Keith LeBlanc, Pioneering Drummer on Hip-Hop Classics ‘The Message’ and ‘White Lines,’ Dies
variety.comJem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Keith LeBlanc, a drummer, producer and recording artist best known for his work on pioneering early hip-hop records by Grandmaster Flash and others, died Thursday after a battle with an undisclosed illness, his wife Fran LeBlanc confirms to Variety.
Later in his career he worked extensively as a producer, session musician — including on Nine Inch Nails’ 1989 debut “Pretty Hate Machine” — and member of the bands Little Axe and Tackhead.
While hip-hop is far more commonly associated with electronic drums, the genre’s early records were mostly played by live musicians, with LeBlanc, bassist Doug Wimbish and guitarist Skip McDonald were a house band for the groundbreaking labels Sugar Hill — which released Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” and galvanizing early singles by Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel — as well as Tommy Boy Records.
The music required both precision and flair, and the trio were ace musicians who both held down the beat and gave songs like “The Message” and “White Lines” a vitality to support the rappers and their lyrics.
Read more on variety.com
