He began recording in 1970 with the LP Small Talk at 125th and Lenox with the assistance of Bob Thiele Flying Dutchman Records, co-writer Brian Jackson, Hubert Laws, Bernard Purdie (who later recorded "Delights of the Garden" with The Last Poets), Charlie Saunders, Eddie Knowles, Ron Carter and Bert Jones, all jazz musicians (see 1970 in music). The album included the aggressive diatribe against white-owned corporate media and middle-class America's ignorance of the problems of inner cities in songs such as Whitey On The Moon.
The 1971 Pieces of a Man used more conventional song structures than the loose, spoken word feel of his first, though he didn't reach the charts until 1975 with "Johannesburg". His biggest hit was 1978's "The Bottle", produced by Heron and longtime partner Brian Jackson, which peaked at #15 on the R&B charts (see 1978 in music).
In 2001, Gil Scott-Heron was sentenced to one to three years' imprisonment in New York State for possession of cocaine. While out of jail in 2002, he appeared on the Blazing Arrow album by Blackalicious. He was released on parole in 2003. On July 5, 2006, Scott-Heron was sentenced to two to four years in a New York State prison for violating a plea deal on a drug-possession charge by leaving a drug rehabilitation center. Scott-Heron's sentence was to run until July 13, 2009. He was paroled on May 23, 2007. The reason given for the violation of his plea was that the clinic refused to supply Scott-Heron with HIV medication. This story led to the presumption that the artist is HIV positive.
After his release, Scott-Heron began performing live again, starting with a show at SOBs in New York on September 13, 2007. On stage, he stated that he and his musicians were working on a new album and that he had resumed writing a book titled The Last Holiday, previously on long-term hiatus, about Stevie Wonder and his successful attempt to have the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. declared a federally recognized holiday in the United States.
He was arrested October 10, 2007, the day before a scheduled (but ultimately cancelled) second SOBs performance, on felony possession of cocaine charges. However, he has continued to make live appearances at various US venues during the course of 2008 and 2009, including further appearances at SOBs in New York. He has also stated in interviews that work is continuing on his new album, which will consist mainly of new versions of some of his classic songs plus some cover versions of other artists' work.
Having originally planned to publish The Last Holiday in 2003, before it was put on hold, Canongate Books now tentatively intend to issue it in January, 2011. The book was due to be previewed via a website set to be launched on April 1, 2009, but this did not appear.
Mark T. Watson, a student of Scott-Heron's work, dedicated a collection of poetry to Gil titled Ordinary Guy that contained a foreword by Jalal Mansur Nuriddin of The Last Poets. The book was published in the UK in 2004 by Fore-Word Press Ltd. Scott-Heron recorded one of the poems in Watson's book Black & Blue due for release in 2008 as part of the album Rhythms of the Diaspora by Malik & the OG's on the record label CPR Recordings.
Gil Scott-Heron released his new album I'm New Here on independent label XL Recordings on February 9, 2010. Produced by XL label owner Richard Russell, 'I'm New Here' is Scott-Heron's first album in thirteen years.The pair started recording the album in 2007, with the majority of the record being recorded over the last twelve months with engineer Lawson White at Clinton Studios in New York. In 2009, a new Gil Scott-Heron website, www.gilscottheron.net , was launched with a brand new track 'Where Did The Night Go' made available as a free download from the site.
In 2011, Scott-Heron released "We're New Here" a remix album which was a collaboration with Jamie xx, a member of the British indie band The xx. Scott-Heron died in New York City on May 27, 2011.
Spirits Past
Gil Scott-Heron Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When people once spoke of love and good cheer
Peace on Earth and good will to all men
And we all believed that there'd come a day
When peace would be much more than "on it's way"
Cause peace has been on it's way since I don't know when
They haven't confided in me
And i don't think that everybody can wait 'til then
It makes me sad that my kids won't see
Christmas the way it used to be
I was so excited though we didn't have a dime
But that seems like such a long time ago
And I am still a child I know
But it seems like we've lost much more than the time
Cause the folks who decide what will be
They haven't confided in me
And I don't think that everybody can wait 'til then
No, I don't think that everybody can wait 'til then
No, I don't think that everybody can wait 'til then
In Spirits Past, Gil Scott-Heron laments how Christmas has lost its original essence and has become more about consumerism and commercialism rather than about love, good cheer, peace, and goodwill. The song is a reflection on how the world has changed, and peace, which was promised by many, remains elusive. The lyrics express the singer's frustration that he has not been informed about the decisions that will shape the world, and that it's not fair to wait too long for peace to materialize.
The singer employs the use of images and metaphors in the song to depict how Christmas has evolved. For instance, "It makes me sad that my kids won't see Christmas the way it used to be" shows how Christmas has lost its meaning over time. Additionally, his feelings of excitement when he was a kid, even though they were broke, serve as a stark contrast to how it is now-Christmas is more of a burden than a blessing.
Spirits Past was recorded in 1994 as part of the "Spirits" album, which Gil Scott-Heron made with jazz pianist Amnesia Express.
Line by Line Meaning
It's getting to be the time of year
The season of Christmas is upon us.
When people once spoke of love and good cheer
The holiday season used to be a time of love and happiness.
Peace on Earth and good will to all men
The wish for global peace and kindness to all people.
And we all believed that there'd come a day
We all used to believe that peace would become a reality someday.
When peace would be much more than "on it's way"
We hoped that peace would be a tangible reality, not just something we wished for.
Cause peace has been on it's way since I don't know when
The journey towards peace has been ongoing for a long time, but we are still not there yet.
And the folks who decide what will be
The people in power who make important decisions.
They haven't confided in me
I have not been informed of their plans or decisions.
And i don't think that everybody can wait 'til then
I doubt that people can continue to wait for peace and change without action from those in power.
It makes me sad that my kids won't see
I feel sorrowful that my children will not experience the same joy of Christmas that I did.
Christmas the way it used to be
When Christmas was more about love, happiness, and innocence.
I was so excited though we didn't have a dime
Even though my family was poor, I was excited and hopeful during Christmas time.
But that seems like such a long time ago
Those memories feel distant and far away.
And I am still a child I know
Even though I have grown up, I still feel like a child when I remember those times.
But it seems like we've lost much more than the time
The world has lost something more than just the memories of a happy Christmas - it has lost its innocence.
No, I don't think that everybody can wait 'til then
I don't believe that everyone can continue to wait for change without taking action.
No, I don't think that everybody can wait 'til then
I don't think everyone can wait for peace indefinitely.
Contributed by Chloe V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.