Rock Creek Park

Rock Creek Park is considered an oasis within city limits. It is a "large urban park that bisects the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C." This park was created in 1890 by an Act of Congress and today is administered by the National Park Service. Rock Creek Park is a true a gem within our nation's capital. The park is 1,754 acres and the third national park to be designated by the federal government.

Visitors to this park will find an opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and enter a tranquil, peaceful refuge, that offers fresh air, recreation, wild animals, majestic trees, and thousands of years of history in the making. If the name sounds familiar it's because you may be thinking of a song that was inspired by this specific location. In 1975 Donald Byrd and his group The Blackbyrds had a hit song titled ROCK CREEK PARK which rose to number 37 on BILLBOARDS R&B chart. It has since been sampled by numerous artists, including Eric B, Rakim , Ice Cube, De la Soul, and Nas.

Perhaps you enjoyed dancing to the funky beat of the song but did not know it was based on an actual location. Rock Creek Park is in the heart of Washington, DC, where The Blackbyrds group first formed. In 1973 jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd and some of his students from Howard University had their first hit with Walking in Rhythm which has a beautiful melody and harmony.

The Black Byrds consisted of Keith Killgo (drums and vocals), Kevin Toney (keyboards), Joe Hall (bass guitar), Allan Barnes (saxophone, clarinet), and Barney Perry (guitar). Orville Saunders (guitar), and Jay Jones (flute, saxophone) joined the group later.

Merry Clayton lent her vocals to "Rock Creek Park" and "Happy Music" The group signed to Fantasy Records label and "Walking in Rhythm won a Grammy nomination and sold over one million copies. The song later was awarded a gold disc.The members of The Blackbyrds knew the park well, having spent much time there playing sports, fishing, playing sports, and just getting away from urban life. The song's lyrics are quite simple and repeated over and over.

Doing it in the dark,

doing it in the park,

Ooh yeah Rock Creek Park,

Ooh Yeah Rock Creek Park

The song begins with a groove the band members came up with when they were in Nrw Jersey opening a show for the Commodores. While they were working on the music in the studio, drummer Keith Killgo came up with the line "In Rock Creek Park". The rest of the band joined in and Killgo told The Washington Post. "That rhythm made you feel the park," "The sound feels like the park." The female vocalist whose voice is heard saying, "do it!" is Merry Clayton, who can also be heard on the Rolling Stones song "Gimme Shelter."

When asked about the meaning of "Doing it" the band members replied that is was having fun after dark in the park. This could be just hanging out, drinking, or romance. The song is interpretive to whatever someone wants to do in the dark in the park. At the time it was written, some people probably went to the park to smoke marijuana. listen to music or just sit and relax as well as for other reasons. Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II the founder of the group passed away on February 4, 2013, but the Blackbyrds continue to perform for their fans.