Gilbert "Gil" Scott-Heron was an American soul and jazz poet, musician, and author, known primarily for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with ...

Before I start writing this brief biography of Gil Scott-Heron in celebration of his 74th birthday on April 1, I must quote some of the lyrics from his 1981 hit, entitled “Gun.” And I’m quoting those ...

Nobody could tell singer-songwriter Gil Scott-Heron that idealism had become outdated when he was a musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” in 1975. He performed “Johannesburg,” a funk tune with a ...

The musician’s posthumous memoir, The Last Holiday, is as rich and ambiguous as his declaration that “The Revolution Will Not be Televised.” In late January, flying high from his South Carolina ...

Gil Scott-Heron would have been 68 years old on April 1st. I can still remember Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael) coming up behind Scott-Heron and blindfolding him. Scott-Heron never flinched, even when ...