The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Recorded on April 19–20, 1971 at RCA Studios in New York City for the Pieces of a Man sessions. Gil Scott-Heron was backed by Brian Jackson, Ron Carter, Bernard Purdie, Burt Jones, Hubert Laws, and Johnny Pate, with Bob Thiele producing and Bob Simpson mixing. Issued in 1971 as part of Pieces of a Man, the track turned Scott-Heron’s spoken-word protest style into one of his defining statements. It became one of the era’s most recognized anti-media, anti-establishment recordings and has been repeatedly singled out as an early marker of proto-rap. The song remains a touchstone for protest music and hip-hop, with later artists sampling or referencing it frequently. Its influence has been reaffirmed by later recognition in major song lists and by its continued appearance in discussions of Black political music.