City Life is the third studio album by the American rhythm and blues and jazz-funk fusion group the Blackbyrds. It was produced by Donald Byrd and includes the popular singles "Happy Music" and "Rock Creek Park." "Happy Music" was first given a limited released as a six-minute remix on 12-inch vinyl for club deejays,[3] then in early 1976 was released on standard 7-inch vinyl. "Rock Creek Park" has been sampled repeatedly by hip hop musicians.[4]
| City Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1975 | |||
| Recorded | 1975 | |||
| Studio | Sound Factory (Hollywood) | |||
| Genre | Jazz-funk[1] | |||
| Label | Fantasy | |||
| Producer | Donald Byrd | |||
| The Blackbyrds chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
Track listing edit
- "Rock Creek Park" (Joe Hall, Keith Killgo, Kevin Toney, Orville Saunders, Stephen Johnson) 4:35
- "Thankful 'Bout Yourself" (Orville Saunders) 5:11
- "City Life" (Kevin Toney) 5:22
- "All I Ask" (Kevin Toney) 3:50
- "Happy Music" (Donald Byrd) 4:32
- "Love So Fine" (Joe Hall) 5:00
- "Flying High" (Keith Killgo) 3:29
- "Hash and Eggs" (Fonce Mizell, Larry Mizell) 5:06
Personnel edit
- Donald Byrd – trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals
- Joe Hall – bass
- Keith Killgo – drums
- Orville Saunders – guitar
- Kevin Toney – keyboards
- Stephen Johnson – saxophone
- Merry Clayton – vocals ("Happy Music" and “Rock Creek Park”)
Charts edit
Album edit
| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Top LPs | 16 |
| Top Soul LPs | 3 |
| Jazz LPs | 1 |
Singles edit
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "City Life" | Disco Singles | 4 |
| "Flying High" | Billboard Hot 100 | 70 | |
| Hot Soul Singles | 22 | ||
| 1976 | "Happy Music" | Billboard Hot 100 | 19 |
| Hot Soul Singles | 3 | ||
| Disco Singles | 6 | ||
| "Rock Creek Park" | Billboard Hot 100 | 93 | |
| Hot Soul Singles | 37 |
References edit
- ^ Gorton, TJ (July 30, 2018). "BeatCaffeine's 100 Best Jazz-Funk Songs". BeatCaffeine. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ Mason, Stewart. The Blackbyrds: City Life > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ Niebur, Louis (2022). Menergy: San Francisco's Gay Disco Sound. Oxford University Press. p. 49. ISBN 9780197511077.
- ^ "Donald Byrd, Producer of "Rock Creek Park," Dead at 80". Archived from the original on 2022-07-05. Retrieved 2022-07-04.