Gilbert “Gil” Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011)was an American soul and jazz poet, musician, and author known primarily for his work as a spoken word performer in the 1970s and ’80s, and for his collaborative works with musician Brian Jackson. His collaborative efforts with 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 andmelismatic vocal styles by Scott-Heron. His own term for himself was “bluesologist”,which he defined as “a scientist who is concerned with the origin of the blues”. The music of his albums, most notably 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 and neo soul.
Scott-Heron’s recording work has received much critical acclaim, especially for one of his best-known compositions “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised“. His poetic style has been influential upon every generation of hip hop since his popularity began.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.
They need to study music. I played in several bands before I began my career as a poet. There’s a big difference between putting words over some music, and blending those same words into the music. There’s not a lot of humor. They use a lot of slang and colloquialisms, and you don’t really see inside the person. Instead, you just get a lot of posturing. —Gil Scott-Heron