Kurtis Blow

He has appeared in the films Krush Groove and The Show. Dorsey Burnette died of a massive coronary in Canoga Park, California and is buried with his brother Johnny in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. The whole field was derided as a fad, though, and thus there was much resistance to signing Blow. He is best known for his prolific writing talents, including songs recorded by then teen idol Ricky Nelson. This occurred after recording "Christmas Rappin", his first single; during this time, "Rappers Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang became the first hit for hip hop. He played bass in his younger brother Johnny Burnette's rockabilly group, and as a solo artist had a few significant hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s such as Tall Oak Tree, Big Rock Candy Mountain and Hey Little One. He was the first rapper to record a full lengh album on a major label (1980). Dorsey Burnette (December 28, 1932 - August 19, 1979) was an early Rockabilly singer in Memphis, Tennessee.

Blow began his career in New York in the mid-1970s, when he was a breakdancer until switching to DJing and then rapping. Bob Dylan appeared on Kurtis Blow's 1986 album "Kingdom Blow". He was influenced by DJ Hollywood. "The Breaks" (1979) is one of hip hop's undisputed classics (basically a catchy disco tune with rapping) and Nas made a new version of Blow's "If I Ruled The World".

Kurtis Blow, (born Curtis Walker on August 9, 1959), is one of the most influential early rappers and hip hop's first mainstream star. 1988 Back by Popular Demand. 1986 Kingdom Blow. 1985 America.

1984 Rapper in Town. 1984 Ego Trip. 1983 Party Time (EP). 1982 Tough.

1981 Deuce. 1980 Kurtis Blow (Mercury).