Gil Scott-Heron died last weekend.
Influential to many in music, including me.
1981 – I was college and we had just rebuilt the radio station WMHD.
We would receive a stack of records each week from the local record store and sorted through them. Generally we’d listen to a song or two and then discard it, play it, or hand it to someone in the station who played something along those lines.
Then – “Reflections” from Gil Scott-Heron shows up. The cover was interesting and we threw it on the turntable. Wow. Like nothing I’d heard before. His cover of Marvin Gaye’s Inner City Blues is at the top of my youtube music site right now, if you want to give a listen as you read. It should open in another window.
http://www.youtube.com/nedkraftmusic
He influenced millions of musicians, but led a troubled life. Just because we are struggling in some ways doesn’t mean that we aren’t making a difference in others.
A few weeks ago the plumber who came by to help with a clogged drain… Turns out that he had played with Gil years ago… small world
Pay attention to those around you and the small things. Log off and interact with people for a minute or two. The emails can wait. You never know where it may lead you or what you may end up remembering 30 years later.
RIP – Gil Scott-Heron
Thanks to WMHD, 90.5 FM.
Thanks to Mike Henson and the others at Rose-Hulman for restarting WMHD.
And thanks to Sam Vuchinich – who was the faculty sponsor of the station, for tolerating our knuckleheadedness…
Warning – there are left wing and black panther leanings in many of his songs, so click carefully if you are hypersensitive… His “B-movie” reported the news as it was and is again today. ”
As Wall Street goes, so goes the nation. And here’s a look at the closing numbers.
Racism’s up, human rights are down, peace is shaky, war items are hot – the House claims all ties. Jobs are down, money is scarce and common sense is at an all-time low on heavy trading.”