Parliament-Funkadelic
Parliament-Funkadelic | |
---|---|
Dallas, Texas, May 4, 2006 | |
Background information | |
Also known as | P-Funk, P-Funk All-Stars |
Origin | Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
Genres | |
Discography | |
Members | George Clinton See other "Members" |
Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American
The collective's origins date back to the
Prominent collective members have included bassist Bootsy Collins (who formed the spinoff group Bootsy's Rubber Band), keyboardist Bernie Worrell, guitarists Eddie "Maggot Brain" Hazel, Michael Hampton, and Garry "Diaper Man" Shider, and horn players Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker. Some former members of Parliament perform under the name "Original P". Sixteen members of Parliament-Funkadelic were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2019, the group was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
History
The Parliaments
The P-Funk story began in 1956 in Newark, New Jersey, with a
The West End of Plainfield, New Jersey, was once home to the Silk Palace, a barbershop at 216 Plainfield Avenue owned in part by Clinton, staffed by various members of Parliament-Funkadelic and known as the "hangout for all the local singers and musicians" in Plainfield's 1950s and 1960s doo-wop, soul, rock and proto-funk music scene.[11][12][13]
Funkadelic and Parliament
By the late 1960s Clinton had assembled a touring band to back up the Parliaments, the first stable lineup of which included Billy Bass Nelson (bass), Eddie Hazel (lead guitarist), Tawl Ross (guitarist), Tiki Fulwood (drums), and Mickey Atkins (keyboards). After a contractual dispute in which Clinton temporarily lost the rights to the name "The Parliaments", Clinton brought the backing musicians forward. When the band relocated to Detroit, their guitar-based, raw funk sound, with its heavy psychedelic rock influences, inspired "Billy Bass" Nelson, who coined the name "Funkadelic".[14] Clinton signed Funkadelic to Westbound Records, and the five Parliaments singers were credited as "guests" while the five musicians were listed as the main group members. The debut album Funkadelic was released in 1970.
Meanwhile, Clinton regained the rights to the name "The Parliaments" and initiated another new entity, now known as Parliament, with the same five singers and five musicians but this time as a smoother R&B-based funk ensemble that Clinton positioned as a counterpoint to the more rock-oriented Funkadelic. Parliament recorded Osmium for Invictus Records in 1970, and after a hiatus in which Clinton focused on Funkadelic, Parliament was signed to Casablanca Records and released its debut for that label Up for the Down Stroke in 1974. The two bands began to tour together under the collective name "Parliament-Funkadelic".
By this time the original ten-member lineup of Parliament-Funkadelic had begun to splinter, but many others joined for various album releases by either band, leading to a collective with a fluid and rapidly expanding membership. Notable members to join during this period include keyboardist Bernie Worrell, bassist Bootsy Collins, guitarist Garry Shider, bassist Cordell Mosson, and The Horny Horns.
In the 1975–1979 period, both Parliament and Funkadelic achieved several high-charting albums and singles on both the R&B and Pop charts. Many members of the collective began to branch out into side bands and solo projects under George Clinton's tutelage, including
By the late 1970s, several key members departed acrimoniously over disagreements with Clinton and his management style. Original Parliaments members Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas departed in 1977 after becoming disillusioned with the influx of new members, and later recorded an album under the name Funkadelic. Other members departed and formed new funk bands that detached themselves from P-Funk and even criticized the collective, such as Quazar (formed by guitarist Glenn Goins) and Mutiny (formed by drummer Jerome Brailey). Due to financial difficulties and the collapse of Casablanca Records (Parliament's label), Clinton dissolved Parliament and Funkadelic as separate entities. Many members of the collective continued to work for Clinton, first on his solo albums and later as Parliament-Funkadelic or the P-Funk All Stars.
Modern day Parliament-Funkadelic
In the early 1980s George Clinton continued to record while battling with financial problems and well-publicized drug problems. The remaining members of Parliament-Funkadelic recorded the 1982 hit album
As the 1980s continued, P-Funk did not meet with great commercial success as the band continued to produce albums under the name of George Clinton as solo artist. P-Funk retired from touring from 1984 until 1989, except for extremely sporadic performances and TV appearances. It was at this time that hip hop music began to extensively sample P-Funk music, so remnants of the music were still heard regularly, now among fans of hip hop. By 1993, most of the Parliament and Funkadelic back catalog had been reissued. The same year saw the return of a reconstituted P-Funk All Stars, with the re-release of Urban Dancefloor Guerrillas under the title Hydraulic Funk, and a new hip hop influenced album Dope Dogs. In 1994, the group toured with the Lollapalooza festival and appeared in the film PCU.
The 1996 album
Legacy
In May 1997, George Clinton and 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the largest band yet inducted. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Parliament-Funkadelic #56 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".[16] In February 2002, Spin ranked Parliament-Funkadelic #6 on their list of the "50 Greatest Bands of All Time". Besides their innovation in the entire genre of funk music, George Clinton and P-Funk are still heard often today, especially in hip-hop sampling. The Red Hot Chili Peppers video for their 2006 single "Dani California" featured a tribute to Parliament-Funkadelic. Parliament-Funkadelic's musical influence can also be heard in rhythm and blues, soul, electronica, gospel, jazz, and new wave.
Parliament-Funkadelic was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2013.[17]
In December 2018, the Recording Academy announced that Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic would be given Lifetime Achievement Awards. The awards were presented on May 11, 2019.[18][19][20]
Afrofuturism
About the album Mothership Connection, Clinton said "We had put black people in situations nobody ever thought they would be in, like the White House. I figured another place you wouldn't think black people would be was in outer space. I was a big fan of Star Trek, so we did a thing with a pimp sitting in a spaceship shaped like a Cadillac, and we did all these James Brown-type grooves, but with street talk and ghetto slang."[21][22] Like Sun Ra, Clinton wanted to see black people in space.
Key members
George Clinton (band leader, vocals, songwriter, producer; born July 22, 1941). George Clinton has been, since its inception, the driving force behind the development of the P-Funk sound, having led the collective since forming The Parliaments as a doo-wop group in the late 1950s. The funk sound, socially conscious lyrics, and P-Funk mythology developed primarily by Clinton have been especially influential for later R&B, hip hop, and rock music.
Bernie Worrell (keyboards, vocals, songwriter, arranger; producer; April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016). Bernie Worrell officially joined
William "Bootsy" Collins (bass guitar, vocals, drums, songwriter, producer; born October 26, 1951). Bootsy Collins was a major songwriter, rhythm arranger, and bassist for Parliament-Funkadelic during the seventies and was a major influence in the band's sound during that time. His style of bass playing has become especially influential. Collins later focused his attention on his own
Eddie Hazel (guitar, vocals, songwriter; April 10, 1950 – December 23, 1992). Eddie Hazel was the original lead guitarist for
Maceo Parker (saxophone; born February 14, 1943). Maceo joined James Brown's band with brother Melvin Parker in 1964. In 1970, Parker, his brother Melvin, and a few of Brown's band members left to establish the band Maceo & All the King's Men, which toured for two years. In January 1973, Parker rejoined with James Brown. He also charted a single "Parrty – Part I" (#71 pop singles) with Maceo & the Macks that year. In 1975, Parker and some of Brown's band members, including Fred Wesley, left to join George Clinton's band Parliament-Funkadelic.
Garry "Diaperman" Shider (vocals, guitar; July 24, 1953 – June 16, 2010). As a child, Garry Shider was a customer at the barbershop where The Parliaments rehearsed and performed, and after some time with his own group United Soul, he was recruited by George Clinton into Funkadelic in 1972. Shider became a frequent lead vocalist on several Parliament and Funkadelic albums and along with his "gospel" vocal and guitar style, was most recognized for wearing his trademark hotel-towel "diaper".
Michael "Kidd Funkadelic" Hampton (guitar; born November 15, 1956). Mike Hampton has been the lead guitarist for P-Funk since 1973, when he was recruited at age 17 to replace Eddie Hazel, after an impromptu performance of Hazel's signature song "Maggot Brain". Hampton is known for his advancement of rock and heavy metal guitar used by Parliament-Funkadelic and later the P-Funk All Stars, leaving the collective in 2015.
Glenn Goins (vocals, guitar; January 2, 1954 – July 29, 1978). Glenn Goins was recruited into Parliament-Funkadelic in 1975 and was an important contributor, and like bandmate Garry Shider, was known for his "gospel" singing and guitar style. In 1978, Goins and bandmate Jerome Brailey departed acrimoniously, and immediately began recording and producing a new band,
Jerome "Bigfoot" Brailey (drums and percussion; born August 20, 1950). Brailey was the most prominent drummer in the Parliament-Funkadelic collective during their period of greatest success in the mid-to-late 1970s. Brailey (and bandmate Glenn Goins) left the collective acrimoniously, forming his own band Mutiny, in which he criticized George Clinton's management style.
Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood (drums, vocals; May 23, 1944 – October 29, 1979). Tiki Fulwood was the original drummer for Funkadelic. He originally quit the band in 1971 but reappeared on several Parliament-Funkadelic releases during the remainder of the 1970s. After also working briefly for Miles Davis, Fulwood died of cancer in 1979.
"Billy Bass" Nelson (bass, guitar; born January 28, 1951). Billy Nelson was a teenage employee at George Clinton's barbershop in the 1960s and was the first musician hired to back The Parliaments in the band that would eventually become Funkadelic. Nelson then brought his friend Eddie Hazel into the band and coined the name "Funkadelic" when Clinton moved the collective to Detroit. Nelson quit Funkadelic in 1971 but contributed to P-Funk releases sporadically for the next few years. Starting in 1994, he toured with the P-Funk All Stars for ten years.
Cordell "Boogie" Mosson (bass, guitar, drums; October 16, 1952 – April 18, 2013). Mosson joined Funkadelic in 1972 along with his friend and previous United Soul bandmate Garry Shider. Mosson was the primary bassist for Funkadelic starting in 1972 and Parliament starting a few years after Bootsy Collins began to focus on his solo career. Since the late 1970s, Mosson most frequently played rhythm guitar and continued to tour with the P-Funk All Stars until his death.
Ray "Stingray" Davis (vocals; March 29, 1940 – July 5, 2005). Davis was the bass singer and a member of The Parliaments. His distinctive voice can be heard on "
Calvin Simon (vocals, percussion; May 22, 1942 – January 6, 2022). Simon was an original member of The Parliaments, before leaving in 1977. In the nineties, he formed Original P with the other Parliaments (Davis, Thomas and Haskins), and retired in 2005. He was the owner of a record label.
"Shady Grady" Thomas (vocals; born January 5, 1941). In the late 1950s, Thomas started as bass vocalist for The Parliaments. When Parliament members moved from Newark to Plainfield, New Jersey to "conk" hair at The Silk Palace, The Parliaments began a friendly rivalry with local doo wop group Sammy Campbell and the Del-Larks, who featured bass vocalist Raymond Davis. Thomas persuaded Davis to take over as bass vocalist in the Parliaments, which enabled Thomas to move to baritone. Thomas (along with Worrell) is responsible for the addition of drummer Jerome Brailey. After Thomas, Haskins, and Simon left P-Funk in 1977, Thomas formed his own band called The Shady Bunch. Word of Thomas's drummer, Dennis Chambers, and bassist Rodney "Skeet" Curtis got back to Clinton, and Chambers and Curtis were invited, and joined Parliament-Funkadelic. After Thomas' brief return to The P-Funk Allstars in the nineties, Thomas cofounded Original P with original Parliaments (Davis, Haskins, and Simon). Thomas is the leader of Original P.
Notable songs
- "Maggot Brain" (Funkadelic), 1971
- "Up for the Down Stroke" (Parliament), 1974
- "Chocolate City" (Parliament), 1975
- "P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)" (Parliament), 1975
- "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)" (Parliament), 1976
- "Do That Stuff" (Parliament), 1976
- "I'd Rather Be With You" (Bootsy's Rubber Band), 1976
- "Bop Gun (Endangered Species)" (Parliament), 1977
- "Funkentelechy" (Parliament), 1978
- "The Pinocchio Theory" (Bootsy's Rubber Band), 1977
- "Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)" (Parliament), 1978
- "Bootzilla" (Bootsy's Rubber Band), 1978
- "Flash Light" (Parliament), 1978
- "One Nation Under a Groove" (Funkadelic), 1978
- "(Not Just) Knee Deep" (Funkadelic), 1979
- "The Electric Spanking of War Babies" (Funkadelic), 1981
See also
- Album era
- List of P-Funk members
- List of P-Funk projects
- Category:P-Funk songs
- Parliament discography
- Funkadelic discography
- P-Funk mythology
References
- ISBN 9780253026590.
- ^ "New Generation Dances to a Different Drummer". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. August 10, 1978. p. 60. Retrieved January 26, 2021 – via Google Books.
- ^ Parker, James (July 24, 2020). "The Funkadelic Album That Predicted the Future". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ Dove, Ian (February 15, 1975). "Three Soul Groups Sing at Music Hall". The New York Times. p. 16. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ Bush, John. "Parliament -Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- ^ Parliament/Funkadelic. (2009). In Student's Encyclopædia Archived April 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine: "Combining funk rhythms, psychedelic guitar, and group harmonies with jazzed-up horns, Clinton and his ever-evolving bands set the tone for many post-disco and post-punk groups of the 1980s and 1990s.". Retrieved August 15, 2009, from Britannica Student Encyclopædia.
- ISBN 9780253026590. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- ^ Bush, John (July 22, 1940). "George Clinton - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
- ^ Christopher Hunter (March 16, 2017). "Warren G Is Releasing a Documentary on the History of G-Funk - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ "George Clinton And Killer Mike: Talking (Barber) Shop". Npr.org. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ George Clinton And Killer Mike: Talking (Barber) Shop https://n.pr/2pRRTH9
- ^ Sammy Campbell and the Del Larks - Classic Urban Harmony. classicurbanharmony.net/wp-content/uploads/.../Sammy-Campbell-The-Del-Larks.pdf by T Ashley. The story of the Del Larks revolves around the extensive music careers of two individuals; Sammy. Campbell and Ron Taylor.
- ^ "George Clinton and the Parliaments – (Part One of Two) – Rock 'n' Roll Spotlight". www.rocknrollspotlight.com.
- ^ John, Bush. Funkadelic: Biography. AllMusic.
- ^ TrouserPress.com George Clinton Trouser Press. Retrieved 10 April 2024
- ^ "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 16, 2006.
- ^ Johnson, Gary. "Michigan Rock and Roll Legends - PARLIAMENT - FUNKADELIC". www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com.
- ^ Hertweck, Nate (December 19, 2018). "Dionne Warwick, Donny Hathaway & More To Receive Special Merit Awards". The Recording Academy. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ Aniftos, Rania (December 19, 2018). "Black Sabbath, George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic Among Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ Grow, Kory (December 19, 2018). "Black Sabbath, George Clinton to Get Lifetime Achievement Grammys". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ Hicks, Robert. "Turn This Mutha Out". Cleveland Scene. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ "Sonic Futures: The Music of Afrofuturism". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021.
External links
- George Clinton's official website
- the Motherpage (includes an excellent FAQ)
- P.Funk portal (with many interviews, discographies, photos, and links)
- P-Funk Collectors Page on Facebook
- George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic on Facebook
- P-Funk Tour List (archival)
- P-Funk Forums