Imhotep Gary Byrd facts for kids

Imhotep Gary Byrd (born March 14, 1949) is an American radio host, poet, and musician from New York City. He is also a songwriter, music producer, writer, and community activist.

Gary Byrd started his career in Buffalo, New York, in 1965. He was only 15 years old when he became a radio DJ. In 2015, he celebrated 50 years of working in radio.

For over 30 years, he has hosted talk shows on WBLS and WLIB radio stations in New York City.

Gary Byrd was also part of a music group called Gary Byrd and the GB Experience. This group had a popular song called "The Crown." It was released in the UK in 1983 and reached number 6 on the music charts. The song stayed on the charts for nine weeks.

Gary Byrd's Radio Journey

Gary Byrd began his radio career in Buffalo, New York, on WUFO in the 1960s. He was discovered by broadcaster Hank Cameron at age 15. As a teenager, he also worked on the radio station WYSL in Buffalo. By the time he was 19, he became a DJ on the soul music station WWRL. There, he created his own music and information show called "The GBE: The Gary Byrd Experience."

Since the 1980s, Gary Byrd has been a talk show host on WLIB, WBLS, and WBAI radio stations. He was hired by Percy Sutton and Hal Jackson, who started Inner City Broadcasting. In the 1990s, he created a special live radio show called "Global Black Experience" from the Apollo Theater.

During the 1980s, Gary Byrd also worked in England. He hosted shows on the BBC and other British TV networks. In 1984, his BBC television special with Gil Scott Heron and James Brown won national awards.

Today, you can hear Gary Byrd's voice on Sirius XM’s Soul Town Channel. He is known as "The Voice" for their "Classic Soul & Motown" music. His weekly talk and music show, "Radio GBE," is also broadcast live on Pacifica radio station WBAI.

Gary Byrd's Music and Poetry

Gary Byrd is a talented poet, writer, performer, and lyricist. He has worked with the famous musician Stevie Wonder. Byrd wrote lyrics for Wonder's songs "Village Ghetto Land" and "Black Man" on the album Songs in the Key of Life.

He also co-wrote three other songs with Stevie Wonder:

• "Dark n' Lovely": This song was a tribute to the movement against apartheid in South Africa.
• "Front Line": This song was from the 1982 album Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I.
• "Misrepresented People": This song was for the movie Bamboozled by Spike Lee. Gary Byrd even appeared in the movie, playing himself as a radio talk show host.

Over the years, many artists have used parts of songs he co-wrote. George Michael performed "Village Ghetto Land" at a special event for Nelson Mandela in London. Stevie Wonder sang "Dark-N-Lovely" at the same event. Byrd has also written songs for other artists, like "Feelin Good" for Kurtis Blow and "I Cry" for Millie Jackson. These songs have been sampled many times by hip hop artists such as 50 Cent, Nas, and Eazy-E.

In the 1970s, Gary Byrd recorded his first album, Presenting The Gary Byrd Experience, with RCA Records. Later, he recorded the song "Soul Traveling (Inside the G.B.E.)" with Jimmy Castor & The Bunch. The beginning of this song was used by Soul II Soul in their song "Jazzie's Groove."

In 1982, Byrd wrote and performed his first single, "Every Brother Ain't a Brother." He wrote it because his radio listeners on WWRL loved the original poem from his show.

The Song "The Crown"

The 12-inch version of "The Crown" song was very long, lasting 10 minutes and 35 seconds. This made it one of the longest songs to appear on the UK Singles Chart. Gary Byrd and Stevie Wonder wrote the song together. It tells a long story about human progress, starting with ancient Egyptians and continuing to modern times. It especially highlights African heritage.

The song features Gary Byrd speaking or rapping verses. Stevie Wonder and Crystal Blake sang one verse. Gary Byrd explained the song's meaning: "The idea is not that black, white or anyone is better, but that we all have our place. We've all made contributions - and mistakes too. Wearing the crown is reaching the top of your potential. You could be a writer or you could be a mechanic, but you can still wear the crown."

Gary Byrd Today

Currently, Gary Byrd writes a weekly column called "Imhotep’s Guide To Black Events." This column is about arts and entertainment in the New York area. It appears in the New York Amsterdam News, which is one of the oldest African American newspapers in the United States.

You can listen to Gary Byrd’s "Express Yourself" broadcasts in many ways. His talk show, which is broadcast on both WBLS and WLIB, is available online at WBLS.com, WLIB.com, WBLS-HD2, and iHeart radio. You can also interact with his "iGBE: Imhotep Gary Byrd’s Express Yourself" shows live on his Facebook page.

Gary Byrd's Legacy

In 1973, the famous musician James Brown dedicated his song "Mind Power" from the album The Payback to Gary Byrd.

See also

• Frankie Crocker
• Hal Jackson
• Kool DJ Red Alert
• Bob Perkins (radio)
• Vaughn Harper