Detroit music icon Amp Fiddler remembered with street sign
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Joseph Anthony "Amp" Fiddler, a revered Detroit icon who collaborated with Prince, Parliament Funkadelic and others, now has a street named after him.
The big picture: The city is commemorating the legacy of Fiddler, a musician and producer across jazz, funk, soul, rock and hip-hop who mentored local legend J Dilla.
- He died in 2023 from cancer at age 65.
The latest: Detroit unveiled Amp Fiddler Avenue on Friday at 7 Mile and Revere Ave. in Conant Gardens, where Fiddler grew up and began his career. May 16, the musician's birthday, is now Amp Fiddler Day.
- The alternatingly somber and joyful celebration starred musicians who knew Fiddler, government officials including U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, academics and Fiddler's wife, Tombi Stewart-Fiddler.
What they're saying: "(Fiddler was) for many of us the very pulse of the block, the very pulse of Detroit," music media personality Chris Campbell said at the event.
- "Artists from all around the world came to his door. They left better, whether it was making beats, producing," Campbell said. "Amp gave you his time, he gave you his knowledge. But most of all, Amp gave you his love."
Flashback: Fiddler started learning the piano as a kid and studied music in high school and college, said council member Scott Benson, a P-Funk fan who read a short biography of Fiddler's life during the event.
- Fiddler worked with greats, as well as conducting his own solo career — one speaker shouted out his song "Possibilities."
- He was known for his personal style, once landing a gig off the street because he was recognized for it, per the Metro Times.
- Mentoring was a quintessential part of his life, Benson said. Fiddler nurtured the careers of many local artists who went on to success, like Waajeed and Urban Art Orchestra's De'Sean Jones.
- Fiddler taught J Dilla how to use an MPC, a key piece of equipment in hip-hop and electronic music. And he made an introduction that helped launch J Dilla's career — to Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest.
Zoom out: Dozens of streets spanning the city have been given secondary names to honor Detroiters.
- Others include boxer Thomas "Hitman" Hearns, Marvin Gaye and the late Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon.
What's next: Expect a tribute version of Fiddler's album "Waltz of a Ghetto Fly" to come out this year, Stewart-Fiddler said.
- Plus, Wayne State's Amp Fiddler gallery exhibition opens May 23 and runs through Sept. 20.
Go deeper: Read a Metro Times' profile of Fiddler's "funky, out-of-this-world life."