Joseph Anthony "Amp" Fiddler (May 17, 1958 – December 18, 2023)[1] was an American singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. His musical styles included funk, soul, dance and electronica. 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 to 1996.[2]
Fiddler was born in Detroit on May 17, 1958.[3][4][5] He began studying music at the age of 16.[6] After graduating from high school, he continued studying music at Wayne County Community College, Oakland Community College, and Oakland University.[6] He left Oakland University to go on tour full-time with Enchantment.[4][6]
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.[5][7][8]
Working with his brother, Bubz (bass guitarist, producer and songwriter), Fiddler released the album With Respect in 1991 on Elektra, recording under the name Mr. Fiddler.[4][7] His debut album as Amp Fiddler, Waltz of a Ghetto Fly, was released on March 9, 2004.[5][9] His final album, Basementality, was released in 2021.[5]
Fiddler received a Kresge Artist Fellowship in 2020.[4]
Fiddler was credited with introducing hip-hop producer J Dilla to the Akai MPC sampling drum machine[10] and also to A Tribe Called Quest member Q-Tip,[11] who introduced the young Dilla into the music industry world.[4]
In regard to Dilla's memory, Fiddler 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.[12]
Fiddler married Tombi Stewart in 2023. He had a son from a previous relationship.[1]
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.[10] He died from cancer at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit on December 18, 2023,[1] at the age of 65.[5][1][13][14]
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