Collaboration albums

Year	Album	Label
2011	'' We're New Here	XL Recordings / Young Turks

Bibliography

Year	Title	ISBN
1970	The Vulture	0862415284
1970	Small Talk at 125th and Lenox
1972	The Nigger Factory	0862415276
1990	So Far, So Good	0883781336
2001	Now and Then: The Poems of Gil Scott-Heron	086241900X
2012	The Last Holiday	0857863010

Filmography

Black Wax (1982). Directed by Robert Mugge .

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (2005). Directed by Don Letts for BBC , UK.

Word Up (2005). Directed by Malik Al Nasir for Fore-Word Press , UK.

The Paris Concert (2007).

Footnotes

Copyright Citations

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Urban/R&B Music Artists