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Artist
Eugene Blacknell
12+ albums
funkguitarEast Baydeep funkDope
about
Oakland guitar ace Eugene Blacknell released multiple singles that ranged in style from raw R&B to power house funk. His musical career stretched from the early 1960s when as a talented and sharp dressed kid, he would become the youngest musician from the Bay Area to play the Apollo in New York, to the end of the 1980s when he died too young. During that time he established himself as an East Bay original, an entrepreneur, and an activist. His ability to cross-over from R&B to blues, funk and soul put him at head of the Bay Area scene and he was often compared to the likes of Albert and BB King. His business dealings were inspirational. His band were able to break into new scenes and live circuits, and he helped improve standards of pay for African American musicians in the Bay Area. With so many accomplishments it's an irony of fate that he died before releasing an album despite having recorded enough material for several. Ubiquity's re-issue arm, Luv N'Haight Records, worked with Gino Blacknell (Eugene's son, himself a producer and a young member of Eugene Blacknell and the New Breed at the tail-end of their existence) to compile information, images and music to release this first official album by Eugene Blacknell. Gino has always promised his Mom that he would make sure his father's music was eventually released. Digging up hours of old master tapes he found unreleased material, radio advertisements, demos, live recordings, and he even improved mixes on several tracks.
