Biography:

Joseph Anthony “Amp” Fiddler (May 1958^[1] – December 17, 2023) was an American singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. His musical styles included funk, soul, dance and electronica music. He was probably best known for his contributions to the band Enchantment, and as part of George Clinton’s Parliament and Funkadelic groups from 1985 until 1996.^[2] His first solo album Waltz of a Ghetto Fly was released on March 9, 2004.^[3] His most recent album, Amp Dog Knights, was released in 2017.^[4]

Early career

Fiddler worked with George Clinton, Moodymann, Stephanie McKay, Jamiroquai, Prince, Was (Not Was), the Brand New Heavies, Fishbone, Corinne Bailey Rae and neo soul artist Maxwell. Working with his brother, Bubz (bass guitarist, producer and songwriter), he released the album With Respect in 1990 on Elektra, recording under the name Mr. Fiddler.^[5] Fiddler was credited with introducing hip-hop producer J Dilla to the Akai MPC sampling drum machine^[6] and also to A Tribe Called Quest member Q-Tip,^[7] who introduced the young Dilla into the music industry world.

In regards to Dilla’s memory, he said:

The first beat he played for me he looped the whole track from cassette player to cassette player. There were a few drops, but for the most part it was pretty damn precise. So I told him he needs to go home and separate all the samples to load into the MPC, and he came back with all the samples separated and mapped out exactly how he wanted it. As time went on, he got better and better. He used to come by the crib to get on the MPC and he would work on it for three or four hours at a time. He used to have a big smile on his face, because he was so excited after finishing a beat.^[8]

Illness and death

Following ongoing health issues and recovery from surgery in 2022, a fundraiser was arranged for Fiddler in Detroit on December 10, 2023, to help cover his medical expenses.^[6] He died on December 17,^[9] at the age of 65.^[1]

Credits: