[ Keith ]
LeBlanc
King of The Beat
The skinny little white guy responsible for the original Hip-Hop beat.
“No Sell Out” (Malcolm X)
1984 — Keith LeBlanc made what’s been called Hip-Hop’s first “sample” recording. With the blessing of friend Betty Shabazz (Malcolm X’ widow), Keith cut Malcolm X speeches to his own drum beats.
((( sample )))
— blancrecords.com
Blanc Like Me
1979 — Keith LeBlanc was the drummer in The Original Sugar Hill Rhythm Section, the world’s finest, according to the New York Times.
1981 — Tom Silverman created Tommy Boy Music in 1981 in his New York City apartment with a $5,000 loan from his parents. The label was an outgrowth of Silverman’s Dance Music Report bi-weekly publication, beginning in September 1978, and running 14 years, into 1992.
1985 — Adrian Sherwood (ON-U SOUND)
2023 — Twelve Movements Of Boom
Funky Obama
2009 — Tack>>Head was in the process of remaking James Brown’s “Funky President,” as part of a full album of cover tunes, that had been promised to the band’s loyal fans, twenty years earlier.
Tack>>Head
((( song )))
Art b/ Shepard Fairy
History Of (Hip-Hop) Song
Keith LeBlanc
For The Love Of Money
2011 —
“Rock This House”
Keith Leblanc
2008 —
((( song )))
— originalnoise.org
Recalling the earliest days of Hip-Hop, Keith will tell you that playing outdoor parties in the parks (basketball courts) of The Bronx, Harlem, and Jamaica Queens with: — blancrecords.com
The Sugar Hill Gang
Rappers Delight
Melle Mel
The Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash
The Sequence …
Keith LeBlanc (Drums)
Wood Brass & Steel, Sugar Hill Records (House Band), ON-U Sound, TACK>>HEAD, The Cure, Stone Roses, Bomb The Bass, Sussan Deyhim, Jello Biafra
“No Sell Out” Malcolm X (1984)
w/ BETTY SHABAZZ “QUEEN”
vs. Sugar Hill Records
Miami Vice (1985)
Artists United Against Apartheid (1985)
Sun City?
n ARTISTS UNITED AGAINST APARTHEID
— xyz.
1985 — Keith, Doug, and Skip, all played on and produced the record eith (Doug and Skip) both played and produced on the record, but went virtually unnoticed and uncredited. The musicians involved in the project understood who was who. Soon after, Doug was working with Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Annie Lennox, Seal, Paul McCartney, Back in the U.S.S.R., Back in the U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen, and Joe Satriani, Time Machine.
— blancrecords.com
1986 — The entire Sugar Hill Rhythm Section had fled, fearing Joe Robinson would pursue them. Joe was pressuring all the band members, claiming they owed him a cut of the money they had made on their outside (not Sugar Hill) projects.
All three had worked on the Artists United Against Apartheid, Doug had also done work with Jan Hammer on the first Miami Vice soundtrack album, and both Skip and Doug played on Keith’s “No Sell Out.”
— xyz.
Funky President (2009) video
Bernard Fowler (“New York Time”)
We Are The World (USA For Africa)
Ethiopia
Live Aid (African Hunger)
Farm Aid
Midwest / USA
— Adrian Sherwood (ON-U SOUND)
The Mad Scientist, Electronic, Industrial, Funk, RHythm & Blues, Mark Stewart, Fats Comet, Gary Clail, Tack>>Head, Tape Time, Sound System, Bernard Fowler
culturally enlightening, and a musically good time.
Although a load-bearing column in Hip Hop’s founding structure, Keith occupied little visual space in the inner city, urban world he had become such an important, musical part of. With so much attention being paid to the MCs and DJs, and so little to the band, Keith was near invisible at the parties being thrown in parks all around and in the Boroughs of New York City. In addition to not being a DJ, he was also a skinny, little kid at the back of the stage, sitting behind a large drum kit.
And then there was the reaction to his making himself more visible. More than once, in the early days, Keith, because he wore a bold athletic-style, Sugar Hill jacket, was threatened by many party goers who were offended that a little white boy had the balls to wear a “black” jacket. More than once, Keith was pulled out of black-on-Keith confrontations by Doug and Skip, his Rhythm Section bandmates.
Many were more agitated, when Keith made the seemingly unbelievable claim that he was the drummer. They weren’t interested in giving some, except for more shit than they were already giving him. As time went on, Keith turned to saying he was nothing more than the guy driving the van … resigned to the fact that most who called themselves B-Boys would never believe a skinny little white kid from Connecticut, could possibly be behind the beats they had become addicted to.
But of course that was the fact. Along with long-time friends and musical collaborators, his Original Sugar Hill Rhythm Section mates (bass guitarist DOUG WIMBSIH and guitarist SKIP “LITTLE AXE” McDONALD), Keith is one of the Hip Hop Fathers, creator of the beat pushing so many of the anthems forward.
“The Message”
“White Lines”
“8th Wonder”
“Apache” — Urban Western (Ads)
“That’s The Joint”
“New York, New York”
After drawing the Hip Hop blueprint, with guitarist SKIP “LITTLE AXE” McDONALD and bassist DOUG WIMBISH (THE ORIGINAL SUGAR HILL RHYTHM SECTION), KEITH LEBLANC went on to write, play, and produce some of the most historic recordings in the 1980s.
Give The Drummer Some
2004 — You’ve probably noticed that opening a rock n roll show with a drum solo, isn’t often done.
— dave.
— video by dave hogerty (original>>noise)
Few bands open their live shows with a drum solo, and one of those bands is Tack>>Head, with Keith LeBlanc behind the kit, whose shows start with a drum-driven rhythm & groove. For decades now, in Hip-Hop circles, LeBlanc is called “King Of The Beat,” given that he and his Original Sugar Hill Rhythm Section mates (guitarist Skip McDonald and bassist Doug Wimbish) were the most important architects in the most explosive genres of music.
2004 — After a 14-year hiatus, the band Keith helped put together after moving to London, TACK>>HEAD, reunited for a coast-to-coast tour of the United States.
As here at the Abbey in Chicago, Illinois, Keith typically opened the shows with a short drum solo. typically did on its Summer 2004 Reunion Tour. This performance was at the Abbey in Chicago, Illinois.
1976 — HAROLD SARGENT, invites Keith to take his place as the drummer in the popular Hartford band Wood Brass & Steel. Also in the band are SKIP McDONALD (guitar) and DOUG WIMBISH (bass guitar). WOOD BRASS & STEEL is signed to TURBO RECORDS, and produces the dance/funk track “FUNKANOVA” that becomes a favorite of DJs playing the popular clubs (STUDIO 54, PARADISE GARAGE) in New York City.
1979 — JOE and SYLVIA ROBINSON “discover” THE SUGAR HILL GANG, create SUGAR HILL RECORDS, and release the legendary (first-rap-on-vinyl) “RAPPER’S DELIGHT.”
The Original Sugar Hill Rhythm Section
— Needing a band to play on their original Hip-Hop catalog, THE ROBINSONS, who own TURBO RECORDS, recruit the Wood Brass & Steel Rhythm Section to fill their need.
1980-1982 — As the SUGAR HILL RECORDS HOUSE BAND, Keith, Skip, and Doug write, play, and produce many of HIP-HOP’s ORIGINAL ANTHEMS, including “THE MESSAGE,” “WHITE LINES,” “NEW YORK, NEW YORK,” and “THAT’S THE JOINT.”
— (VideoFraeGrab) “Sun City”
— Video w/Steven Van Zandt, Arthur Baker, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock
1985 — In addition to the song “SUN CITY,” a full-length album by the same title was also released. Although nearly all recognition went to the participating mega stars (BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, MILES DAVIS, U2, RUN-DMC, LOU REED, HALL & OATES, HERBIE HANCOCK), when listening, KEITH’s hand in the production of SUN CITY is obvious, and his being asked to play and produce easy to understand when knowing of his musical connection to many of the participating artists (PETER GABRIEL, KEITH RICHARDS, RON WOODS, AFRIKA BAMBAATAA, and MELLE MEL, who had (THE ORIGINAL SUGAR HILL RHYTHM SECTION (Keith, Skip, and Doug) help write, play, and produce “THE MESSAGE,” “WHITE LINES,” and “NEW YORK, NEW YORK.”
Betty & Me
— photograph (BlancRecords.com)
Friends and Enemies — Before cutting “NO SELL OUT,” Keith asked MALCOLM X’ widow BETTY “QUEEN” SHABAZZ’ permission … and later, Betty sat with Keith in Federal Court when he made his case against JOE and SYLVIA ROBINSON, and SUGAR HILL RECORDS.
— video by dj TyDoZ
1985— THE SUGAR HILL EMPIRE HAD FALLEN
(MALCOLM X) “NO SELL OUT”
— Keith’s cut set to a mix of Malcolm X still images.
1983 — Keith cut MALCOLM X speeches to his innovative electronic drum beats to make “NO SELL OUT,” considered the first “sample” committed to vinyl. A dispute with Joe & Sylvia Robinson, over the record’s ownership (and profits) and profits is settled in Federal Court. Some believe Keith’s legal victory was the beginning of the end for SUGAR HILL’s Hip-Hop dominance. RUN-DMC, THE BEASTIE BOYS, and the rest of the younger, more aggressive DEF JAM crew.
— Mike Brown (Cocoa) TODAY
London Calling — Keith begins a serious musical partnership with ADRIAN SHERWOOD and his ON-U SOUND records. Having invited DOUG WIMBISH AND SKIP McDONALD to join him in England, THE ORIGINAL SUGAR HILL RHYTHM SECTION was now moving in a more Electronic/Industrial direction, playing for GARY CLAIL and MARK STEWART, who might be considered LEFTIST POLITICAL COMMENTATORS as much as singers. One of the most popular of these (12″) singles was “HARD LEFT,” using samples of then English Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s speeches.
These singles marked the formation of TACK>>HEAD, although the name had never been written in any credits at the time. Until 1987′s GARY CLAIL’s TACKHEAD TAPE TIME, most credits were made to MARK STEWART and GARY CLAIL as bandleaders, or FATS COMET on instrumentals, or when wanting to include the entire group.
1986 — After moving to London and partnering with ADRIAN SHERWOOD and his ON-U SOUND label, Keith releases MAJOR MALFUNCTION, sampling NASA’s Launch Control’s account of the space shuttle Challenger exploding on the title track. with the inclusion of SUGAR HILL RHYTHM SECTION mates SKIP McDONALD and DOUG WIMBISH, many call MAJOR MALFUNCTION, the first full-length TACK>>HEAD album.
“Major Malfunction”
b/ Keith Leblanc (KLB)
— Keith Leblanc (On-U Sound)
Major Malfunction
Video for the title track of Keith’s MAJOR MALFUNCTION record, on which, similar to “NO SELL OUT,” Keith “sampled” NASA control room recordings of the moment the space shuttle Challenger exploded soon after launch. With DOUG WIMBISH, SKIP McDONALD, and ADRIAN SHERWOOD all appearing on the album, many consider MAJOR MALFUNCTION to be the first full-length TACK>>HEAD record, despite the band not having yet been named. Doug came up with “TACK>>HEAD” a few months later, using the name of a popular inner-city/ghetto African-American hairstyle of the day.
After making a number of 12″ singles, many by the name FATS COMET, the band did credit 1987′s “WHAT’S MY MISSION NOW?” (one of its most popular singles) to “TACK>>HEAD.” It was then too that the band began using the (American) Statue of Liberty as a common visual element its media and on covers. Most notable was using friend GEE VAUCHER’s painting on the cover of the first (official) full-length TACK>>HEAD album, FRIENDLY AS A HAND GRENADE. (Vaucher is best known [in the music world] for her work with the band CRASS.)
Before Bernard Fowler’s arrival, “TACK>>HEAD” maintained the heavy, more electronic industrial sound established by Keith and Adrian. This was apparent on 1987′s ”Ticking Time Bomb,” and the 1988 show at the RITZ in NYC recorded with plans to release as EN CONCERT. The record wasn’t officially released, but one could see the increasing American influence, as Doug and Skip (with Keith) began to reestablish their ORIGINAL SUGAR HILL RHYTHM SECTION bond. Most notable on EN CONCERT was the inclusion of MELLE MEL and his singing the Sugar Hill, Hip-Hop anthem, “THE MESSAGE,” and a true-to-the-original cover of Jimi Hendrix’ “Crosstown Traffic.”
With this TACK>>HEAD shift toward Funk, Rock n Roll, and Soul (especially after Bernard’s joining later in 1988), Keith released many of the more industrial/instrumental tracks on 1989′s STRANGER THAN FICTION (with “DREAMWORLD,” and still-a-favorite “EINSTEIN”), as his own band called INTERFERENCE.
When TACK>>HEAD first disbanded in 1991, Keith started Blanc Records, and released two (“Best Of”/Alternative and Outakes) compilation albums, TACK>>HEAD POWER VOLUME 1 and TACK>>HEAD POWER VOLUME 2, in 1994. In 1997, Keith finally delivered what so many fans (who always considered TACK>>HEAD a better band to see/hear live) had been waiting for. TACK>>HEAD POWER VOLUME 3 was a compilation of the band’s live performances (from New York, New Zealand, and England, with BERNARD FOWLER, MARK STEWART, GARY CLAIL, and MELLE MEL, between 1988 and 1991.
Few bands have the confidence in its drummer to start a show with drum solo, but to this day, Keith is usually the first to take a TACK>>HEAD stage … alone, left to build a groove while the others (Skip “Little Axe” McDonald, Doug Wimbish) take the stage.
Going It Alone
Between the years with Sugar Hill Records playing the beats on so many Hip-Hop anthems, including Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five‘s “THE MESSAGE,” “WHITE LINES,” and “THAT’S THE JOINT,” and moving to London to create TACK>>HEAD, the legendary, Cross-Cultural, Industrial Funk band. It was with TACK>>HEAD producer Adrian Sherwood, that Keith produced some of his most important records.
“No Sell Out” (1983), on which Keith cut Malcolm X speeches with his experimental / electric drum beats is often described as the first “sampling” ever committed to vinyl.
Although virtually unrecognized (or credited), Keith produced and played on “SUN CITY,” THE ANTI-APARTHEID ANTHEM that featured MILES DAVIS, U2, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, HERBIE HANCOCK, and so many more of 1984’s biggest (all-genre) stars.
MANY CONSIDER “MAJOR MALFUNCTION” THE FIRST FULL-LENGTH TACK>>HEAD ALBUM.
Although still collaborating with his ORIGINAL SUGAR HILL RHYTHM SECTION mates (DOUG WIMBISH and SKIP McDONALD) with LITTLE AXE and TACK>>HEAD, Keith has begun working on many more solo (“KEITH LEBLANC”) projects.
STOP THE CONFUSION (GLOBAL INTERFERENCE) — A title recalling the past (“Stop the Confusion” being the subtitle to one of his original “No Sell Out” 12″ recordings, and “Global Interference” the name he gave to a touring band he put together in the mid-’90s), was appropriate for Keith’s first solo release, a collection of new tunes and remixes of favorites out of his archive.
CHESS MOVES — Inspired by the result of the new STOP THE CONFUSION Keith called his old friend MARSHAL CHESS with another idea. He wanted to get into the CHESS RECORDS ARCHIVES and see what would happen if he gave a selection of the OLD BLUES STANDARDS to a good ol’ BLANC RECORDS REMIX.
What happened was what Marshal and Keith decided to call “FUTURE BLUES,” and it sounded good.
BLANC RECORDS — Also updating his personal branding, Keith went back to the (“No Sell Out”) day when producing compilations of his ORIGINAL BEATS.
The discs (available on his website) are proving popular with a young generation of DJs who appreciate the opportunity to sample BEATS GENERATED BY THE (ORIGINAL) MASTER.
