Keith LeBlanc

American drummer (died 2024)

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Keith LeBlanc

Keith LeBlanc (Little Axe concert in Vienna, 2009)

Background information
Born| 1954/1955
United States
Died| April 2024(2024-04-00) (aged 68–69)
Occupation(s)| drummer, record producer
Years active| c. 1980s–2024

Musical artist

Keith LeBlanc (1954/1955 – April 2024) was an American drummer and record producer who was 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[edit]

LeBlanc was born in 1954 or 1955,[7][8] and 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.[9]

## Sugar Hill Records[edit]

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.[10]

## Death[edit]

LeBlanc died in April 2024.[11]

## Discography[edit]

### Solo albums[edit]

* Major Malfunction (1986, World)
* Stranger Than Fiction (1989, Enigma)
* Invisible Spike (1991, Blanc)
* Raw (1990, Blanc)
* Time Traveller (1992, Blanc)
* Freakatorium (1999, Blanc)
* Stop the Confusion (Global Interference) (2005, Collision: Cause of Chapter 3)[12]

### Tackhead[edit]

Main article: Tackhead discography

## References[edit]

1. ^ Dougan, John. "Biography: Keith LeBlanc". AllMusic. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
2. ^ "On-U Sound In The Area - Keith LeBlanc biography". Skysaw.org. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
3. ^ a b 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 September 30, 2014.
5. ^ Savage, Jon (February 20, 1984). "Radical Chic". New Society. 67–68. New Society Limited: 186. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
6. ^ "Pretty Hate Machine - Nine Inch Nails | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
7. ^ Leroy, Dan (October 3, 2004). "Behind the Beat". New York Times. Retrieved April 4, 2024. "Mr. LeBlanc, 49, has a laconic wit that lends itself to one-liners."
8. ^ "TACKHEAD BACK TOGETHER". Hartford Courant. September 6, 2004. Retrieved April 4, 2024. "LeBlanc, 49, has released solo albums and played on and produced songs for Nine Inch Nails and Peter Gabriel, (...)"
9. ^ "TRUTH IN RHYTHM" - Keith LeBlanc (Sugar Hill, Tackhead), Part 1 of 3, retrieved May 5, 2022
10. ^ "TRUTH IN RHYTHM" - Keith LeBlanc (Sugar Hill, Tackhead), Part 1 of 3, retrieved May 5, 2022
11. ^ johnrobb (April 4, 2024). "Keith LeBlanc RIP". Louder Than War. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
12. ^ "Keith LeBlanc | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 23, 2021.

## External links[edit]

* Official website
* Unofficial discography
* On NME
* Sunday Mercury
* On Drumdrops
* Keith LeBlanc Interview NAMM Oral History Library (2021)

* v
* t
* e

Keith LeBlanc

Studio albums|

* Major Malfunction
* Stranger than Fiction
* Raw
* Time Traveller
* Freakatorium

Compilations|

* Stop the Confusion (Global Interference)

Singles|

* "No Sell Out"
* Support the Miners

with Strange Parcels|

* Disconnection

Related|

* Tackhead

* v
* t
* e

Tackhead

* Keith LeBlanc
* Skip McDonald
* Adrian Sherwood
* Doug Wimbish

* Gary Clail
* Bernard Fowler

Studio albums|

* Tackhead Tape Time (1987)
* Friendly as a Hand Grenade (1989)
* Strange Things (1990)
* For the Love of Money (2014)

Remix albums|

* Tackhead Sound Crash (2006)

Compilations|

* Power Inc. Vol. 1 (1994)
* Power Inc. Vol. 2 (1994)
* Power Inc. Vol. 3 (1997)

Singles|

* "What's My Mission Now?"
* "Mind at the End of the Tether"
* "The Game (You'll Never Walk Alone)"
* "Reality"
* "Ticking Time Bomb"

as The Maffia|

* As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade (1985)
* Mark Stewart (1987)
* Metatron (1990)
* Control Data (1996)
* Edit (2008)

as Fats Comet|

* "Stormy Weather"
* "Rockchester"

as Strange Parcels|

* Disconnection (1994)

Related|

* Discography
* Dub Syndicate
* Jungle Funk
* Living Colour

Authority control databases: Artists |

* MusicBrainz

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