Keith LeBlanc (Little Axe concert in Vienna, 2009)

Keith LeBlanc is an American drummer and record producer, and is a member of the bands Little Axe and Tackhead.[1][2]

His record "No Sell Out" was one of the first sample-based releases.[3] The song was a success, charting at No. 60 on the UK Singles Chart,[4] and becoming the single of the week for several major music publications.[5] His career started out on Sugar Hill Records recording with hip hop pioneers Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel, and released several singles on and was a studio musician for Tommy Boy Records.[3] He is also featured on several tracks on the album Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails.[6] He now has his own record label on which he still releases music, samples records, and experiments.

Early life

LeBlanc grew up in Bristol, Connecticut. He got his start playing drums after seeing Ringo Starr from the Beatles on TV. After showing an early interest and focus, his parents bought him a practice pad, and he joined the orchestra in school. A drummer in school encouraged his early interest, inspiring him to cobble together a makeshift kit which he played along to records on his father's HiFi system. He performed his first show at 14 after being snuck into the club by his older bandmates.[7]

Sugar Hill Records

LeBlanc's friend Harold Sargent, the drummer for the house band at Sugar Hill Records, was retiring and needed to find his replacement. He brought in LeBlanc to audition for Doug Wimbish and Skip McDonald, who agreed to take him on after hitting it off with LeBlanc. After replacing Sargent, LeBlanc worked as the session drummer for Sugar Hill Records for four years.[8]

Discography

Solo albums

Tackhead

References

  1. ↑ Dougan, John. "Biography: Keith LeBlanc". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  2. ↑ "On-U Sound In The Area - Keith LeBlanc biography". Skysaw.org. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  3. 1 2 Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 195. ISBN 0-7535-0252-6.
  4. ↑ "Malcolm X - Singles". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  5. ↑ Savage, Jon (20 February 1984). "Radical Chic". New Society. New Society Limited. 67–68: 186. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "Pretty Hate Machine - Nine Inch Nails | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  7. ↑ "TRUTH IN RHYTHM" - Keith LeBlanc (Sugar Hill, Tackhead), Part 1 of 3, retrieved 5 May 2022
  8. ↑ "TRUTH IN RHYTHM" - Keith LeBlanc (Sugar Hill, Tackhead), Part 1 of 3, retrieved 5 May 2022
  9. ↑ "Keith LeBlanc | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 June 2021.


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