Jazz Trumpeter Donald Byrd, A Funk-Fusion Experimenter, Dies At 80

Jazz Trumpeter Donald Byrd, A Funk-Fusion Experimenter, Dies At 80
Entertainment •

Jazz Trumpeter Donald Byrd, A Funk-Fusion Experimenter, Dies At 80

Legendary jazz trumpeter and band leader Donald Byrd, who went on to experiment with jazz-funk-R&B fusions, has died at the age of 80.

Byrd, known for records such as Black Byrd, reportedly died on February 4th in Dover, Delaware.

Byrd was born and raised in Detroit, having grown up amidst the city’s rich blues and gospel culture, and moved to New York in 1955, where he quickly became one of the most sought after trumpeters.

Byrd later innovated the fusion of many different genres together, highlighted on his album Black Byrd, which peaked at No. 88 on the Billboard Top 100.

Byrd’s legacy extends into hip-hop, where acts Public Enemy and Nas sampled his work.

Jordan Shepherd | Elite.

Share Tweet
Prev Story

Next Story

More In Entertainment

Entertainment

Chad Johnson Is Broke, Can’t Pay Baby Mama

“At least you’re not Chad Johnson” might be something people say soon because on top of being a wanted man, the former NFL star’s finances are sinking faster than his career. Ochocinco filed new court docs as part of an ongoing battle with one of his baby mamas, Andrea Pearson, asking a judge to lower [...]

Entertainment

Death Threats Made Against Chris Brown

The Los Angeles Police Department is currently investigating a series of serious death threats directed at Chris Brown. According to multiple sources, the aforementioned threats were made via telephone to Mark Geragos, Brown’s attorney. It appears as though that the caller threatened Chris’ life … but it’s unclear what it is they exactly said. Geragos took the [...]

Entertainment

Jay-Z & Justin Timberlake’s Bromance In Music Lyrics

Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake are set to headline the most buzzed about tour of the season (Legends of the Summer) and it turns out that the two have a lot more in common than Tom Ford suits, platinum stats and famous wives. These two legends see eye to eye and are definitely bros. Here’s why the two are [...]

Entertainment

Farrah Abraham’s Disgusting Sex Tape Bikini Gets Taken Off eBay

It turns out that the bikini Farrah Abraham wore during her sex tape has hit some turbulence … eBay has pulled the listing down because as we previously reported, it hasn’t been washed since she wore it. Vivid Entertainment, which is the porn studio behind the release of “Farrah Superstar: Backdoor Teen Mom” , listed Farrah’s [...]

Also On Elite

World

TechCrunch Founder’s Ex-Girlfriend Claims He Physically Abused Her

An ex-girlfriend of TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington claims that he physically abused her and threatened to kill her if she told anyone about it. Last Thursday, Jenn Allen, the CEO and founder of start-up RTist.com posted the following public status update to her 4,500 Facebook subscribers: “Last post on someone i’m completely over. I’ve never [...]

Entertainment

Macaulay Culkin Bugs Out On Photographer In England

32-year-old actor Macaulay Culkin lashed out at a photographer as he left friend Adam Green’s concert at The Haunt nightclub in Brighton, England, around 1 a.m. on Tuesday. The troubled actor allegedly lunged at the photographer, shouted at him, and told him to “go to hell,” according to the Daily Mail. The publication also noted [...]

World

Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Transferred From Hospital To Prison

19-year-old Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been released from a civilian hospital and transferred to a federal medical detention center in central Massachusetts. Devens Federal Medical Center lies about 40 miles west of Boston. Dzhokhar was previously staying at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Devens is a minimum security facility on the decommissioned Fort [...]

Sports

Darrelle Revis Camp Takes Shots At Jets Before Dipping Off To Tampa Bay

The Darrelle Revis saga is finally over in New York as both sides can finally move forward looking ahead into next season. While the shutdown corner finally got what we all knew was coming to him, you better believe some words were said as he left the door. Darrelle has been whisked away to sunny [...]

Sports

Manti Te’o Thought He Was Being Prank Called When Chargers Called To Draft Him

Manti Te’o doesn’t know what to believe in these days. The Notre Dame star, who was one of the top prospects after an impressive season for the Irish, saw his life change due to a string of unfortunate and hilarious events. His slide all started with a lackluster performance in the national championship game against [...]

World

College Campuses Have Become The Most Dangerous Places In America

Colleges are suddenly gaining the reputation for being dangerous places. Between the kid at San Diego state who wanted to stage a massive explosion to the stabbing at Lone Star College to the Virginia Tech shooting to the endless amount of gunpoint robberies we hear about in SUNY schools all over New York, we’re actually [...]