Gil Scott-Heron made a name for himself as what we would now call a spoken word soul performer in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He is best known for the critically acclaimed “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” first recorded as a spoken-word piece for his album “Small Talk at 125th and Lenox.”
He also co-wrote and produced more than a dozen albums with jazz and funk legend Brian Jackson. The fusion of jazz, blues and soul in these albums is credited with influencing hip hop and neo soul.
Known as “the godfather of rap,” Gil Scott-Heron’s music was a mix of poetry and politics. His lyrics, full of social and political themes, often is associated with black militant activism.
He performed at the No Nukes concerts, held in 1979 at Madison Square Garden. The concerts were organized by a group called Musicians United for Safe Energy and were protesting the use of nuclear energy following the meltdown at Three Mile Island. The group included singer-songwriters such as Jackson Browne, Graham Nash and Bonnie Raitt. Incredible company indeed.
Gil Scott Heron's song, “We Almost Lost Detroit,” written about a previous accident at a nuclear power plant, is sampled on rapper Kanye West’s single, “The People.”
Gil Scott-Heron’s 2010 album, I’m New Here, was his first new studio release in 16 years. The album’s remix, “We’re New Here,” featuring reworking by English music producer Jamiexx, was released earlier this year.
As a child, Gil Scott-Heron lived with his maternal grandmother (Ironically, just as I did for a little while), Lillie Scott, in Jackson, Tennessee, before moving to New York, aged 13, when she died. The first song on I'm New Here is the ironically titled, "On Coming from a Broken Home", which is an ode to Lillie, according to The Guardian.
Gil Scott-Heron battled an addiction to cocaine and other substances for most of his career and spent time in and out of jail on drug possession charges. He was HIV positive.
The cause of Gil Scott-Heron's death has not yet been reported at the time I'm writing this. “He’s one of my heroes, an incredible source of energy, power, and truth in the world,” Rapper Mos Def told New York Magazine. I couldn't have put it any better myself.
