Edwin Birdsong | |
|---|---|
 Birdsongc. 1971 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Edwin L. Birdsong (1941-08-22)August 22, 1941 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | January 21, 2019(2019-01-21) (aged 77) Inglewood, California, U.S.[1] |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1971–2019 |
| Labels | |
| Website | edwinbirdsong |
Edwin L. Birdsong (August 22, 1941 – January 21, 2019)[2][3] was an American keyboardist andorganist, known in the 1970s and 1980s for his experimentalfunk/disco music. Birdsong did not achieve much chart success, but developed a strong fan base.[4] Birdsong has also beensampled by other artists many times, most famously byDaft Punk who sampled "Cola Bottle Baby" in "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger", andGang Starr who sampled his single "Rapper Dapper Snapper" for their song "Skills".[3]
Birdsong was the son of a minister and grew up in a strictfundamentalist environment.[5] He joined the Los Angeles Community Choir for a period before serving in the army during theVietnam War era. While in the army, he was stationed in Germany.[5] He went on to play in clubs in Germany, and then moved to New York City to pursue his music career. There he headed ajazz andblues trio but experienced little success. While in New York he attended theManhattan School of Music as well asJuilliard as a composition major.[5]
In 1971 he signed a record deal withPolydor.[5] Under Polydor, he issued his first two full-length albums,What It Is andSupernatural.[5] Birdsong then issued one album for Bamboo,Dance of Survival, in 1975, and recordedEdwin Birdsong forPhiladelphia International in 1979, which included the single "Phiss-Phizz".[5] Birdsong also worked extensively withRoy Ayers,[3] co-producing three of his albums and writing "Running Away" and "Freaky Deaky" with him.[5]
Birdsong slowly stopped making his own music but carried on playing session work for many well known artists includingStevie Wonder.[5]
Birdsong served as a mentor early in the career of hip-hop artist/producerFunkghost.[6]
| Year | Song | US R&B [7][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | "Rising Sign" | — | |||
| "Turn Around Hate (Communicate)" | — | ||||
| 1975 | "Dance of Survival" | — | |||
| 1978 | "Kunta Dance" | — | |||
| 1979 | "Phiss-Phizz" | — | |||
| "Cola Bottle Baby" | — | ||||
| "Lollipop" / "Freaky Deaky Sities" | — | ||||
| 1980 | "Rapper Dapper Snapper" | 65 | |||
| 1981 | "Funtaztik" | — | |||
| 1982 | "She's Wrapped Too Tight (She's a Button Buster)" | 55 | |||
| 1984 | "Perfect Love'n" | — | |||
| 1985 | "Too Good to Go (When You Get It Right)" | — | |||
| "Son of a Rapper Dapper Snapper" | — | ||||
| 1986 | "For My Self" | — | |||
| 1987 | "Percolator" | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
| International | |
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| Other | |