The Blackbyrds

Feeling burned out by the Jazz scene in the early '1970s, Donald Byrd took to teaching music. It was through his classroom that he recruited The Blackbyrds. Named after Byrd's fusion record, The Blackbyrds were an uptempo Soul, Jazz and Pop band who achieved moderate success but were extremely influential to the more recent Acid Jazz revivalists. Versatile players, they made their mark with the track “Walking in Rhythm” and continued to record although they began to play it safe, relying on their own pre-established forms for success.