Gil Scott-Heron | |
|---|---|
 Scott-Heron performing at the Göta Källare nightclub inStockholm, Sweden, in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Gilbert Scott-Heron (1949-04-01)April 1, 1949 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | May 27, 2011(2011-05-27) (aged 62) New York City, New York, U.S.[1] |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1969–2011 |
| Labels | |
| Parent(s) | Bobbie Scott andGil Heron |
Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011)[8] was an Americanjazz poet, singer,[3] musician and author, known for his work as aspoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musicianBrian Jackson fusedjazz,blues andsoul with lyrics relative to social and political issues of the time, delivered in bothrapping andmelismatic vocal styles. He referred to himself as a "bluesologist",[9] his own term for "a scientist who is concerned with the origin of the blues".[note 1][10] His poem "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", delivered over ajazz-soul beat, is considered a major influence onhip hop music.[11]
Scott-Heron's music, particularly on the albumsPieces of a Man andWinter in America during the early 1970s, influenced and foreshadowed laterAfrican-American music genres, includinghip hop andneo soul. His recording work received much critical acclaim, especially for "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised".[12]AllMusic's John Bush called him "one of the most important progenitors ofrap 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]
Scott-Heron remained active until his death and in 2010 released his first new album in 16 years, titledI'm New Here. A memoir he had been working on for years up to the time of his death,The Last Holiday, was published posthumously in January 2012.[13][14] Scott-Heron received a posthumousGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. He also is included in the exhibits at theNational Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) that officially opened on September 24, 2016, on theNational Mall and in an NMAAHC publication,Dream a World Anew.[15] In 2021, Scott-Heron was posthumously inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a recipient of the Early Influence Award.[16]
Gil Scott-Heron was born in Chicago.[9] His mother, Bobbie Scott, born in Mississippi,[17] was an opera singer who performed with theOratorio Society of New York. His father,Gil Heron, nicknamed "The Black Arrow", was a Jamaicanfootballer who in the 1950s became the first black man to play forCeltic F.C. in Glasgow, Scotland.[18] Gil's parents separated in his early childhood[19] and he was sent to live with his maternal grandmother, Lillie Scott, inJackson, Tennessee.[20][21] When Scott-Heron was 12 years old, his grandmother died and he returned to live with his mother inThe Bronx in New York City. He enrolled atDeWitt Clinton High School[19] but later transferred toThe Fieldston School,[9] after impressing the head of the English department with some of his writings and earning a full scholarship.[19] As one of five Black students at the prestigious school, Scott-Heron was faced with alienation and a significant socioeconomic gap. During his admissions interview at Fieldston, an administrator asked him:"'How would you feel if you see one of your classmates go by in a limousine while you're walking up the hill from the subway?' And [he] said, 'Same way as you. Y'all can't afford no limousine. How do you feel?'"[22] This type of intractable boldness would become a hallmark of Scott-Heron's later recordings.
After completing his secondary education, Scott-Heron decided to attendLincoln University inOxford, Pennsylvania becauseLangston Hughes (his most important literary influence) was an alumnus. It was here that Scott-Heron metBrian Jackson, with whom he formed the band Black & Blues. After about two years at Lincoln, Scott-Heron took a year off to write the novelsThe Vulture andThe Nigger Factory.[23] Scott-Heron was very heavily influenced by theBlack Arts Movement (BAM).The Last Poets, a group associated with the Black Arts Movement, performed at Lincoln in 1969 andAbiodun Oyewole of that Harlem group said Scott-Heron asked him after the performance, "Listen, can I start a group like you guys?"[19] Scott-Heron returned to New York City, settling inChelsea, Manhattan.The Vulture was published by theWorld Publishing Company in 1970 to positive reviews.
Although Scott-Heron never completed his undergraduate degree, he was admitted to theWriting Seminars atJohns Hopkins University, where he received anM.A. in creative writing in 1972. His master's thesis was titledCircle of Stone.[24] Beginning in 1972, Scott-Heron taught literature and creative writing for several years as a full-time lecturer atUniversity of the District of Columbia (then known as Federal City College) in Washington, D.C., while maintaining his music career.[25]
Scott-Heron began his recording career with theLPSmall Talk at 125th and Lenox in 1970.Bob Thiele ofFlying Dutchman Records produced the album, and Scott-Heron was accompanied byEddie Knowles andCharlie Saunders onconga and David Barnes on percussion and vocals.[26] The album's 14 tracks dealt with themes such as the superficiality of television and mass consumerism, the hypocrisy of some would-be black revolutionaries, and white middle-class ignorance of the difficulties faced by inner-city residents. The album also included the spoken-word poem "Whitey on the Moon". In the liner notes, Scott-Heron acknowledged as influencesRichie Havens,John Coltrane,Otis Redding,Jose Feliciano,Billie Holiday,Langston Hughes,Malcolm X,Huey Newton,Nina Simone, and long-time collaboratorBrian Jackson.
Scott-Heron's 1971 albumPieces of a Man used more conventional song structures than the loose,spoken-word feel ofSmall Talk. He was joined by Jackson, Johnny Pate as conductor,Ron Carter on bass and bass guitar, drummerBernard "Pretty" Purdie, Burt Jones playing electric guitar, andHubert Laws on flute and saxophone, with Thiele producing again. Scott-Heron's third album,Free Will, was released in 1972. Jackson, Purdie, Laws, Knowles, and Saunders all returned to play onFree Will and were joined byJerry Jemmott playing bass,David Spinozza on guitar, andHorace Ott (arranger and conductor). Carter later said about Scott-Heron's voice: "He wasn't a great singer, but, with that voice, if he had whispered it would have been dynamic. It was a voice like you would have forShakespeare."[19]
In 1974, he recorded another collaboration with Brian Jackson,Winter in America, with Bob Adams on drums and Danny Bowens on bass.Winter in America has been regarded by many critics as the two musicians' most artistic effort.[27][28] The following year, Scott-Heron and Jackson releasedMidnight Band: The First Minute of a New Day. In 1975, he released the single "Johannesburg", a rallying cry for the end ofapartheid in South Africa. The song would be re-issued, in 12"-single form, together with "Waiting for the Axe to Fall" and "B-movie" in 1983.
A live album,It's Your World, followed in 1976 and a recording of spoken poetry,The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron, was released in 1978.[29] Another success followed with the hit single "Angel Dust", which he recorded as a single with producerMalcolm Cecil. "Angel Dust" peaked at No. 15 on the R&B charts in 1978.
In 1979, Scott-Heron played at the No Nukes concerts atMadison Square Garden. The concerts were organized byMusicians United for Safe Energy to protest the use ofnuclear energy following theThree Mile Island accident. Scott-Heron's song "We Almost Lost Detroit" was included in theNo Nukes album of concert highlights. It alluded to a previous nuclear power plant accident and was also the title of a book byJohn G. Fuller. Scott-Heron was a frequent critic of PresidentRonald Reagan and his conservative policies.[30]
Scott-Heron recorded and released four albums during the 1980s:1980 andReal Eyes (1980),Reflections (1981) andMoving Target (1982). In February 1982,Ron Holloway joined the ensemble to playtenor saxophone. He toured extensively with Scott-Heron and contributed to his next album,Moving Target the same year. His tenor accompaniment is a prominent feature of the songs "Fast Lane" and "Black History/The World". Holloway continued with Scott-Heron until the summer of 1989, when he left to joinDizzy Gillespie. Several years later, Scott-Heron would make cameo appearances on two of Ron Holloway's CDs:Scorcher (1996) andGroove Update (1998), both on the Fantasy/Milestone label.[31]
Scott-Heron was dropped byArista Records in 1985 and quit recording, though he continued to tour. The same year, he helped compose and sang "Let Me See Your I.D." on theArtists United Against Apartheid albumSun City, containing the famous line: "The first time I heard there was trouble in the Middle East, I thought they were talking about Pittsburgh." The song compares racial tensions in the U.S. with those in apartheid-era South Africa, implying that the U.S. was not too far ahead in race relations.
In 1991, Scott-Heron provided the voiceover forTango's controversialOrange Man advert; he was the first person to view the finished advertisement, with the campaign's creatorTrevor Robinson admitting to "shaking with fear" in advance of Scott-Heron's reaction, although the poet reportedly "loved it".[32][33] In 1993, he signed toTVT Records and releasedSpirits, an album that included the seminal track "'Message to the Messengers". The first track on the album criticized the rap artists of the day. Scott-Heron is known in many circles as "the Godfather ofrap"[34][35] and is widely considered to be one of the genre's founding fathers. Given the political consciousness that lies at the foundation of his work, he can also be called a founder ofpolitical rap. "Message to the Messengers" was a plea for the new generation of rappers to speak for change rather than perpetuate the current social situation, and to be more articulate and artistic. Regarding hip hop music in the 1990s, he said in an interview:
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 andcolloquialisms, and you don't really see inside the person. Instead, you just get a lot of posturing.[36]
— Gil Scott-Heron
In 2001, Scott-Heron was sentenced to one to three years imprisonment in aNew York State prison for possession of cocaine.[37] While out of jail in 2002, he appeared on theBlazing Arrow album byBlackalicious.[38] He was released on parole in 2003, the yearBBC TV broadcast the documentaryGil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Scott-Heron was arrested for possession of a crack pipe during the editing of the film in October 2003 and received a six-month prison sentence.[39]
On July 5, 2006, Scott-Heron was sentenced to two to four years in a New York State prison for violating a plea deal on a drug-possession charge by leaving adrug rehabilitation center. He claimed that he left because the clinic refused to supply him with HIV medication. This story led to the presumption that the artist wasHIV positive, subsequently confirmed in a 2008 interview.[40][41][42] Originally sentenced to serve until July 13, 2009, he was paroled on May 23, 2007.[43]
After his release, Scott-Heron began performing live again, starting with a show atSOB's restaurant and nightclub in New York on September 13, 2007. On stage, he stated that he and his musicians were working on a new album and that he had resumed writingThe Last Holiday, previously on long-term hiatus, aboutStevie Wonder and his successful attempt to have the birthday ofMartin Luther King Jr. declared a federally recognized holiday in the United States.[44]
Malik Al Nasir dedicated a collection of poetry to Scott-Heron titledOrdinary Guy that contained a foreword byJalal Mansur Nuriddin ofThe Last Poets. Scott-Heron recorded one of the poems in Nasir's book entitledBlack & Blue in 2006.
In April 2009, onBBC Radio 4, poetLemn Sissay presented a half-hour documentary on Gil Scott-Heron entitledPieces of a Man,[45] having interviewed Gil Scott-Heron in New York a month earlier.Pieces of a Man was the first UK announcement from Scott-Heron of his forthcoming album and return to form. In November 2009, the BBC'sNewsnight interviewed Scott-Heron for a feature titledThe Legendary Godfather of Rap Returns.[46] In 2009, a new Gil Scott-Heron website, gilscottheron.net, was launched with a new track "Where Did the Night Go" made available as a free download from the site.
In 2010, Scott-Heron was booked to perform inTel Aviv, Israel, but this attracted criticism from pro-Palestinian activists, who stated: "Your performance in Israel would be the equivalent to having performed inSun City during South Africa's apartheid era... We hope that you will not play apartheid Israel". Scott-Heron responded by canceling the performance.[47]
Scott-Heron released his albumI'm New Here on independent labelXL Recordings on February 9, 2010. Produced by XL label ownerRichard Russell,I'm New Here was Scott-Heron's first studio album in 16 years. The pair began recording in 2007, but the majority of the album was recorded over the 12 months leading up to the release date, with engineerLawson White at Clinton Studios in New York.I'm New Here is 28 minutes long with 15 tracks; however, casual asides and observations collected during recording sessions are included as interludes.[19]
The album attracted critical acclaim, withThe Guardian'sJude Rogers declaring it one of the "best of the next decade",[48] while some have called the record "reverent" and "intimate", due to Scott-Heron's half-sung, half-spoken delivery of his poetry. In a music review for public radio networkNPR, Will Hermes stated: "Comeback records always worry me, especially when they're made by one of my heroes ... But I was haunted by this record ... He's made a record not without hope but which doesn't come with any easy or comforting answers. In that way, the man is clearly still committed to speaking the truth".[49] Writing for music websiteMusic OMH, Darren Lee provided a more mixed assessment of the album, describing it as rewarding and stunning, but he also states that the album's brevity prevents it "from being an unassailable masterpiece".[50]
Scott-Heron described himself as a mere participant, in a 2010 interview withThe New Yorker:
This is Richard's CD. My only knowledge when I got to the studio was how he seemed to have wanted this for a long time. You're in a position to have somebody do something that they really want to do, and it was not something that would hurt me or damage me—why not? All the dreams you show up in are not your own.[19]
The remix version of the album,We're New Here, was released in 2011, featuring production by English musicianJamie xx, who reworked material from the original album.[51] Like the original album,We're New Here received critical acclaim.[52]
In April 2014, XL Recordings announced a third album from theI'm New Here sessions, titledNothing New.[53] The album consists of stripped-down piano and vocal recordings and was released in conjunction withRecord Store Day on April 19, 2014.
"Gil Scott-Heron released poems as songs, recorded songs that were based on his earliest poems and writings, wrote novels and became a hero to many for his music, activism and his anger. There is always the anger – an often beautiful, passionate anger. An often awkward anger. A very soulful anger. And often it is a very sad anger. But it is the pervasive mood, theme and feeling within his work – and around his work, hovering, piercing, occasionally weighing down; often lifting the work up, helping to place it in your face. And for all the preaching and warning signs in his work, the last two decades of Gil Scott-Heron's life to date have seen him succumb to the pressures and demons he has so often warned others about."
Scott-Heron died on May 27, 2011, in New York City after a trip to Europe.[1][55] Scott-Heron had confirmed press speculation about his health when he disclosed in a 2008New York Magazine interview that he had beenHIV-positive for several years, and that he had been previously hospitalized forpneumonia.[42]
He was survived by his first-born daughter Raquiyah "Nia" Kelly Heron from his relationship with fellow writer, Pat Kelly, his son Rumal Rackley from his relationship withLurma Rackley,[56] daughter Gia Scott-Heron from his marriage toBrenda Sykes,[55] and daughter Chegianna Newton, who was 13 years old at the time of her father's death.[56][57] He was also survived by his sister Gayle, brother Denis Heron who once managed Scott-Heron,[58] his uncle Roy Heron,[18] and nephew Terrance Kelly, an actor and rapper who performs asMr. Cheeks and is a member ofLost Boyz.[note 2]
Before his death Scott-Heron had been in talks with Portuguese directorPedro Costa over his filmHorse Money to be screenwriter, composer and an actor.[59]
In response to Scott-Heron's death,Public Enemy'sChuck D stated "RIP GSH...and we do what we do and how we do because of you" on his Twitter account.[60] His UK publisher,Jamie Byng, called him "one of the most inspiring people I've ever met".[61] On hearing of the death, R&B singerUsher stated: "I just learned of the loss of a very important poet...R.I.P., Gil Scott-Heron. The revolution will be live!!".[62] Richard Russell, who produced Scott-Heron's final studio album, called him a "father figure of sorts to me",[63] whileEminem said "He influenced all of hip-hop".[64]Lupe Fiasco wrote a poem about Scott-Heron that was published on his website.[65]
Scott-Heron's memorial service was held atRiverside Church in New York City on June 2, 2011, where Kanye West performed "Lost in the World"[66] and "Who Will Survive in America",[67] two songs from West's albumMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.[66] The studio album version of West's "Who Will Survive in America" features a spoken-word excerpt by Scott-Heron.[68] Scott-Heron is buried atKensico Cemetery in Westchester County in New York.
Scott-Heron was honored posthumously in 2012 by theNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) with aGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[69] Charlotte Fox, member of the Washington, DC NARAS and president of Genesis Poets Music, nominated Scott-Heron for the award while a letter of support came from Grammy-winner and Grammy Hall of Fame inducteeBill Withers.[70]
Scott-Heron's memoir,The Last Holiday, was published in January 2012.[71] In her review for theLos Angeles Times, professor of English and journalism Lynell George wrote:
The Last Holiday is as much about his life as it is about context, the theater of late 20th century America — from Jim Crow to the Reagan '80s and from Beale Street to 57th Street. The narrative is not, however, a rise-and-fall retelling of Scott-Heron's life and career. It doesn't connect all the dots. It moves off-the-beat, at its own speed ... This approach to revelation lends the book an episodic quality, like oral storytelling does. It winds around, it repeats itself.[72]
At the time of Scott-Heron's death, a will could not be found. Raquiyah Kelly-Heron filed papers in Manhattan'sNew York Surrogate's Court in August 2013, claiming that Rumal Rackley was not Scott-Heron's son and should be omitted from the musician's estate.According to theDaily News website, Rackley, Kelly-Heron and two other sisters were seeking a resolution to the management of the estate. Rackley stated in court papers that Scott-Heron had asked him to be the administrator of the estate. Scott-Heron's 1994 albumSpirits was dedicated to "my son Rumal and my daughters Nia and Gia", and in court papers Rackley added that Scott-Heron "introduced me [Rackley] from the stage as his son".[73]
In 2011 Rackley had filed a suit against sister Gia Scott-Heron and her mother, Scott-Heron's first wife, Brenda Sykes believing they had unfairly attained US$250,000 of Scott-Heron's money. That case was settled for an undisclosed sum in early 2013 but the relationship between Rackley and Scott-Heron's two adult daughters had already become strained in the months after Gil's death. In her submission to theSurrogate Court, Kelly-Heron stated that aDNA test completed by Rackley in 2011—using DNA from Scott-Heron's brother—revealed that they "do not share a common male lineage", while Rackley has refused to undertake another DNA test. A hearing to address Kelly-Heron's filing was scheduled for late August 2013, but by March 2016 further information on the matter was not publicly available.[73] Rackley continued to serve as court-appointed administrator for the estate, and he donated material to theSmithsonian's new National Museum of African American History and Culture to be displayed when the museum opened in September 2016.
The case was decided in December 2018 when the Surrogate Court ruled that Rumal Rackley and his half-sisters are all legal heirs, and in a ruling issued in May 2019 Rackley was granted Letters of Administration.[74]
Scott-Heron's work has influenced writers, academics and musicians, fromindie rockers to rappers. His work during the 1970s influenced and helped engender subsequent African-American music genres such aship hop andneo soul. He has been described by music writers as "the godfather of rap" and "the blackBob Dylan".[75]Jamiroquai lead singerJay Kay performed "The Bottle" with him at thePhoenix Festival in 1993 when his band was starting out, and Kay said in a 2022 interview that Scott-Heron had whispered to him: "It's your turn now." In the same interview, Kay called him a "super influence for me" and "a master, a poet, and so much more".[76] In a review for Jamiroquai'sEmergency on Planet Earth, Entertainment Weekly writer Marisa Fox wrote: "Gil Scott-Heron is still alive, but his ghost has already surfaced in the form of 22-year-old mad hatter Jay Kay and his trendy London acid-jazz group."[77]
Chicago Tribune writerGreg Kot comments on Scott-Heron's collaborative work with Jackson:
Together they crafted jazz-influenced soul and funk that brought new depth and political consciousness to '70s music alongsideMarvin Gaye andStevie Wonder. In classic albums such asWinter in America andFrom South Africa to South Carolina, Scott-Heron took the news of the day and transformed it into social commentary, wicked satire, and proto-rap anthems. He updated his dispatches from the front lines of the inner city on tour, improvising lyrics with an improvisational daring that matched the jazz-soul swirl of the music".[2]
Of Scott-Heron's influence on hip hop, Kot said he "presag[ed] hip-hop and infus[ed] soul and jazz with poetry, humor and pointed political commentary".[2]Ben Sisario ofThe New York Times wrote, "He [Scott-Heron] preferred to call himself a "bluesologist", drawing on the traditions of blues, jazz and Harlem renaissance poetics".[9]Tris McCall ofThe Star-Ledger writes that "The arrangements on Gil Scott-Heron's early recordings were consistent with the conventions of jazz poetry – the movement that sought to bring the spontaneity of live performance to the reading of verse".[78] A music writer later noted that "Scott-Heron's unique proto-rap style influenced a generation of hip-hop artists",[12] whileThe Washington Post wrote that "Scott-Heron's work presaged not only conscious rap and poetry slams, but also acid jazz, particularly during his rewarding collaboration with composer-keyboardist-flutist Brian Jackson in the mid- and late '70s".[79]The Observer'sSean O'Hagan discussed the significance of Scott-Heron's music with Brian Jackson, stating:
Together throughout the 1970s, Scott-Heron and Jackson made music that reflected the turbulence, uncertainty and increasing pessimism of the times, merging the soul and jazz traditions and drawing on anoral poetry tradition that reached back to the blues and forward to hip-hop. The music sounded by turns angry, defiant and regretful while Scott-Heron's lyrics possessed a satirical edge that set them apart from the militant soul of contemporaries such asMarvin Gaye andCurtis Mayfield.[75]
Will Layman ofPopMatters wrote about the significance of Scott-Heron's early musical work:
In the early 1970s, Gil Scott-Heron popped onto the scene as a soul poet with jazz leanings; not just anotherBill Withers, but a political voice with a poet's skill. His spoken-voice work had punch and topicality. "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and "Johannesburg" were calls to action:Stokely Carmichael if he'd had the groove ofRay Charles. "The Bottle" was a poignant story of the streets:Richard Wright as sung by a husky-voiced Marvin Gaye. To paraphraseChuck D, Gil Scott-Heron's music was a kind ofCNN for black neighborhoods, prefiguring hip-hop by several years. It grew fromthe Last Poets, but it also had the funky swing ofHorace Silver orHerbie Hancock—orOtis Redding.Pieces of a Man andWinter in America (collaborations with Brian Jackson) were classics beyond category".[80]
Scott-Heron's influence over hip hop is primarily exemplified by his definitive single "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", sentiments from which have been explored by various rappers, includingAesop Rock,Talib Kweli andCommon. In addition to his vocal style, Scott-Heron's indirect contributions to rap music extend to his and co-producer Jackson's compositions, which have been sampled by various hip-hop artists. "We Almost Lost Detroit" was sampled byBrand Nubian memberGrand Puba ("Keep On"),Native Tongues duoBlack Star ("Brown Skin Lady"), andMF Doom ("Camphor").[81] Additionally, Scott-Heron's 1980 song "A Legend in His Own Mind" was sampled onMos Def's "Mr. Nigga",[82] the opening lyrics from his 1978 recording "Angel Dust" were appropriated by rapperRBX on the 1996 song "Blunt Time" byDr. Dre,[83] andCeCe Peniston's 2000 song "My Boo" samples Scott-Heron's 1974 recording "The Bottle".[84]
In addition to the Scott-Heron excerpt used in "Who Will Survive in America",Kanye West sampled Scott-Heron and Jackson's "Home is Where the Hatred Is" and "We Almost Lost Detroit" for the songs "My Way Home" and "The People", respectively, both of which are collaborative efforts with Common.[85] Scott-Heron, in turn, acknowledged West's contributions, sampling the latter's 2007 single "Flashing Lights" on his final album, 2010'sI'm New Here.[86]
Scott-Heron admitted ambivalence regarding his association with rap, remarking in 2010 in an interview for theDaily Swarm: "I don't know if I can take the blame for [rap music]".[87] AsNew York Times writer Sisario explained, he preferred the moniker of "bluesologist". Referring to reviews of his last album and references to him as the "godfather of rap", Scott-Heron said: "It's something that's aimed at the kids ... I have kids, so I listen to it. But I would not say it's aimed at me. I listen to the jazz station."[9] In 2013, Chattanooga rapperIsaiah Rashad recorded an unofficial mixtape calledPieces of a Kid, which was greatly influenced by Heron's debut albumPieces of a Man.
Following Scott-Heron's funeral in 2011, a tribute from publisher, record company owner, poet, and music producerMalik Al Nasir was published onThe Guardian's website, titled "Gil Scott-Heron saved my life".[88]
In the 2018 filmFirst Man, Scott-Heron is a minor character and is played bysoul singerLeon Bridges.
He is one of eight significant people shown in mosaic at the 167th Street renovated subway station on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx that reopened in 2019.[89]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [90] | US Jazz [91] | US R&B [92] | BEL (FL) [93] | FRA [94] | IRE [95] | SWI [96] | UK [97] | ||
| Pieces of a Man |
| — | — | — | 168 | — | — | — | — |
| Free Will |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Winter in America(withBrian Jackson) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| The First Minute of a New Day(with Brian Jackson and the Midnight Band) |
| 30 | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| From South Africa to South Carolina(with Brian Jackson) |
| 103 | — | 28 | — | — | — | — | — |
| It's Your World(with Brian Jackson) |
| 168 | — | 34 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bridges(with Brian Jackson) |
| 130 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Secrets(with Brian Jackson) |
| 61 | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1980(with Brian Jackson) |
| 82 | — | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Real Eyes |
| 159 | — | 63 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Reflections[98] |
| 106 | — | 21 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Moving Target |
| 123 | — | 33 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Spirits |
| — | 16 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — |
| I'm New Here |
| — | 5 | 38 | 62 | 100 | 35 | 97 | 39 |
| We're New Here(withJamie xx) |
| — | — | — | 44 | 38 | 32 | — | 33 |
| Nothing New |
| — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| We're New Again – A Reimagining ByMakaya McCraven[99] |
| — | 3 | — | 93 | — | — | 58 | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Small Talk at 125th and Lenox |
|
| It's Your World(with Brian Jackson) |
|
| Tales of Gil Scott-Heron and His Amnesia Express[98] |
|
| Minister of Information: Live[98] |
|
| The Best of Gil Scott-Heron Live[100] |
|
| Save the Children[100] |
|
| Greatest Hits Live: Collector Series[100] |
|
| Live at the Town and Country 1988[100] |
|
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Revolution Will Not Be Televised |
|
| The Best of Gil Scott-Heron |
|
| Glory: The Gil Scott-Heron Collection[98] |
|
| Ghetto Style[98] |
|
| Evolution & Flashback: The Very Best Of Gil Scott-Heron[98] |
|
| Anthology: Messages[100] |
|
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [102] | MEX Ing. [103] | UK [97] | |||
| "The Bottle"(withBrian Jackson) | 1974 | 98 | — | — | Winter in America |
| "Johannesburg"(with Brian Jackson) | 1975 | 29 | — | — | From South Africa to South Carolina |
| "Angel Dust" | 1978 | 15 | — | — | Secrets |
| "Show Bizness" | 1979 | 83 | — | — | |
| "Shut 'Um Down" | 1980 | 68 | — | — | 1980 |
| "A Legend in His Own Mind" | 1981 | 86 | — | — | Real Eyes |
| "B-Movie"[104] | 49 | — | — | Reflections | |
| "Re-Ron" | 1984 | 72 | — | 89 | Non-album singles |
| "Space Shuttle" | 1990 | — | — | 77 | |
| "I'll Take Care of You" | 2011 | — | 32 | — | I'm New Here |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||
| Year | Title | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | The Vulture | 0862415284 |
| 1972 | The Nigger Factory | 0862415276 |
| 1990 | So Far, So Good | 0883781336 |
| 2001 | Now and Then: The Poems of Gil Scott-Heron | 086241900X |
| 2012 | The Last Holiday | 0857863010 |
his finest work[permanent dead link]
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