The Groove
Saturday April 27th, 2024 with Elorious Cain
KEITH LEBLANC (November 10, 1954 – April 4, 2024)
Very sad news this April to hear of the death of KEITH LEBLANC. He was an extraordinary drummer and a visionary record producer whose impact on the discotheque music industry was phenomenal.
We celebrate his immense contribution with just a handful of records where he was the drummer. We also feature some recordings he released along with some very special records which he had produced.
He also released music as a member of some groups which we have provided.
| According to the Discogs internet website:
"Beginning in 1979, LEBLANC, along with DOUG WIMBUSH (bass), & SKIP MACDONALD (guitar), formed the core of the house band for Sugarhill Records, based in Englewood, NJ. Their tight & precise playing can be heard on the vast majority of the label's output. His drumming is unique for his bassdrum approach, which consisted of very precise 16th notes. His hi-hat approach was also unique, in that he rarely played straight 8th's or 16th's, but rather syncopated patterns which were considered modern at the time." The early now legendary HIPHOP on the Sugar Hill label which KEITH LEBLANC contributed to include recordings by THE SUGAR HILL GANG and GRAND MASTER FLASH AND THE FURIOUS FIVE to name a few. |
| SUGAR HILL GROOVE THE SUGAR HILL GANG - 12" - SUGAR HILL |
| RAPPER'S REPRISE (JAM JAM) THE SUGAR HILL GANG - SUGARHILL GANG (LP) - SUGAR HILL |
| 8TH WONDER THE SUGAR HILL GANG - 12" - SUGAR HILL |
| APACHE SUGAR HILL GANG - 12" - SUGAR HILL |
| IT'S NASTY (GENIUS OF LOVE) GRANDMASTER FLASH AND THE FURIOUS FIVE - 12" - SUGAR HILL |
| THE MESSAGE GRAND MASTER FLASH & THE FURIOUS FIVE featuring.: MELLE MEL & DUKE BOOTEE - 12" - SUGAR HILL |
| KEITH LEBLANC produced a powerful HIPHOP record with the recordings of the late MALCOM X in 1983 that many sources suggest is the earliest political sample record. Credited entirely to MALCOM X, the record features his speech which is craftily mixed into the HIPHOP by KEITH LEBLANC. It didn't do extremely well but it remains a cult classic and a stunning statement, originally predating PAUL HARDCASTLE's "19" and various PUBLIC ENEMY masterpieces. Here are the lyrics for "No Sell Out":
"Distinguished guests Brothers and sisters Ladies and gentleman Friends and enemies Malcolm X No sell out Malcolm X No sell out Malcolm X No sell out Malcolm X No sell out White, black, red, brown, yellow It doesn't make any difference what color you are The only thing power respects, is power They take one little word out of what you say, ignore all the rest And then begin to magnify it all over the world to make you look like what you actually aren't What I say might sound like I'm stirring up trouble But it's the truth It's the truth It's the truth It's the truth It's the truth It's the truth It's the truth It's the truth It's the truth It's the truth It's the truth It's the truth It's the truth It's the truth It's the truth It's the truth It's the truth We don't care who likes it or not As long as we know it's the truth" |
| NO SELL OUT MALCOLM X - 12" - TOMMY BOY |
| In 1984, KEITH LEBLANC joined CHRIS LORD-ALGE and ROBBIE KILGORE to form the ELECTRO band BEATMASTER, They enjoyed international success with the song "Lipservice".
Having left Sugar hill Records, KEITH LEBLANC had recently started working for the Tommy Boy label. LEBLANC had already worked with ELECTRO acts like WEST STREET MOB. CHRIS LORD-ALGE was an AMERICAN DISCO studio engineer responsible for the sound of many songs on the H. & L. label like the crazy "Transylvania Disco Hustle" by the MONSTERS. ROBBIE KILGORE was already active as a writer and producer of ELECTRO music for acts like SHANNON, MAN PARRISH, XENA, LITTLE TONY MARSH. Together they came up with a campy ELECTRO track that did especially well in Europe. |
| LIPSERVICE BEATMASTER - 12" - TOMMY BOY |
| In 1984, KEITH LEBLANC played drums on the popular "Unity" record by AFRIKA BAMBAATAA & THE GODFATHER OF SOUL JAMES BROWN. One of many attempts for JAMES BROWN to capitalize on the emerging HIPHOP and ELECTRO sound. |
| UNITY (PT. 1 - THE THIRD COMING) AFRIKA BAMBAATAA & THE GODFATHER OF SOUL JAMES BROWN. - 12" - TOMMY BOY |
| KEITH LEBLANC was also a member of the protest supergroup ARTISTS UNITED AGAINST APARTHEID put together in 1985 by ROCK singer STEVEN VAN ZANDT and record producer ARTHUR BAKER to send a strong musical protest against the apartheid system in the Republic Of South Africa at the time. LEBLANC was the drummer for one of the most exceptional groups to ever be put together. Other members of ARTISTS UNITED AGAINST APARTHEID included GIL SCOTT-HERON, DARYL HANNAH, THE DUNNES STORES STRIKERS, TINA B, STEVE WALKER, KEVIN MCCORMICK, ROBERT GORDON, BJ NELSON, LOTTI GOLDEN, RAY BARRETTO, DOUG WIMBISH, ARTHUR BAKER, “LITTLE” STEVEN VAN ZANDT, TONY WILLIAMS, KEITH RICHARDS, RONNIE WOOD, RINGO STARR, AFRIKA BAMBAATAA, TONY WILLIAMS, BOB DYLAN, BIG YOUTH, DARLENE LOVE, BOB GELDOF, BOBBY WOMACK, BONNIE RAITT, DARYL HALL, CLARENCE CLEMONS, DJ KOOL HERC, BONO, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, DAVID RUFFIN, DUKE BOOTEE, EDDIE KENDRICK, HERBIE HANCOCK, THE FAT BOYS, GEORGE CLINTON, GRANDMASTER MELLE MEL, JACKSON BROWNE, JIMMY CLIFF, JOEY RAMONE, KASHIF, JOHN OATES, PETER GABRIEL, KURTIS BLOW, LOU REED, LINTON KWESI JOHNSON, MALOPOETS, MILES DAVIS, MICHAEL MONROE, PAT BENATAR, NONA HENDRYX, PETER TOWNSHEND, STIV BATOR, PETER GARRETT, SHANKAR, PETER WOLF, RON CARTER, RUN-DMC, RUBEN BLADES, SONNY OKOSUNS, STANLEY JORDAN, VIA AFRIKA and ZAK STARKEY |
| SUN CITY ARTISTS UNITED AGAINST APARTHEID - 12" - MANHATTAN |
| In 1986, KEITH LEBLANC released his first solo LP. It was called 'Major Malfunction' and it was considered to be the first TACKHEAD recording. To explain this let us go back to 1983 during a music industry convention in New York when the British ON-U Sound producer ADRIAN SHERWOOD was introduced to the "Sugarhill Trio" - LEBLANC, along with DOUG WIMBUSH & SKIP MACDONALD. SHERWOOD was very impressed with LEBLANC's recent production of "No Sell Out" featuring MALCOLM X. He invited the American trio to join him in the U.K. where they could further the experimentations with ELECTRO, HIPHOP, DUB and sample based variations. Most of the subsequent recordings were separated into two distinctly different names simultaneously as FATS COMET "(for the more dancefloor-oriented material)" and TACKHEAD "(for their more aggressive political tracks)". By 1986 an album was close to being complete and KEITH LEBLANC was inspired to name the album in spirit reacting to the 1986 disaster with the N.A.S.A. space shuttle Challenger. 'Major Malfunction" is often referred to as the first TACKHEAD album. "Major Malfunction" ended up becoming one of the most important records of the 1980's! It has influenced an exhausting score of INDUSTRIAL, DUB, and EXPERIMENTAL artists. Many sources have even suggested that it was the first INDUSTRIAL record! Plenty of other INDUSTRIAL records predated it. The influence of "Major Malfunction" can be seen in records by the REVOLTING COCKS to MEAT BEAT MANIFESTO to give a couple of examples. There are thousands of artists who were influenced by "Major Malfunction". The effects of the record are still being felt today. |
| GET THIS KEITH LEBLANC - MAJOR MALFUNCTION (LP) - WORLD |
| OVERLOAD TACKHEAD - 12" - BLANC |
| OBJECT-SUBJECT (BREAKDOWN'S NOT ENOUGH) KEITH LEBLANC - MAJOR MALFUNCTION (LP) - WORLD |
| TECHNOLOGY WORKS DUB KEITH LEBLANC - MAJOR MALFUNCTION (LP) - WORLD |
| ZOOP ZOOP FATS COMET & BIG SOUND - 12" - WORLD |
| MAJOR MALFUNCTION KEITH LEBLANC - MAJOR MALFUNCTION (LP) - WORLD |
| HEAVEN ON EARTH KEITH LEBLANC - MAJOR MALFUNCTION (LP) - WORLD |
| MOVE KEITH LEBLANC - MAJOR MALFUNCTION (LP) - WORLD |
| DANGEROUS SEX TACKHEAD - 12" - SBK ONE |
| ROCKCHESTER FATS COMET - 12" - WORLD |
| There are dozens of amazing records by KEITH LEBLANC, TACKHEAD and FATS COMET we could not feature. KEITH LEBLANC also contributed to the recordings of various of other artists we did not feature like MARK STEWART, LIVING COLOUR, PETER GABRIEL, THE CURE, MINISTRY, NINE INCH NAILS, TREVOR HORN, SEAL, R.E.M., THE ROLLING STONES, JACK MCDUFF, THE STONE ROSES, ROBERT PALMER, BOMB THE BASS, FORCE M.D.'S, ANNIE LENNOX, TINA TURNER, ROMAN SANDALS, BRYAN FERRY, DEPECHE MODE, LOUL RAWLS. DRUM, the list goes on and on! |
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Sounds promising ! Thanks.
8:36 PM, April 26th, 2024