Gil Scott-Heron
The godfather of rap who used jazz-poetry to declare 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,' fusing biting social critique with hypnotic soul grooves.
1949–2011 (age 62)·American soul and jazz poet, musician and author·Birthday: April 1·Baby Boomers
Biography
Gil Scott-Heron was a prophet with a piano and a poet's cadence. Emerging from the Bronx and Lincoln University, he published a novel at 19 before turning his focus to music. With collaborator Brian Jackson, he crafted a new sound in the early 1970s: minimalist, percussive piano and flute lines under spoken-word verses that were by turns furious, witty, and heartbreakingly observant. His work was a running commentary on the American condition—'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised' skewered media complacency, 'The Bottle' laid bare addiction, and 'Winter in America' painted a portrait of national decline. While he rejected the 'godfather of rap' label, preferring 'bluesologist,' his rhythmic delivery and socio-political focus were undeniably foundational to hip-hop. His later years were marked by personal struggles, but his influence only grew, his voice—a weary, resonant baritone—remaining a touchstone for artists seeking to merge musical beauty with unflinching truth-telling.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Gil was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Gil Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Gil's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2011Died at 62
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
Key Achievements
- Released the seminal spoken-word piece 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised' on his 1970 album 'Small Talk at 125th and Lenox.'
- His collaborative albums with musician Brian Jackson, such as 'Winter in America' and 'From South Africa to South Carolina,' are landmarks of politically charged soul-jazz.
- Published the novel 'The Vulture' at the age of 19, followed by a book of poetry, 'Small Talk at 125th and Lenox.'
- His work is widely cited as a foundational influence on the development of hip-hop music and political rap.
- The 2010 album 'I'm New Here,' produced by Richard Russell, marked a critically acclaimed late-career comeback.
Did You Know?
He was the first student to integrate his elementary school in Jackson, Tennessee, in the early 1960s.
Scott-Heron's mother was an opera singer and his father was a Jamaican footballer who played for Celtic F.C.
He received a master's degree in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University.
The track 'The Bottle' was inspired by his observations of alcoholics outside a Washington D.C. liquor store.
He turned down an offer from Stevie Wonder to collaborate on the album 'Songs in the Key of Life.'
““The revolution will not be televised, will not be televised, will not be televised, will not be televised. The revolution will be live.””
