When The Blackbyrds appear at City Winery on June 17, it will be the pioneering jazz-funk collective’s first show in Nashville in 45 years. Their only other appearance in the city was at Exit/In on Valentine’s Day 1981. Drummer-vocalist Keith Kilgo, one of two original members still performing with the band, remembers the show fondly. “I remember the club in Nashville had a guitar on the ceiling,” he tells the Scene. “It was a great experience.” The Blackbyrds were all students of trumpeter Donald Byrd at Howard University when they came together in 1973. They took their name from his album Black Byrd, which was released earlier that year. They released their eponymous debut in 1974 and immediately hit the R&B charts with the party song “Do It, Fluid.” Over the next four years, they released four more albums, which yielded another eight singles that reached the R&B Top 40. This included their biggest hit, the Grammy-nominated “Walking in Rhythm,” which went to No. 4 on the R&B charts and to No. 6 on the Hot 100. Fans can expect to hear their favorites at Wednesday’s show. “We’ll do ‘Rock Creek Park,’ ‘Happy Music,’ ‘Walking in Rhythm’ and ‘Do It, Fluid,’” Kilgo says.
7:30 p.m. at City Winery
609 Lafayette St.
