DeWayne Stephen 'Blackbyrd' McKnight (born April 17, 1954) is an American guitarist. He was a member of The Headhunters, a jazz-funk fusion band from 1975 through 1978 and Parliament-Funkadelic from 1978 through 2008. He served briefly as guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers after the death of Hillel Slovak in 1988 before being replaced by John Frusciante. He also played briefly with Miles Davis in 1986.