Drummer Keith LeBlanc (Sugar Hill Records, Tackhead), RIP

Keith LeBlanc, the innovative drummer who collaborated on records by everyone from Grandmaster Flash, Seal, REM, Nine Inch Nails, and many Adrian Sherwood related projects (Tackhead, Mark Stewart, more) died late last week after a battle with an undisclosed illness. He was 69.

Born in 1954 in Bristol, CT, LeBlanc and began playing drums in high school. He got his big break when his friend, Harold Sargent, was leaving his position as house drummer for Sugar Hill Records and brought Keith in to audition for bassist Doug Wimbish and guitarist Skip MacDonald. He got the job and played on early Sugar Hill hip hop records, including Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message” and singles by Sugar Hill Gang, West Street Mob, and more.

After Sugar Hill, LeBlanc, Wimbish and MacDonald continued to play together for Adrian Sherwood’s On-U Sound label where LeBlanc’s interest in drum machines and nascent sampling technology — he was one of the first drummers to trigger samples live on stage —  were encouraged, playing on records by Mark Stewart & The Maffia, Gary Clail, Little Axe, and more and forming their own group, Tackhead.

LeBlanc was also an in-demand session drummer/programmer, contributing to records by ABC, Seal, REM, Annie Lennox, Ministry, Bomb the Bass, and more. He also did production work, most notably on Nine Inch Nails’ debut album, Pretty Hate Machine.

Read a few tributes and watch video of LeBlanc in action, below.