The Blackbyrds
The Blackbyrds were a jazz-funk group with thick R&B streaks running down their backs. Assembled by Donald Byrd in 1974, the group's original members -- percussionist Pericles "Perk" Jacobs, Jr., drummer Keith Killgo, keyboardist Kevin Toney, reeds player Allan Barnes, bassist Joe Hall, guitarist Barney Perry -- were mined from Howard University's music department, where the doctor and jazz legend was an instructor. (Other key players included guitarist Orville Saunders and saxophonist/flautist Steve Johnson.) During the Blackbyrds' nearly decade-long existence, the group cut a handful of LPs (1973's The Blackbyrds, 1974's Flying Start, 1975's City Life, 1976's Unfinished Business, 1977's Action, 1980's Better Days); scored films (1975's Cornbread, Earl and Me); and supported artists like B.B. King, Mandrill, and Roberta Flack. "Walking in Rhythm," "Rock Creek Park," and "Happy Music" are their three best-known cuts; they have remained underground club classics, and they have been kept alive, in part, through sampling. The group's catalog has been overhauled and reissued a number of times; multiple best-ofs have been released (Fantasy's Greatest Hits is the strongest and most thorough), and most of the group's full-length output has been put out on CD through two-fers. As far as outside activities were considered, Barney Perry released a solo album under the name Blair in 1978 (through his own Solar Sound imprint). The remaining members' involvements are far too extensive to list. Keyboard player Kevin Toney died on March 18, 2024, at the age of 70.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
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Discography
11 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Lovebyrds - Soft And Easy
R&B - Released by Fantasy Records on 1 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
City Life/Unfinished Business
R&B - Released by Fantasy Records on 26 Sep 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Happy Music: The Best Of The Blackbyrds
R&B - Released by Fantasy Records on 1 Jan 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Blackbyrds (Hi Res [96/24])
R&B - Released by Craft Recordings on 1 Jan 1974
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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In The End (Album Version)
Pop - Released by Sony Music - piraterecords on 16 Sep 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -