The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” is a poem and song by Gil Scott-Heron. Scott-Heron first recorded it for his 1970 album Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, on which he recited the lyrics, accompanied by congas and bongo drums. A re-recorded version, with a full band, was the B-side to Scott-Heron’s first single, “Home Is Where the Hatred Is”, from his album Pieces of a Man (1971). It was also included on his compilation album, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (1974). All these releases were issued on the Flying Dutchman Productions record label.
“The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” | |
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Single by Gil Scott-Heron | |
from the album Pieces of a Man | |
A-side | “Home Is Where the Hatred Is” |
Released | 1971 |
Recorded | April 19, 1971RCA Studios, New York City |
Genre | FunkSpoken word |
Length | 3:07 |
Label | Flying Dutchman |
Songwriter(s) | Gil Scott-Heron |
Producer(s) | Bob Thiele |
…one of his best-known compositions, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised“.[10]AllMusic‘s John Bush called him “one of the most important progenitors of rap music,” stating that
“his aggressive, no-nonsense street poetry inspired a legion of intelligent rappers while his engaging songwriting skills placed him square in the R&B charts later in his career.”[6]
Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011)[7] was an American soul and jazz poet,[2][3] musician, and author, known primarily for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with 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 melismatic vocal styles by Scott-Heron. His own term for himself was “bluesologist,” [8] which he defined as “a scientist who is concerned with the origin of the blues.”[note 1][9]
Gil Scott-Heron | |
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Scott-Heron performing at WOMAD in Bristol, 1986 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Gilbert Scott-Heron |
Born | April 1, 1949 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Origin | New York City, New York, U.S. |
Died | May 27, 2011 (aged 62) New York City, New York, U.S.[1] |
Genres | Soul[2]jazz-funkjazz poetry[3]funk[4]proto-rap[5]R&B[6] |
Occupation(s) | Poetsinger-songwriterauthormusician |
Instruments | Vocals, piano, Rhodes piano, guitar |
Years active | 1969–2011 |
Labels | RCAFlying DutchmanStrata EastAristaTVTXLJAD Records |
Associated acts | Brian JacksonRon HollowayMalik & the O.G’sMusicians United for Safe EnergyArtists United Against ApartheidBlack and Blues |
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Scott-Heron
Not nearly enough Tributes to this Man have ever been done! A man who was truly in tune to the Times.
God Bless Him and His Family.