Weldon Irvine facts for kids

Weldon Jonathan Irvine Jr. (born October 27, 1943 – died April 9, 2002) was a very talented American musician. People also knew him as Master Wel. He was a composer, writer, poet, and played many instruments like the piano and organ.

Weldon Irvine's Life and Music

Weldon Irvine was an African American artist born in Hampton, Virginia. He moved to New York City in 1965. He loved many kinds of music, including Jazz-Funk, jazz, hip hop, funk, rhythm and blues, and gospel.

Weldon was the bandleader for the famous jazz singer Nina Simone. He also helped many young hip-hop artists in New York, like Q-Tip and Mos Def. He wrote more than 500 songs! One of his most famous songs is "To Be Young, Gifted and Black". Nina Simone first sang this song live in 1970. Many people call it the "official" song for the Civil Rights movement.

In 1998, Weldon played the keyboards for the song "Astronomy (8th Light)". This song was on the album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star by Black Star. The next year, he also worked on Mos Def's first solo album, Black On Both Sides.

One of Weldon's last big projects was The Price of Freedom in 1999. This album had original songs by hip-hop, jazz, funk, and R&B artists. They created it to share their feelings about the shooting of Amadou Diallo. In 2000, Weldon also added his voice to some songs by UK music producer Big Bud.

Weldon Irvine passed away on April 9, 2002.

Remembering Weldon Irvine

Many people have honored Weldon Irvine's memory and his amazing work.

In 1976, his childhood friend Collis Davis made a documentary film about him. It was called The Edification of Weldon Irvine.

Later, in 2003, musicians Madlib, Mr. Dibbs, and Breakestra created a special music piece called "Suite for Weldon". The next year, Madlib released a whole album as a tribute to Weldon. It was called A Tribute to Brother Weldon.

In 2008, Q-Tip mentioned Weldon in his song "Shaka". This song was a way to thank people who had helped him and those who had passed away.

In 2019, a longer documentary film about Weldon was released. It was called Digging for Weldon Irvine and was directed by Victorious De Costa.