In Memoriam

In Memoriam : Poet, musician, and activist Gil Scott-Heron

Poet, Writer, Musician, and Activist Gil Scott-Heron best known for “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” passed away Friday at the age of 62.

Published

14 years ago

May 28, 2011

UVM Staff

Gil Scott Heron smiles while on stage in front a packed house at the Regency ballroom, Friday, October 3, 2009 in San Francisco. (Photo by Adam Turner, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gil_Scott-Heron_-_10-03-2009_San_Francisco,_California.jpg)

Poet, writer, musician, and activist Gil Scott-Heron, best known for “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”, has passed away.

He was 62.

Gil Scott-Heron laid the groundwork for rap music by fusing minimalistic percussion, political expression, and spoken word in many of his pieces.

Most known for his work during the post civil rights era, Scott-Heron often talked about Black issues and social disparities in the country.

Scott-Heron was born in Chicago on April 1, 1949. He was raised in Jackson, Tenn., and in New York before attending college at HBCU Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.

Before turning to music, he was a novelist, releasing the murder mystery publication of “The Vulture,” at age 19.

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Unheard Voices, an award-winning, family-operated online news magazine, began in 2004 as a community newsletter serving Neptune, Asbury Park, and Long Branch, N.J. Over time, it grew into a nationally recognized Black-owned media outlet. The publication remains one of the few dedicated to covering social justice issues. Its honors include the NAACP Unsung Hero Award and multiple media innovator awards for excellence in social justice reporting and communications.