Amnesty (band)

Amnesty
Amnesty
Origin	Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Genres	Funk; psychedelic soul;
Years active	1968–1973, 2002-2003
Labels	Now-Again Records

Amnesty was an American funk band founded in 1968. Based in Indianapolis, it consisted of lead vocalist Damon Malone, bass guitarist James "Red" Massie, drummer Kirk Alexander, guitarist Calvin Williams, trumpeter Herman Walker, saxophonist James "Gino" Johnson, keyboardist Joseph Trotter, and percussionist Raphael Barnes. The group's discography consists of the album Free Your Mind, released in 1970, and Hum-Bug b/w Everybody Who Wants To Be Free, released in 2003. The music released by the group was mostly deep funk and soul, with many songs on the records being extended jams.^[1]

The group gained notability after the song "Liberty" off of the album Free Your Mind was sampled in 2018 single "Lift Yourself" by Kanye West. The sample was reportedly uncleared by West with the group.^[2]

Discography

Albums

Free Your Mind (1970)
Hum-Bug b/w Everybody Who Wants To Be Free (2003)

Singles

Everybody Who Wants To Be Free (1971)
Three Cheers For My Baby - Lord Help Me (1973)

Members

Kirk Alexander (drums)
Raphael Barnes (percussion)
James "Gino" Johnson (saxophone)
Damon Malone (lead vocals)
James "Red" Massie (bass)
Joseph Trotter (vocals, keyboards, percussion)
Herman Walker (trumpet)
Calvin Williams (guitar, vocals)

References

^ "Amnesty". Now Again Records. 2007-03-22. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
^ Tracklib (2018-10-25). "Kanye West: Uncleared Samples and Trolling Drake". Tracklib. Retrieved 2024-08-12.

[1] "Amnesty". Now Again Records. 2007-03-22. Retrieved 2024-08-12.

[2] Tracklib (2018-10-25). "Kanye West: Uncleared Samples and Trolling Drake". Tracklib. Retrieved 2024-08-12.

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