Melvin Bliss
Melvin Bliss | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Melvin McClelland |
| Born | 1935[1] |
| Origin | Chicago[2] |
| Genres | Funk[3] |
| Years active | 1973[3]–2010[4] |
| Labels | Sunburst Records[3] |
Melvin McClelland[5] (1935[1]-July 26, 2010[4]) was a rhythm and blues singer known for his 1973 song "Reward/Synthetic Substitution",[3] the B-Side of which was heavily sampled[6] in at least 370 hip hop songs such as "Real Niggaz Don't Die" and Alwayz into Somethin' by N.W.A., O.G. Original Gangster by Ice-T, O.P.P. by Naughty by Nature and more recently "My Life" by 50 Cent, Eminem and Adam Levine.[7]
Born in 1935[3] in Chicago[2] as Melvin McClelland,[5] his career didn't begin with music; rather, in the Armed Forces.[8] After spending a few years singing in Naval bands, he departed the Army in the mid-1950s. From there, he went from stage to stage until the early 1970s, when in an attempt to boost his career prospects he visited a Queensbridge concert hall intending to use it for self-promotion.[8] Whilst awaiting a meeting with the hall's owner, he encountered the mother of Herb Rooney and it emerged that he wanted a singer to record one of his compositions.[8] After an informal discussion with Rooney himself, Bliss hit the studio to record it;[8] the result was Reward. That song's B-Side, Synthetic Substitution, became one of the most sampled songs of all time.[9] Unfortunately, Bliss' label, Sunburst Records, was a sister company of Opal Productions, and in 1974 it went bankrupt, taking Sunburst Records with it;[8] in doing so rendering Bliss a one-hit wonder.
In 2011, a documentary about him, Synthetic Substitution: The Life Story of Melvin Bliss, was released by Peripheral Enterprises. It was produced by Earl Holder.[10]
Death
On July 17, 2010, it was announced by Melvin Bliss, Jr. that Bliss had suffered a heart attack and had been rushed to NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital.[11] Just over a week later, on July 26, 2010, it was announced that Bliss had died.[4]
References
- ^ a b "Melvin Bliss". Wax Poetics. Retrieved Sunday, 12th May 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b ""Synthetic Substitution" Singer / Sample Icon Melvin Bliss Dies". Hiphopdx.com. Retrieved Monday, 13th May 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b c d e "Melvin Bliss - Reward / Synthetic Substitution". Discogs. Cite error: The named reference "discogs" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b c "Died On This Date (July 26, 2010) Melvin Bliss / Heavily Sampled '70s Soul Singer". The Music's Over. Retrieved Sunday, 12th May 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b "Recycled riffs:samples of music biz justice". The Guardian. Retrieved Sunday, 12th May 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Melvin Bliss, R.I.P. Hua Hsu. The Atlantic. Jul 27 2010
- ^ "Melvin Bliss Music Sampled by Others". Whosampled.com. Retrieved Sunday, 12th May 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b c d e ""Synthetic Substitution" ~ Melvin Bliss". GeniusRap.com. Retrieved Tuesday, 14th May 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "R.I.P Melvin Bliss". Flea Market Funk. Retrieved Tuesday, 14th May 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Melvin Bliss at IMDb
- ^ "MELLE MEL (LAMBSTAR)". Twitter. Retrieved Tuesday, 14th May 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)
