The Blackbyrds: Do It, Fluid
It’s funky Friday! Continuing my focus on artists who died in 2024, today I present a song by The Blackbyrds. Formed in 1973 by jazz legend Donald Byrd, the group consisted of several of Byrd’s Howard University students and played a mix of jazz, funk, and soul. One of those students was keyboardist Kevin Toney, who died on March 18, 2024 and enjoyed a 40+ year career as a jazz/funk keyboard master . The group is now lesser known for their original material, such as Grammy nominated single “Walking In Rhythm,” as they are for their sampling history. They have been sampled by dozens of hip-hop artists, including Grandmaster Flash, De La Soul, Eric B & Rakim, Heavy D, Tone Loc, Tupac, Gang Starr, MF Doom, Nas, and Wiz Khalifa. Many of their songs, such as “Do It, Fluid,” are prime cuts of funk that will get you off your feet and bouncing around the house. This is solid funk!
To learn more about Kevin Toney, check out his Wikipedia page. To learn more about The Blackbyrds, check out their Wikipedia page, or check out this song by Stetsasonic that features a sample of “Do It, Fluid.”
To listen to all of the songs of the day, check out the Radio Faux Show Song of the Day playlist.
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