Gil Scott-Heron& His Amnesia Express Summer '86 Record Store Day 2020 Edition

Gil Scott-Heron was one of the foremost singer-songwriters of his generation. A committed civil rights activist that also wrote a couple of unusual novels exploring negative elements of the black experience and the punitive societal attitude against black people in the United States, Scott-Heron recorded an exceptional body of work during the 1970s and 80s, and although longstanding issues with drug addiction resulted in repeated bouts of imprisonment and an ultimately shortened lifespan, he continued to produce noteworthy material into the new millennium. Anyone that had the pleasure of seeing Scott-Heron and His Amnesia Express band during the mid-1980s is unlikely to forget it; percussionist Larry McDonald, drummer Rodney Young, saxophonist Ron Holloway and backing vocalist/keyboardist Kim Jordan provide a full yet uncluttered backdrop to the man and his piano, as evidenced by these stunning excerpts from the summer 1986 tour, with “Winter In America,” “Johannesburg,” “Blue Collar” and “Shut ‘Em Down” being among the standouts.