heavy d: R.I.P. Eugene McDaniels

Saturday, 6 August 2011

R.I.P. Eugene McDaniels

The music World has suffered yet another great loss with the passing of 76 year old conscious and intelligent composer, singer and song-writer, producer and (sometime) actor Gene McDaniels who producers and Hip Hop heads will know has been sampled on some great Hip Hop records, Gene also had 40 top 40 hits including his first hits "A Hundred Pounds of Clay" and "Tower of Strength".

and Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Makin Love" single, which he produced and also scooped up a Grammy award for it. and a BMI award after gaining over six million plays on radio.

Born Eugene Booker McDaniels in Kansas City, Missouri, USA on Feb 12th 1935, Eugene first started singing in a local Church choir in Omaha and eventually started out as a pop-soul singer in the 60s'.

His critically acclaimed 1971 album, Headless Heroes of The Apocalypse is the album that has been mined for and sampled the most, I remember back in 1990 when A Tribe Called Quest released their classic and highly influential debut album, The Paths of Rhythm...and wondered what that dope loping guitar sample and drums used as interludes on the album were and I later discovered that the samples were from "Jagger The Dagger" others that sampled from that great track were...

Non Phixion-The Full Monty (1999)

Organized Konfusion-Black Sunday (1994)

Gravediggaz-Nowhere To Run (1994)

Krispy 3-Pop Like Bubblegum (1993)

The Beatnuts-Third of The Trio (1993)

Down South-Tractors, Rakes and Hoes (1994)

Masta Ace-Jeep Ass Nigguh (1993)

De La Soul-Just Havin' A Ball (2006)

While Pete Rock's solo joint on The Mecca and The Soul Brother LP, "Soul Brother #1", The Beastie Boys-"Get It Together" and Eric B & Rakim's "Pass The Hand Grenade" lifted parts from "Headless Heroes" and Pete Rock also sampled the track "Freedom Death Dance" as did UGK for "Pocket Full of Stones" (1993)

Madlib sampled the amusing (god dam)"Supermarket Blues" for his Quasimoto alter ego on "Return of The Loop Digga" (2000)

as did People Under The Stairs for "Stay Home" (2000)

and The Jungle Brothers used it in 1993 for "I'm In Love With Indica"

DITC legend Diamond D cleverly made "clams" sound like "plans" when he sampled "Cherrystones" for the late, great Scientifik's "I Got Planz" track in 1994.

Others that sampled Eugene's music were Lifers Group, Caesar Comanche and Jamalski.
and John Legend covered his classic "Compared To What" with The Roots in 2010.