LA Reid got a big âthank youâ from Meghan Trainor at the Grammys a few nights ago, and Recording Workshop has a bit of a âthank youâ for him too. Some trivia from the early days of Recording Workshop made it into LA Reidâs new book âSing To Meâ, and this also lead to uncovering an interesting story about the journey a music sample can take.
Back in 1976, LA Reid was the drummer in a Cincinnati band called Pure Essence. The song âThird Rockâ was one of a few songs ever recorded by this young and funky group, and it was done in Recording Workshopâs Studio C. This recording showcased an immense talent and helped launch great things ahead, but the small run of 45âs that existed made the record itself a bit of a rarity.
Years later, some copies of âThird Rockâ turned up in Southern California and became inspiration for a new breed of underground hip hop artists. Samples of the drums and bass became the foundation for the song âClean Livingâ by RJD2 in 2004.
Fast forward to now, and the game NBA 2K16 has included âClean Livingâ in itâs soundtrack. So those LA Reid drum tracks recorded way back in 1976 in our Studio C groove on as players fight it out on the virtual basketball courts of their PlayStations and Xboxâs.
Now THATâS something for Throw Back Thursday.