US R&B/jazz-funk fusion group formed in Washington DC in 1973 by trumpeter Donald Byrd along with some of his students (from Howard University).

The Blackbyrds became famous for their 1975 hit Walking in Rhythm, which sold more than a million copies and earned them a Grammy nomination.

The band released their self-titled debut in 1973 and split in 1978, but not before laying down a number of hugely influential tracks that would later be sampled by a new generation of rappers.