Gil Scott Heron passed away on May 27th.
His music was part of the vibrant collage of growing up in NYC during the 1970s. THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED and THE BOTTLE seemed to tap directly into what I was seeing through my own two eyes. Yet I never appreciated his music until I attended Fisk University. My roommate, Talip Salim (Carl Waller) seemed to have all of his records. Gil Scott-Heron also visited Fisk twice, once in my freshman year and once during my senior year. In fact, on his second visit I ran into him in the bathroom; he had just gotten off a delayed flight and was splashing water on his face before going on stage.
My third chance to see him was in Tampa, Florida in 1990, in the Tampa Theater. He came with just himself. Yet with a borrowed electric piano and help from the drummers of the opening act, he brought us all to our feet with his artistry. Two years ago, I attended a funeral in St. Petersburg; at the wake, I met friends old and new who remembered that show. We mused and sang and reminisced about the life of this great artist.
If you have ideas, share them; if you have a poem, write it down and give it to someone; if you have a vision, then prophesy; if you have a song, then sing.
Rest in Peace, brother. Rest in Peace.
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