SOUND PROJECTIONS
AN ONLINE QUARTERLY MUSIC MAGAZINE
EDITOR: KOFI NATAMBU
WINTER, 2015
VOLUME ONE NUMBER TWO
AN ONLINE QUARTERLY MUSIC MAGAZINE
EDITOR: KOFI NATAMBU
WINTER, 2015
VOLUME ONE NUMBER TWO
THELONIOUS MONK
Featuring the Musics and Aesthetic Visions of:
ESPERANZA SPALDING
January 31-February 6
MARY LOU WILLIAMS
February 7-13
STEVE COLEMAN
February 14-20
JAMES BROWN
February 21-27
CURTIS MAYFIELD
February 28-March 6
ARETHA FRANKLIN
March 7-13
GEORGE CLINTON
March 14-20
JAMES CARTER
March 21-27
TERENCE BLANCHARD
March 28-April 3
BILLIE HOLIDAY
April 4-10
[In glorious tribute and gratitude to this great legendary artist we celebrate her centennial year]
VIJAY IYER
April 11-17
CHARLES MINGUS
April 18-24
"Think!... It's Not Illegal...(Yet)"
--Funkmeister George Clinton
http://georgeclinton.com/book/
Book
The long-awaited memoir from one of the
greatest bandleaders, hit makers, and most influential pop artists of
our time—known for over forty R&B hit singles—George Clinton of
Parliament-Funkadelic. Order the book:
http://georgeclinton.com/george-clinton-discusses-his-book-in-nyc/
http://new.livestream.com/schomburgcenter/events/3449969/videos/66397897
George Clinton began his musical career in New Jersey, where his obsession with doo-wop and R&B led to a barbershop quartet—literally, as Clinton and his friends also styled hair in the local shop—the way kids often got their musical start in the ’50s. But how many kids like that ended up playing to tens of thousands of rabid fans alongside a diaper-clad guitarist? How many of them commissioned a spaceship and landed it onstage during concerts? How many put their stamp on four decades of pop music, from the mind-expanding sixties to the hip-hop-dominated nineties and beyond?
One of them. That’s how many.
How George Clinton got from barbershop quartet to funk music megastar is a story for the ages. As a high school student he traveled to New York City, where he absorbed all the trends in pop music, from traditional rhythm and blues to Motown, the Beatles, the Stones, and psychedelic rock, not to mention the formative funk of James Brown and Sly Stone. By the dawn of the seventies, he had emerged as the leader of a wildly creative musical movement composed mainly of two bands—Parliament and Funkadelic. And by the bicentennial, Clinton and his P-Funk empire were dominating the soul charts as well as the pop charts. He was an artistic visionary, visual icon, merry prankster, absurdist philosopher, and savvy businessmen, all rolled into one. He was like no one else in pop music, before or since.
Written with wit, humor, and candor, this memoir provides tremendous insight into America’s music industry as forever changed by Clinton’s massive talent. This is a story of a beloved global icon who dedicated himself to spreading the gospel of funk music.
"Candid, hilarious, outrageous, [and] poignant” (Booklist)
Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard on You?: A Memoir. Atria Books, 2014
Publishing date: October 21, 2014
George Clinton discusses his book in NYC @ Schomburg Center:
http://new.livestream.com/schomburgcenter/events/3449969/videos/66397897
Date of book release : October 21, 2014
George Clinton began his musical career in New Jersey, where his obsession with doo-wop and R&B led to a barbershop quartet—literally, as Clinton and his friends also styled hair in the local shop—the way kids often got their musical start in the ’50s. But how many kids like that ended up playing to tens of thousands of rabid fans alongside a diaper-clad guitarist? How many of them commissioned a spaceship and landed it onstage during concerts? How many put their stamp on four decades of pop music, from the mind-expanding sixties to the hip-hop-dominated nineties and beyond?
One of them. That’s how many.
How George Clinton got from barbershop quartet to funk music megastar is a story for the ages. As a high school student he traveled to New York City, where he absorbed all the trends in pop music, from traditional rhythm and blues to Motown, the Beatles, the Stones, and psychedelic rock, not to mention the formative funk of James Brown and Sly Stone. By the dawn of the seventies, he had emerged as the leader of a wildly creative musical movement composed mainly of two bands—Parliament and Funkadelic. And by the bicentennial, Clinton and his P-Funk empire were dominating the soul charts as well as the pop charts. He was an artistic visionary, visual icon, merry prankster, absurdist philosopher, and savvy businessmen, all rolled into one. He was like no one else in pop music, before or since.
Written with wit, humor, and candor, this memoir provides tremendous insight into America’s music industry as forever changed by Clinton’s massive talent. This is a story of a beloved global icon who dedicated himself to spreading the gospel of funk music.
"Candid, hilarious, outrageous, [and] poignant” (Booklist)
GEORGE CLINTON
(b. July 22, 1941)
http://rockhall.com/inductees/parliament-funkadelic/bio/
Prince Inducts Parliament-Funkadelic into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Prince inducts Parliament-Funkadelic into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and members of the band, including George Clinton and Bootsy Collins, at the 1997 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum
Parliament-Funkadelic
Photo by Bruce W. Talamon (c) 1977 All Rights Reserved]
Inductees: George Clinton (vocals; born July 22, 1940), Jerome “Bigfoot” Brailey (drums; born August 20, 1950), William “Bootsy” Collins (bass, vocals; born October 26, 1951), Raymond Davis (vocals; born March 29, 1940 - July 5, 2005), Tiki Fulwood (drums, vocals; May 23, 1944 - October 29, 1979), Glenn Lamont Goins (vocals, guitar; January 2, 1954 - July 29, 1978), Michael Hampton (guitar; born November 15, 1956), Clarence “Fuzzy” Haskins (vocals; born June 8, 1941), Eddie Hazel (guitar, vocals; April 10, 1950 - December 23, 1992), Walter “Junie” Morrison (keyboards, synthesizers; born tk), Cordell “Boogie” Mosson Jr. (bass; October 16, 1952 - April 18, 2013), William “Billy Bass” Nelson Jr. (bass; born January 28, 1951), Garry Shider (vocals, guitar; born July 24, 1953; died June 16, 2010), Calvin “Thang” Simon (vocals; born May 22, 1942), Grady Thomas (vocals; born January 5, 1941), Bernie Worrell (keyboards, vocals, born April 19, 1944)
Under the guiding hand of mastermind George Clinton, the affiliated groups Parliament and Funkadelic established funk as an heir to and outgrowth of soul. If James Brown is funk’s founding father, Clinton has been its chief architect and tactician. Over the decades, he’s presided over a musical empire that’s included Parliament and Funkadelic, plus numerous offshoots (such as the Brides of Funkenstein and Parlet), solo careers (Clinton’s and bassist Bootsy Collins’ being the notable) and aggregates (the P-Funk All-Stars). The pioneering work of Parliament and Funkadelic in the Seventies—driven by Clinton’s conceptually inventive mind and the band members’ tight ensemble playing and stretched-out jamming—prefigured everything from rap and hip-hop to techno and alternative. Clinton’s latter-day disciples include Prince and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Between them, Parliament and Funkadelic virtually defined the melting pot known as funk: a melding of rhythm & blues, jazz, gospel and psychedelic rock. With them, Clinton has purveyed larger-than-life characters and concepts from the stage, culminating in such theatrical milestones as the Mothership, a mock flying saucer from which the black space “aliens” of Clinton’s musical entourage alighted onstage. Though his musical productions have been typified by danceable grooves and driven by a laser-sharp sociological wit, Clinton’s ultimate goal is serious: “I am intent on making the word funk as legitimate as jazz and rock and roll.”
George Clinton spent his teenage years in Plainfield, New Jersey, where he founded a vocal group called the Parliaments. They recorded as far back as 1956 but didn’t impact the charts until 1967, when “(I Wanna) Testify"—a prescient mix of Sixties soul, rock and pop—went #3 R&B and #20 pop. That year, Clinton began listening to the new wave of psychedelic rock by bands such as Cream, Vanilla Fudge and Sly and the Family Stone. The dual influence of cutting-edge soul and rock served as inspirations to Funkadelic. In 1970, Clinton dropped the “s” from his other band, and Parliament was born.
Each group had a distinct identity and alternated releases into the late Seventies on a variety of labels—Invictus, Westbound, Warner Bros.—with Clinton dividing his time between them. Parliament was essentially a horn-based soul group and Funkadelic a guitar-based rock group, but both were built on a foundation of funk. Parliament and Funkadelic were flip sides of the same coin, and these overlapping entities’ respective outputs were referred to in stylistic shorthand as “P-Funk.” In Parliament’s self-referential theme song, “P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up),” Clinton and entourage referred to themselves as “dealers of funky music, P-Funk, uncut funk, The Bomb.”
Parliament and Funkadelic frequently resorted to allegorical concept albums to make larger points about societal injustices and ways in which a community of like-minded souls could liberate themselves from its constrictions. Clinton animated the moral conflict between opposing forces of good (the trippy funkateer “Starchild") and evil (the uptight, uptight “Sir Nose D’Void of Funk") over the course of a five-year run of Parliament albums, from Mothership Connection (1975) to Trombipulation (1980). Meanwhile, Funkadelic gelled on one of the finest funk albums ever produced, One Nation Under a Groove, whose title track was a rousing anthem of union and community.
Parliament and Funkadelic dominated and revolutionized the music scene in the latter half of the Seventies—particularly in 1978 and 1979, when they racked up four #1 R&B hits: “Flash Light,” “One Nation Under a Groove,” Aqua Boogie” and “(Not Just) Knee Deep.” Clinton’s main collaborators during Parliament-Funkadelic’s heyday included keyboardists Bernie Worrell and Walter “Junie” Morrison and bassist William “Bootsy” Collins. Known for his star-shaped sunglasses, glittery “space bass” and cartoonish demeanor, Collins became a funk icon and solo star in his own right. Melding soul, funk, jazz and psychedelia, a succession of P-Funk guitarists—including the late Eddie Hazel, Mike Hampton and DeWayne “Blackbyrd” McKnight—have carried forward the legacy of Jimi Hendrix with their adventurous, exploratory soloing.
During the 1970s, Parliament, Funkadelic and a host of related offshoots placed roughly 60 singles on the R&B charts and were among the hottest attractions on the concert circuit. They were responsible for some of the most theatrical tours ever undertaken, deploying one of the largest props—the otherworldly “Mothership"—ever dragged from city to city. Financial, legal and personal problems grounded the Mothership in 1980, but Clinton resurfaced stronger than ever as a solo artist on Capitol Records.. “Atomic Dog,” the popular dance-funk centerpiece of 1982’s Computer Games—one of Rolling Stone‘s 100 Greatest Albums of the 80’s—topped the R&B chart for four weeks. In 1983, Clinton also released an album credited to “the P-Funk All-Stars,” which drew on the talents of various members of Parliament and Funkadelic (including Bootsy Collins), plus guests like Sly Stone and Bobby Womack.
A new generation of hip young listeners discovered P-Funk via rap and hip-hop records that heavily sampled Clinton’s vast body of work. By the Nineties, Clinton was widely recognized as a black-music patriarch and pioneer whose contributions put him in a league with James Brown. In fact, Clinton is second only to Brown as the most heavily sampled artist. Meanwhile, the Parliament-Funkadelic juggernaut has shown no signs of slowing down, remaining active on the recording and touring fronts as George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars. One of their later albums—The Awesome Power of a Fully Operational Mothership (T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M.), released in 1996—returned the funk collective to the concept that helped establish them as visionaries 20 years earlier.
http://rockhall.com/inductees/parliament-funkadelic/bio/#sthash.ska75xHd.dpuf
Songs That Shaped Rock: Parliament's "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)"
1997 Hall of Fame inductee George Clinton, the mad genius of funk, launched his assault on music business-as-usual late in the 1960s with a short-lived but seminal R&B quintet called the Parliaments. As writer and producer, Clinton bent the group's post-Motown sound in a direction as smart as it was quirky. The Parliaments officially dissolved after one 1970 album and a major contractual problem; but Clinton, with an eye to the freak flags flown by Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, recreated the group as a band of outsiders complete with their own lingo, costumes, myths, and philosophy ("Free your mind… and your ass will follow"). Transforming himself into Dr. Funkenstein, Clinton cooked up a funk feast that spiked James Brown's gritty gumbo (much of it provided by original Brown musicians like Bootsy Collins, Fred Wesley, and Maceo Parker) with heavy doses of psychedelia, and a dash of rock and roll. No one sounded like Parliament except Funkadelic, a virtually identical group Clinton signed to another label and encouraged to be even more eccentric. Touring "together" with up to 40 members as "A Parliafunkadelicment Thang," the bands became one of the most successful black concert acts of ...
http://rockhall.com/blog/tag/george-clinton/#sthash.E5LgzbRl.dpuf
http://artery.wbur.org/2014/03/02/george-clinton-afrofuturism
George Clinton, Sun Ra And The Sci-Fi Funk Of Afrofuturism
Updated March 2, 2014
Funk is not just a type of music. It’s a
state of being, and a technicolor, utopian universe unto itself. It’s
“home of the extraterrestrial brothers,” as the sonorous, liquid-tongued
voice of a radio DJ explains in introduction to the seminal 1975 funk
album “Mothership Connection” by Parliament.
“Do not attempt to adjust your radio, there is nothing wrong,” the DJ
croons. “We have taken control as to bring you this special show. We
will return it to you as soon as you are grooving.”
The now-captive listener is exhorted to free herself from her earthly
existence with the help of something called “P-Funk.” What follows is a
40-minute, downbeat-driven trip (possibly drug-induced) through a
cosmic soundscape overrun with saxophones, falsetto-sung hooks, and puns
involving the word “funk.”
The music is soothing in its repetitiveness, but not without an edge.
“I want my funk uncut,” sings the background chorus on the first track.
It’s a psychedelic concoction of good vibes rooted in a raw, relentless
groove.
George Clinton then and now. (William Thoren)
What is P-Funk? “Pure funk,” says Parliament’s George Clinton,
speaking over the phone from his home in Tallahassee, Florida. He plays
the House of Blues in Boston with Parliament Funkadelic on March 7. “This is as funk as you’re gonna get it.” And what is funk? “Funk is anything you need to be when it needs to be that.”
“Mothership Connection,” like so many recordings of Clinton’s bands
Parliament and Funkadelic (the two groups were eventually merged under
one name, Parliament Funkadelic), envisions a space-age setting in which
black characters are the primary protagonists and cultural arbiters of
the future. Parliament’s stadium shows during the 1970s were known to be
visited by an enormous, sparkly UFO that emerged from the ceiling
amidst billowing smoke and pyrotechnics. (This original “Mothership”
prop was eventually discarded, but a replica created for 1990s
performances was acquired by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of
African American History and Culture last year.)
Cultural critic Mark Dery coined the term “Afrofuturism” in 1993 to
describe the particular strain of science fiction concerned with black
experiences. P-Funk’s universe was inspired by Clinton’s love of
television shows like “Star Trek” and films like “Close Encounters of
the Third Kind.”
Sci-fi authors have long used the genre to grapple with social
problems, propose better futures, or to imagine society’s disastrous
potential in dystopian worlds. Afrofuturism uses the genre to riff on
experiences of the African Diaspora. Black artists address contemporary
racism by imagining funkier, more colorful (in every sense), sci-fi
futures. P-Funk is populated by transcendent “Afronauts, capable of
funkitizing galaxies,” as Clinton has said. But the genre also features
clashes with aliens, which serve as allegories for racism. Afrofuturism
seems especially visible right now—and relevant as we muddle through the
not-so-utopian realities of our so-called “post-racial” era.
Sun Ra, at the piano, with his Arkestra in 1960. (Charles Shabacon/University of Chicago Library)
Its origins are found in the work of jazz phenomenon Sun Ra, a
musician so thoroughly committed to his otherworldly vision that he
maintained that he was from the planet Saturn throughout much of his
professional life, and dressed his band in glittery Egyptian pharaoh
crowns and pan-African hats and togas. His legacy is the focus of a
talk, “Sun Ra’s Centenary: Space Is Still the Most Colorful Place,” at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts on May 11. Berklee College of Music marked the centenary with a Feb. 20 concert by members of Sun Ra’s Arkestra,
led by longtime member Marshall Allen since Sun Ra’s death in 1993.
(Governor Deval Patrick was in attendance as his late father, Laurdine
“Pat” Patrick, played baritone saxophone with the band.)
For Clinton, whose most influential work preceded the critical label
under which it is now shelved, science fiction was a natural fit mainly
because it was so popular in the media of his youth. “Buck Rogers was
the beginning of television,” says the 72-year-old, referring to a 1950
TV series that took place in the year 2430.
Historical visions of the future, which often predict incredible
feats of space and time travel using special effects that are laughably
crude in comparison, can seem quaint to contemporary audiences.
Clinton’s albums, with their psychedelic leanings and ‘70s slang, are
clearly products of their time. But his work has continuously re-emerged
as a landmark for black musicians, even as his career has waxed and
waned. He experienced a spike in popularity in the ‘90s when rappers
like Dr. Dre and Ice Cube started sampling his records. Today, his
influence is especially felt in the work of R&B singer Janelle
Monáe, a self-styled “android” whose albums take place in a
post-apocalyptic future populated by robots.
Wanuri Kahiu’s 2009 video “Pumzi.” (Courtesy Focus Features Africa First Short Film Program)
Monáe is not the only contemporary artist to link overtly with the
Afrofuturist leanings of Clinton and Sun Ra. An exhibit at the Studio
Museum in Harlem titled “The Shadows Took Shape,”
which takes its name from a Sun Ra poem and runs until March 9,
expressly explores Afrofuturist ideas through visual art and multimedia.
“Working with contemporary visual culture these last few years, I
kept coming across work in a number of different contexts and media that
I felt spoke directly to Afrofuturist concerns. They often owed a
debt—whether conscious or unconscious—to the Afrofuturist strategies
that have come before,” said the exhibit’s co-curator Zoe Whitley in an
email.'
The museum’s assistant curator, Naima J. Keith, singles out a short
film from the exhibit: “In Wanuri Kahiu’s film ‘Pumzi,’ the director
depicts the story of a community forced into subterranean sequester by a
‘water war.’ Asha, the central (human) character … is a museum
archivist/curator who risks the security of her world in order to
nurture a plant that manages to flourish in the post-apocalyptic
landscape.”
Monáe’s most recent album, “The Electric Lady,” hinges on similar
dystopian themes, with a plot revolving around a “droid rebel alliance”
and an underground android community pitted against “clones and
humans”—although the DJ playing host to this particular futuristic
concept album preaches “love, not war.” Androids—robots built to serve
humans—are an apt allegory for slaves, or at the very least, a
long-oppressed Other. Monáe’s mythology, which she introduced in 2007’s
“Metropolis,” contains a feminist twist on classic Afrofuturism, with a
messianic android heroine named Cindi Mayweather, aka The Electric Lady.
The post-apocalyptic milieu of today’s Afrofuturism is somewhat in
contrast to that of its forbears. The Sun Ra mythology is primarily
concerned with transcendence, rather than the conflict—race-based
oppression—that requires transcending. Sun Ra’s lyrics and poetry
ruminate on spirituality and seek a deeper connection with the cosmos.
His music, which integrates big band sensibilities with free jazz, is a
glorious mix of meditative grooves and cacophonous dissonance, a kind of
sonic melting pot.
Likewise, Clinton espouses a universalist philosophy. “Look at blues,
there were more white people in the blues in the ‘60s than there was
black people,” he points out. “That’s just the way the evolution of
music goes.” He acknowledges cultural appropriation with a generous
shrug. “It’s the 21st century,” he says. “We got lots of other things to
deal with, so we might as well dance together on the one.” “The one”
refers to the first beat in a measure, a neat musical shorthand for
togetherness.
That’s not to say that contemporary Afrofuturism has left behind the
quest for spiritual and social apotheosis that characterized its earlier
iterations—after all, its exploration of a fantastical future is an
inherently transcendence-oriented project. And it’s not as though
Clinton’s funk was entirely free of conflict, either. Though the DJ
narrator in “Mothership Connection” is friendly, there is an
undercurrent of revolution to his polite announcement at the beginning
of the album: “We have taken control.” There is power in the airwaves,
Clinton seems to say. Those that have been denied a voice must unleash
it, before any dancing can be done.
Amelia Mason is a writer, musician, and bartender living in
Somerville. She is a regular contributor to The ARTery. You can follow
her on Twitter @shmabelia and Tumblr.
http://georgeclinton.com/
https://www.facebook.com/georgeclintonpfunk
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/parliamentfunkadelic/more.html
George Clinton.com
Get the latest tour dates, read the Funkcyclopedia and view the Video Clipz. Visit Funk Central and sign up for the Funkateerz newsletter and color George Clinton Funktelechy on his official site.
Get the latest tour dates, read the Funkcyclopedia and view the Video Clipz. Visit Funk Central and sign up for the Funkateerz newsletter and color George Clinton Funktelechy on his official site.
PBS: Tavis Smiley: George Clinton Interview
Listen to the audio or read the transcript of this August 29, 2005 interview with George Clinton, as he talks about the release of his latest CD, his first in ten years.
Listen to the audio or read the transcript of this August 29, 2005 interview with George Clinton, as he talks about the release of his latest CD, his first in ten years.
JoyZine: Interview with George Clinton, Father of Funk
This interview with Clinton and longtime P-Funk member Billy Nelson discusses the origins of the band, the definition of funk and other nuggets from the music scene.
This interview with Clinton and longtime P-Funk member Billy Nelson discusses the origins of the band, the definition of funk and other nuggets from the music scene.
Bootsy Collins Homepage
The official Web site for Bootsy Collins contains a discography, biography, links to interviews and a comprehensive gallery of photos.
The official Web site for Bootsy Collins contains a discography, biography, links to interviews and a comprehensive gallery of photos.
Rhino: Q&A With Bootsy Collins
Read a Q&A interview with Bootsy Collins and learn about his musical influences, technological predictions and other anecdotes.
Read a Q&A interview with Bootsy Collins and learn about his musical influences, technological predictions and other anecdotes.
BernieWorrell.com
Legendary P-Funk keyboardist, producer and song arranger Bernie Worrell’s official Web site includes downloadable song clips, concert information, links and merchandise.
Legendary P-Funk keyboardist, producer and song arranger Bernie Worrell’s official Web site includes downloadable song clips, concert information, links and merchandise.
Digital Interviews: Bernie Worrell
Worrell talks about his childhood as a piano prodigy, his shift from classical music to jazz and his work with groups such as P-Funk, Cream, Keith Richards and the Talking Heads.
Worrell talks about his childhood as a piano prodigy, his shift from classical music to jazz and his work with groups such as P-Funk, Cream, Keith Richards and the Talking Heads.
Houston Independent Media Center: Ray Davis
Read an interview with Ray Davis shortly before his death in August 2005 in which he talks about his early musical influences, the shift from performing with the original Parliaments to P-Funk and his post-Funkadelic music work.
Read an interview with Ray Davis shortly before his death in August 2005 in which he talks about his early musical influences, the shift from performing with the original Parliaments to P-Funk and his post-Funkadelic music work.
Funkadelic Guitarist Eddie Hazel: In Memoriam
Read a biography and obituary of the late Eddie Hazel on this In Memoriam page.
Read a biography and obituary of the late Eddie Hazel on this In Memoriam page.
Wikipedia: P-Funk Members
Get the long list and links to more information about P-Funk members and offshoot bands including the Brides of Funkenstein, Parlet, the Horny Horns and others who “intermingled” with P-Funk and recorded on their own.
Get the long list and links to more information about P-Funk members and offshoot bands including the Brides of Funkenstein, Parlet, the Horny Horns and others who “intermingled” with P-Funk and recorded on their own.
P-Funk Tributes
The Motherpage
This ultimate tribute site is a treasure trove of P-Funk information, meticulously compiled online. Read the FAQ, browse the discography, view P-Funk cover art and more.
This ultimate tribute site is a treasure trove of P-Funk information, meticulously compiled online. Read the FAQ, browse the discography, view P-Funk cover art and more.
The New Funk Times
“Funkin’ up the Web since 1995,” this portal features tour dates, photos, discussion forums, articles and more.
“Funkin’ up the Web since 1995,” this portal features tour dates, photos, discussion forums, articles and more.
RonG’s P-Funk Tape Joint
Get P-Funk concert footage and rare video clips and read performance set lists on this fan site.
Get P-Funk concert footage and rare video clips and read performance set lists on this fan site.
P-Funk Art
Overton Loyd Art Studio
See limited edition artwork and prints from P-Funk album artist Overton Loyd, including his watercolor painting “Under a Groove.”
See limited edition artwork and prints from P-Funk album artist Overton Loyd, including his watercolor painting “Under a Groove.”
Roctober.com: Pedro Bell Interview
This 1994 interview with legendary P-Funk album artist Pedro Bell discusses his work with the band.
This 1994 interview with legendary P-Funk album artist Pedro Bell discusses his work with the band.
Stozo’s Land
P-Funk album artist Ronald “Stozo” Edwards’s personal Web site features album covers, photos, Q&As and more.
P-Funk album artist Ronald “Stozo” Edwards’s personal Web site features album covers, photos, Q&As and more.
SF Weekly: Carpe Diem: Diem Jones
This 2001 article on Diem Jones, “writer, educator, musician, and social activist… famous for his stint as a former art director and photographer for supreme funkateer George Clinton and his musical collectives, Parliament and Funkadelic.”
This 2001 article on Diem Jones, “writer, educator, musician, and social activist… famous for his stint as a former art director and photographer for supreme funkateer George Clinton and his musical collectives, Parliament and Funkadelic.”
George Clinton Art
Browse the gallery to view original mixed-media artwork created by Clinton himself.
Browse the gallery to view original mixed-media artwork created by Clinton himself.
Articles:
Funkadelic: The Afro-Alien Diaspora
Written by A.S. Van Dorston, this article traces the history of P-Funk through the 1960s and 1970s.
Written by A.S. Van Dorston, this article traces the history of P-Funk through the 1960s and 1970s.
Can You Get to That?: The Cosmology of P-Funk
Learn more about the P-Funk cosmology: “an entire array of minor gods, an intangible and omnipotent metaphysical reality (the funk itself), and a whole flotilla of ministers” with its roots in “deep in the African polyrhythmic pantheon.”
Learn more about the P-Funk cosmology: “an entire array of minor gods, an intangible and omnipotent metaphysical reality (the funk itself), and a whole flotilla of ministers” with its roots in “deep in the African polyrhythmic pantheon.”
Read an essay on the politics and theory of the
funk by writer and Georgia State University professor Ted Friedman.
Books
Where'd You Get That Funk From?: George Clinton, Black Power, and the Story of P-Funk
By Lloyd Bradley (Cannongate, 2005)
By Lloyd Bradley (Cannongate, 2005)
Funk: The Music, The People, and The Rhythm of The One
By Rickey Vincent, Forward by George Clinton
(St. Martin's Griffin, 1996)
By Rickey Vincent, Forward by George Clinton
(St. Martin's Griffin, 1996)
Web Site Sources
These Web sites served as information sources for several pages on this site:
These Web sites served as information sources for several pages on this site:
The Band
VH1.com: George Clinton: Biography
VH1.com: Bootsy Collins: Biography
MP3.com: Eddie Hazel Biography
MP3.com: Bernie Worrell Biography
Wikipedia: Garry Shider
Wikipedia: P-Funk
The History
The Motherpage
George Clinton
Can You Get to That?: The Cosmology of P-Funk
Wikipedia: P-Funk Mythology
The Music
The Motherpage: P-Funk Cover Art Discography
All Music Guide
George Clinton
New Funk Times
Wikipedia: P-Funk
The Album Art
The Motherpage: P-Funk Cover Art Discography
All Music Guide
George Clinton
New Funk Times
Wikipedia: P-Funk
The Quiz
The Motherpage: P-Funk Samples
The Motherpage: Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns
Wikipedia.com: List of P-Funk Members
Wikipedia.com: The Brides of Funkenstein
Band: Funkadelic
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain (1971):
Parliament-Funkadelic - Full Concert
Music Vault: http://www.musicvault.com
In the 1970s, America was one nation under a groove as an irresistible
new style of music took hold of the country - funk. The music burst out
of the black community at a time of self-discovery, struggle and social
change. Funk reflected all of that. It has produced some of the most
famous, eccentric and best-loved acts in the world - James Brown, Sly
& the Family Stone, George Clinton's Funkadelic and Parliament, Kool
& the Gang and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Parliament Funkadelic: One Nation Under A Groove (documentary 2005):
One Nation Under A Groove - P-Funk Documentary 2005
Known to its legions of fans simply as P-Funk, Parliament Funkadelic has had a profound impact on the development of contemporary music, aesthetics and culture. PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC: One Nation Under a Groove chronicles the unique alchemy of the musical influences that fed into the band`s singular approach to music, documenting P-Funk`s continuing influence on today`s artists and musicians and featuring an in-depth look at the musical and entrepreneurial mastermind of its leader George Clinton.
To create a film that reflected the distinctive nature of P-Funk, filmmaker Yvonne Smith used animations both cell- and computer-generated to create the special sequences and virtual environments that reflect the P-Funk aesthetic. Inspired by a P-Funk lyric, she created the "Afronaut",a cartoon character from outer space who serves as the film`s host and narrator. The Afronaut`s voice is provided by hip-hop comic and actor Eddie Griffin, who co-starred in the popular series Malcolm and Eddie and feature films including Undercover Brother, Herbie: Fully Loaded, and Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo and its sequel Deuce Bigelow: European Gigolo. In PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC, the Afronaut descends to earth from a new millennium version of the Mothership, created by computer graphics artist Paul Collins. The Afronaut was brought to life in cell animation from the drawings of Kevin Lofton, a former animation artist on Beavis and Butthead.
In PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC, interviews with the original Parliaments the late Ray Davis, Calvin Simon, Grady Thomas and Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins take place in a virtual barber shop, reminiscent of the group`s early years doing hair and singing in a New Jersey hair salon run by George Clinton. The barbershop and the various environments in which George Clinton appears, were created in digital animation. In addition to the Parliaments, the film also features original interviews with George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, Garry Shider, Dawn Silva, one of the Brides of Funkenstein and other key P-Funk band members and staff. Other musicians interviewed include Rick James, Ice Cube, Flea and Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, De La Soul, Shock G (also known as "Humpty Hump" of the Digital Underground) and Nona Hendryx of LaBelle. Reginald Hudlin, director of House Party and Boomerang, president of entertainment for BET and a P-Funk fanatic, also appears, as does funk historian and author Rickey Vincent.
Washington DC - Date: 1983
1. Intro
VH1.com: George Clinton: Biography
VH1.com: Bootsy Collins: Biography
MP3.com: Eddie Hazel Biography
MP3.com: Bernie Worrell Biography
Wikipedia: Garry Shider
Wikipedia: P-Funk
The History
The Motherpage
George Clinton
Can You Get to That?: The Cosmology of P-Funk
Wikipedia: P-Funk Mythology
The Music
The Motherpage: P-Funk Cover Art Discography
All Music Guide
George Clinton
New Funk Times
Wikipedia: P-Funk
The Album Art
The Motherpage: P-Funk Cover Art Discography
All Music Guide
George Clinton
New Funk Times
Wikipedia: P-Funk
The Quiz
The Motherpage: P-Funk Samples
The Motherpage: Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns
Wikipedia.com: List of P-Funk Members
Wikipedia.com: The Brides of Funkenstein
THE MUSIC OF GEORGE CLINTON: AN EXTENSIVE VIDEO OVERVIEW, A CROSS SECTION OF RECORDINGS, MUSICAL ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY, PLUS VARIOUS INTERVIEWS WITH MR. CLINTON:
Funkadelic-'Funkadelic' (1970) (Full Album):
00:00 Mommy, What's a Funkadelic?
09:05 I Bet You
15:16 Music for My Mother
20:56 I Got a Thing, You Got a Thing, Everybody's Got a Thing
24:49 Good Old Music
32:50 Qualify and Satisfy
39:07 What Is Soul
09:05 I Bet You
15:16 Music for My Mother
20:56 I Got a Thing, You Got a Thing, Everybody's Got a Thing
24:49 Good Old Music
32:50 Qualify and Satisfy
39:07 What Is Soul
Funkadelic - 'One Nation Under a Groove' [Full Album]:
Band: Funkadelic
Year: 1978
Tracklist:
1.- One Nation Under a Groove
2.- Groovallegiance
3.- Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock!
4.- Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (The Doo Doo Chasers)
5.- Into You
6.- Cholly (Funk Getting Ready To Roll!)
7.- Lunchmeataphobia (Think! It Ain't Illegal Yet!)
8.- P.E. Squad/Doo Doo Chasers
9.- Maggot Brain
Funkadelic - 'Maggot Brain' (full album):
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain (1971):
01 Maggot Brain (00:00)
02 Can You Get to That (10:20)
03 Hit It and Quit It (13:11)
04 You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks (17:02)
05 Super Stupid (20:42)
06 Back in Our Minds (24:43)
07 Wars of Armageddon (27:24)
Parliament-Funkadelic Live in Concert
"The Mothership Connection" (1976):
George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic live in concert in 1976
Tracklist (courtesy of chedjehuti):
Cosmic Slop
Do that Stuff
Gammin' on Ya
Standing on the Verge
Undisco Kid
Children of Production
Mothership Connection
Dr. Funkenstein
Comin' Around the Mountain
P. Funk
Tear the Roof Off the Sucker
Night of the Thumpasorous Peoples
Funkin' for Fun
Personnel (courtesy of Tony Warren):
George Clinton - Vocals
Garry Shider (diaper) - Guitar
Michael Hampton (sombrero) - Guitar
Glenn Goins (purple leotard) - Guitar
Cordell Mosson - Bass
Jerome Brailey - Drums
Bernie Worrell - Keyboards
Funkadelic - '(Not Just) Knee Deep' (1979) - FULL VERSION!
This FULL VERSION (15+ Minutes!) of '(Not Just) Knee Deep' is from Funkdelic's 'Uncle Jam Wants You' (1979) album/CD
Parliament-Funkadelic - Full Concert - 11/06/78 - Capitol Theatre (OFFICIAL):
Parliament-Funkadelic - Full Concert
Recorded Live: 11/6/1978 - Capitol Theatre (Passaic, NJ)
More Parliament-Funkadelic at
Music Vault: http://www.musicvault.com
Subscribe to Music Vault: http://goo.gl/DUzpUF
Setlist:
0:00:00 - James Wesley Jackson's opening monologue & band intros
0:06:58 - Uncle Jam
0:12:03 - Cholly (Funk Gettin' Ready To Roll) / I Got A Thing, You Got A Thing, Everybody's Got A Thing
0:33:27 - Cosmic Slop
0:41:06 - Give Up The Funk / Night Of The Thumpasorus Peoples
1:00:24 - Red Hot Mama
1:10:04 - Into You
1:17:14 - Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On / Tyrone Lampkin drum solo / Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On (reprise)
1:34:19 - Maggot Brain
1:47:04 - One Nation Under A Groove
2:12:54 - Mothership Connection / Swing Down, Sweet Chariot
2:33:02 - Flash Light
3:01:24 - One Nation Under A Groove (Reprise)
Personnel:
George Clinton - vocals
Michael Hampton - guitar
Garry Shider - guitar, vocals
Cordell "Boogie" Mosson Jr. - bass
William "Billy Bass" Nelson Jr. - bass
Bernie Worrell - keyboards
Walter "Junie" Morrison - keyboards
Tyrone Lampkin - drums
James Wesley Jackson - vocals
Grady Thomas - vocals
Calvin "Thang" Simon - vocals
Dawn Silva - vocals
Lynn Mabry - vocals
George Clinton--"Atomic Dog"--1982:
Atomic Dog [Original Extended Version] - George Clinton (1982)
"Atomic Dog" is a song by George Clinton from his 1982 solo album "Computer Games". The track was released as a single in December of 1982. The single failed to reach the Top 100 of the Pop Chart at all, though it has arguably attained greater popular stature over the years since its release. George Clinton's P-Funk Collective reached its commercial and conceptual height in 1976 with the release of the Parliament album "Mothership Connection" and a series of spectacular concert tours. However, as the band and their concept of funk grew, the organization became entangled in internal dissension, legal disputes, and creative exhaustion. "Atomic Dog" was the P-Funk Collective's last single to reach #1 on the U.S. R&B chart. According to Clinton, most of the song's lyrics were ad-libbed during the recording process. Although "Atomic Dog" is now regarded a classic in American popular music, and the rhythmic hook from "Atomic Dog" has been widely sampled by other musicians, it was held back from radio stations at first. George Clinton's bad reputation in the industry, his political consciousness (as seen in his previous albums and recordings), and a general move towards more youthful-looking acts, kept his songs from being circulated on radio stations. Only after very strong sales was the song finally put on the air. The single "Atomic Dog" was released in December of 1982 and reached #1 on the R&B charts, but peaked at #101 on the pop chart.
'The Story of Funk: One Nation Under A Groove (Documentary featuring interviews with George Clinton among others:
In the 1970s, America was one nation under a groove as an irresistible
new style of music took hold of the country - funk. The music burst out
of the black community at a time of self-discovery, struggle and social
change. Funk reflected all of that. It has produced some of the most
famous, eccentric and best-loved acts in the world - James Brown, Sly
& the Family Stone, George Clinton's Funkadelic and Parliament, Kool
& the Gang and Earth, Wind & Fire.
During the 1970s this
fun, futuristic and freaky music changed the streets of America with
its outrageous fashion, space-age vision and streetwise slang. But more
than that, funk was a celebration of being black, providing a platform
for a new philosophy, belief system and lifestyle that was able to unite
young black Americans into taking pride in who they were.
Today,
like blues and jazz, it is looked on as one of the great American
musical cultures, its rhythms and hooks reverberating throughout popular
music. Without it hip-hop wouldn't have happened. Dance music would
have no groove. This documentary tells that story, exploring the music
and artists who created a positive soundtrack at a negative time for
African-Americans.
Includes new interviews with George Clinton,
Sly & the Family Stone, Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & the Gang,
War, Cameo, Ray Parker Jnr and trombonist Fred Wesley.
Parliament Funkadelic: One Nation Under A Groove (documentary 2005):
One Nation Under A Groove - P-Funk Documentary 2005
Known to its legions of fans simply as P-Funk, Parliament Funkadelic has had a profound impact on the development of contemporary music, aesthetics and culture. PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC: One Nation Under a Groove chronicles the unique alchemy of the musical influences that fed into the band`s singular approach to music, documenting P-Funk`s continuing influence on today`s artists and musicians and featuring an in-depth look at the musical and entrepreneurial mastermind of its leader George Clinton.
To create a film that reflected the distinctive nature of P-Funk, filmmaker Yvonne Smith used animations both cell- and computer-generated to create the special sequences and virtual environments that reflect the P-Funk aesthetic. Inspired by a P-Funk lyric, she created the "Afronaut",a cartoon character from outer space who serves as the film`s host and narrator. The Afronaut`s voice is provided by hip-hop comic and actor Eddie Griffin, who co-starred in the popular series Malcolm and Eddie and feature films including Undercover Brother, Herbie: Fully Loaded, and Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo and its sequel Deuce Bigelow: European Gigolo. In PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC, the Afronaut descends to earth from a new millennium version of the Mothership, created by computer graphics artist Paul Collins. The Afronaut was brought to life in cell animation from the drawings of Kevin Lofton, a former animation artist on Beavis and Butthead.
In PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC, interviews with the original Parliaments the late Ray Davis, Calvin Simon, Grady Thomas and Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins take place in a virtual barber shop, reminiscent of the group`s early years doing hair and singing in a New Jersey hair salon run by George Clinton. The barbershop and the various environments in which George Clinton appears, were created in digital animation. In addition to the Parliaments, the film also features original interviews with George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, Garry Shider, Dawn Silva, one of the Brides of Funkenstein and other key P-Funk band members and staff. Other musicians interviewed include Rick James, Ice Cube, Flea and Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, De La Soul, Shock G (also known as "Humpty Hump" of the Digital Underground) and Nona Hendryx of LaBelle. Reginald Hudlin, director of House Party and Boomerang, president of entertainment for BET and a P-Funk fanatic, also appears, as does funk historian and author Rickey Vincent.
Tales Of Dr. Funkenstein:
(Documentary film about George Clinton and the history of Parliament-Funkadelic ('P-Funk') from 2006:
P-Funk All-Stars - Live 1983 Washington (Full Concert):
Washington DC - Date: 1983
Features the return of Bootsy Collins
after a hiatus of a couple of years, very special show for that reason
and he kills it when he enters.
1. Intro
2. Cosmic Slop
3. Undisco Kidd
4. Give Up The Funk
5. Night Of The Thumpasaurus Peoples
6. Knee Deep
7. Maggot Brain
8. Loopzilla
9. Body Slam
10. Atomic Dog
11. Flashlight
12. One Nation
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2014/oct/22/lessons-of-dr-funk/
In 1976, George Clinton, funk music’s inadvertent impresario, got his spacecraft. On its maiden voyage in New Orleans, the ship, a staggered aluminum cone flanked by eyeball-like lights, emerged midway through a performance by Clinton’s twin bands, Parliament and Funkadelic. Summoned from the heavens by the singing of Glenn Goins, the vehicle’s door opened to release Clinton, a.k.a. Dr. Funkenstein. The timing was a mistake, Clinton realized later, because nothing they did afterward that night could top it. It was also hot under the descending ship, and some of the female singers on stage had to be careful not to get burned. Still, as Clinton recalls in his new memoir, the Mothership came out just the way he had hoped: “like some kind of unholy cross between an American car from the late fifties and early sixties, a piece of equipment from a children’s playground, and a giant insect.”
This kind of sci-fi spectacle was integral to P-Funk, the postmodern and psychedelic brand of funk that Clinton helped innovate. The Seventies was a decade in which popular black music was undergoing rapid changes, and the respectable soul formulas of the past no longer seemed adequate to the times. Spiritual uplift and conventional love lyrics were being supplanted by a music that was more forthright about social anger and despair. “Sisters! Niggers! Whiteys! Jews! Crackers!” goes the intro to a famous Curtis Mayfield song, “Don’t worry… If there’s a hell below, we’re all… gonna go!” The altered situation expressed itself aesthetically as well, with the influence of Sixties rock music on soul, and the arrival of technology that fostered experimentation.
Few acts availed themselves of the new freedoms as wholeheartedly—certainly none as amusingly and outrageously—as Parliament and Funkadelic. The “P” in Clinton’s P-Funk stands, somewhat paradoxically given its mongrel nature, for “pure”; the music is also described as “monster funk.” The most famous P-Funk titles include “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker),” “Bop Gun (Endangered Species),” and “Standing on the Verge of Getting It On.” This is dance music designed to be loud, expansive, and raw: less music for a party than a party unto itself. With all their flamboyant sprawl—at times there were thirty to forty musicians on tour—Parliament and Funkadelic were ill-suited to a contained televised format such as that of Soul Train.
The full title of Clinton’s memoir, written in collaboration with Ben Greenman, is similarly outsize: Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard On You? Until recently, written recognition of funk has been scarce. In part, this may be because “funk” has come to connote all that’s comical and dated in urban black music, while “soul” presumes to hoard the reputable. In reality, and despite the break in eras noted above, the two are hard to separate: it usually makes more sense to distinguish between soul and funk records or songs—e.g. Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” vs., say, his “Use Me,” or Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour” vs. his killer “Maybe Your Baby”—than between soul and funk performers. For someone like Clinton—who cut his teeth in doo-wop, wrote for Motown briefly, and would later become an influence on hip hop, indeed an enduring part of its sonic and conceptual make-up—the overlap doesn’t even bear a mention. His career crosses musical genres without blinking, and for anyone interested in the evolution of funk music, Brothas Be is an eventful and extremely fascinating story of how these various styles fit together.
Clinton’s ambition was to crossbreed soul with rock music and to out-funk other funk. Between 1970 and 1981, Parliament-Funkadelic released a combined twenty-two albums (not counting the many by spin-off acts), organized around themes ranging from outer space to army recruitment to aquatic life. Some are stronger than others, but what stands out is the unlikely, overall consistency. They were typically conceived of as twins, with the music often recorded during the same sessions, and only afterward assigned to either group based on a given song’s character: on the whole, Funkadelic’s work is darker, more rock-oriented and avant-garde, while Parliament tends to like their sci-fi mythology and spirited party jams.
As for the song formats, they are all over the place. One might have a traditional verse structure and a chorus; another will dispense with choruses entirely; yet another, like “Mothership Connection (Star Child),” will make room for two. In lieu of a chorus, or subsuming a song that begins with one, there might be endless repetition of a refrain—e.g. “Do that stuff!”—sometimes a phrase that Clinton would borrow from the banter of bandmates and lovers, crediting them for writing afterward. The predominant message, if messages can be talked of here, is the saving power of funk, a blissful ideal of getting down to be gestured at with metaphors elemental and mental (e.g. “We’re gonna blow the cobwebs out your mind”), carnal and druggy. Funk is such a force that it generously clones itself for the world’s benefit, and combats its annoying resistors.
Musically, too, the songs are heterogeneous, with different sections taking the lead and others figuring out their places accordingly. The relatively simple “Hit It and Quit It” on Funkadelic’s third album, Maggot Brain (1971), remains so fresh partly due to a little detail, how the female voices act like flutes or whistles, accompanying the central rock guitar riff and spurring it on. Like an even more amped-up “Crosstown Traffic,” the song is threatening to overflow as soon as it begins. On many numbers, Clinton himself narrates with a synthesis of hepcat talk and radio DJ rap. “They say the bigger the headache, the bigger the pill, baby/Call me the big pill,” he says in the tune “Dr. Funkenstein”; periodically he interrupts the refrain, a cartoonish sort of schoolyard or nursery rhyme, with a request to “Kiss me on my ego!”
But there are serious songs too. The affecting “Can You Get to That”—“I once had a life, or rather, life had me/I was one among many, or at least I seemed to be”—walks a tranquil line between personal hopelessness and the larger crumbling of Sixties ideals. “Cosmic Slop” depicts an impoverished mother’s plight, without really yielding to the sentiment you might expect: its dark chorus conjures a dance with the devil. P-Funk has, as well as many songs that are purely loopy and funky, ones that are exalting, romantic, socially prescient, sleazy (jokily sleazy and sleazy-sleazy), and emotionally strange. “There are any number of thoughts and feelings that are valid at any given time, and the goal is to get them all out into the world,” Clinton says in his book. To the horror of soul traditionalists everywhere, he adds, “Smokey Robinson taught me that.”
Clinton was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina—according to a tale that is possibly apocryphal but makes mythic sense, in an outhouse. After moving around a bit, his family settled in New Jersey (his father in Newark, his mother in East Orange), a region that in the Fifties was “a breeding ground for the next generation of American music—or more specifically, African American music.” He knew Dionne Warwick and Wayne Shorter when they were kids, saw the Shirelles practice in local apartments, and went with his aunt to concerts at the Apollo Theater in New York. One of his first jobs was sweeping floors at a record store: since returns didn’t exist yet, unwanted vinyl was disposed of in the trash cans out back, a bounty that could be split into piles to keep and sell.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images George Clinton and Garry Shider of Parliament-Funkadelic performing onstage, 1977
The group Clinton joined as a teenager went by the name the Parliaments, after the cigarette brand. Begun as a cluster of Newark-based students, the group sang lighthearted, early R&B songs and gradually became a neighborhood hit. “We were just a bass singer and a bunch of other guys crowding around the same note. But what we lacked in musical sophistication, we made up for in showmanship and enthusiasm,” Clinton recalls. They were still together when he moved to Plainfield, New Jersey, and was supporting a family by cutting hair. His barbershop, the Silk Palace, was “a kind of community center” and looms large in the memoir. It introduced him to new talents, and had a jukebox that let him study the trends. The money it brought in enabled Clinton to make a go of music, and he remained involved with it even as he entered the music industry in Detroit, working first as a writer for Motown’s Jobete publishing company, and later as a jack-of-all-trades for Golden World Records, appeasing a wealthy and eccentric numbers runner.
Brothas Be acknowledges the influence of Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix, which may not come as a surprise. (With their ingeniously imperfect and loose work in the Seventies, Sly and the Family Stone is one of the few groups that seems close kin to P-Funk; as a God of black rock’n’roll, the Hendrix link feels more symbolic.) But Clinton says he was also looking to Cream, Led Zeppelin (“a sledgehammer with a filigreed handle”), and, unexpectedly, given the distance in their aesthetics and audiences, the Beatles.
One of the most intriguing points to emerge in the memoir is just how consciously Clinton shaped his music, weird and warped that it is, in relation to Motown’s. When the Parliaments auditioned for the powerhouse label in 1962, before Clinton was cherry-picked as a songwriter, he was told that appearances had contributed to their not making the cut:
"That unevenness fucked up the sense of visual perfection, and that kind of thing mattered then to Motown, because all kinds of perfection did. The Temptations were all six feet tall and thin and moved together like they were parts of a watch. Motown was a machine and we had a more obvious humanity."
Yet his molding of Parliament-Funkadelic into a carnivalesque collective made of fluidly shifting parts, dropping and picking up members as they went from one album to the next, arose from an original view of P-Funk as a kind of smaller, counter-culture Motown. (And of Motown, in turn, as a single act.) Much of the appeal of Brothas Be is in learning how on Earth it all came together. Eddie Hazel, the virtuosic guitarist and the player of the haunting, Hendrix-worthy solo on the title track of Maggot Brain, was introduced through the barbershop, as was classical piano prodigy Bernie Worrell, central for his keyboard innovations and songwriting role. Before William and Phelps Collins joined—“Bootsy” and “Catfish,” respectively—the brothers had been with James Brown’s band, playing on now classic stompers like “Soul Power” and “The Grunt.” Two of Brown’s key horn players, Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley, were likewise defectors. On top of playing sax, Parker was a talented and usefully sober and drug-free bandleader. Although the visionary Clinton would become the face of the bands, they were meant to be democratic.
Besides music history, Brothas Be is a book full of sex, drugs, and business strife. Pervasive as drug memoirs may be these days, Clinton is interesting on this front: not out to tell a redemption story, he gives particular drugs close readings. He describes the growing popularity of heroin in the Fifties:
If you went into a diner, into a schoolyard, into a movie theater, you saw people on smack. The local track team, which was one of the fastest in the world, was a spectacle: two or three of the people on the relay were doing heroin, and they would nod out on their knees when they were getting ready to run.
It was common among returning vets, he says, and, once immersed in music, he found that “For some musicians, heroin had a way of making people depressed and pitiful, and making the idea of giving up romantic, somehow.” The indefatigable Clinton was put off. His substances were pot, acid, Quaaludes, which he remembers with particular affection, and, finally, cocaine and crack.
He has funny stories about living under the influence—recognizing him inside a smoke-filled car, a cop once greeted him with “If it isn’t Sly Stone and Dr. Funkenstein”—and, as the title suggests, it’s remarkable that he managed to keep working for so long. But it’s finally a great shame. As the memoir reads, he was wrecked for years. Even leaving personal life out of it, Clinton no longer had the energy or clarity to be the involved diplomat he once was, and though he would re-launch P-Funk in different iterations—he still tours and records today—the celebrated groups disbanded after 1981. Financial problems plagued him; addled by his addictions, he was late in discovering that two separate managers had long been claiming ownership of his masters. (He now advocates for copyright justice for musicians and songwriters.)
Why did Clinton need the Mothership? It was expensive, silly, a lot of effort, and ultimately tautological. An escape for those who had long fled conventions, a crowning spectacle for the already spectacular. Maybe that was the point: it was their big, quixotic windmill, one they aspired to storm and were always storming. The Mothership was there to remind them that outer space was within reach, in a once upon a time called “now.”
George Clinton’s Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You?: A Memoir, written with Ben Greenman, has just been published by Atria Books.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/11/19/george-clinton-on-industry-mobsters-and-how-nobody-wants-to-listen-to-a-crackhead.html
Kevin Winter/Getty
GETTING THE PARTY STARTED
November 19, 2014
George Clinton on Industry ‘Mobsters’ and How Nobody Wants to Listen to a Crackhead
Legendary
musician George Clinton on his long-running copyright battle against
‘mobsters’ in the industry, why he’s sober now, and how he was always
concerned for Bob Marley’s life.
These days, 73-year-old Clinton is in high demand. And he’s likely to pop up just about anywhere. (Bill Murray, you’ve finally met your match.) On The Tonight Show recently, Clinton was jamming alongside Questlove and The Roots. And when the rapper Kendrick Lamar released a video last week for his bouncy new single “i”—there was Clinton again, making a groovy cameo in the clip. Meanwhile, he’s just released his long-awaited memoir: Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You? With plans-in-the-works to tour and release Funkadelic’s first studio album in three decades, Clinton sounds like a man who is only just beginning to get the party started.
The Daily Beast spoke to Clinton about his new book, his long-running battle to own his music catalog, and why he long feared for Bob Marley’s life. Edited excerpts:
You’ve kept many of these stories to yourself over the years. What was the process like in tracing through these memories?
I said it before and I’ll say it again—if it wasn’t for “Flash Light,” I would have no memory at all. But once you get into the process and start to recall things, then it sparks memories of the journey, especially now that the book is finished. Now I’m seeing some of the faces of people who had been there during that time. They’re showing up, everywhere. And you’d be surprised how close they are to you. It’s really a small country. So this is fun right now
We were an R&B band, making psychedelic music for black folks—which they weren’t used to. We weren’t white. We were a black rock ’n’ roll band. So we were too black for the white stations to play our rock songs and we were too white for black folks. But the band grew and grew and we were a force to be reckoned with as a concept. And we stuck to that. All we had to do was picture being funky and say it out loud, no matter which side of it we were on—whether it was R&B or psychedelic. So we ended up with two groups. Call it P-Funk. Parliament had the horns and Funkadelic had the loud guitars, but we were just telling our stories.
There’s a replica of the Mothership heading to the Smithsonian Institution?
Right. It’s going into the African-American wing of the Smithsonian, which should open next year. They’re putting the Mothership up there, right next to the Tuskegee Airmen.
You must be overwhelmed by the news.“We all knew there were mobsters in the record industry, but this is some very serious underworld stuff.”
I am. But it reminds me that for the Mothership to be so important, that’s why we’re fightin’ so hard on this copyright issue ’cause I think it would be a disrespect to the music for people to try and steal the copyright. All the stories in the book are true and they’re a part of my life, but page 379 is the reason why I wrote the book (NOTE: page 379 has an affidavit from a former Bridgeport Music administrator alleging that the label fraudulently obtained copyrights to Parliament and Funkadelic’s music.)
What is the status of your case now?
We have a website that has the whole history of the case. We’ve been petitioning the California attorney general, the Justice Department, and everybody else because we can’t even get to the regular courts to prove a conspiracy of the highest order. There’s over 700 field documents pertaining to the royalties for all members of the group. We’re trying to get those documents open. All of them. Everybody is paying attention to it now. It’s not just me talking ’cause this is happening to most artists who don’t know anything about this new concept of digital music, copyrights and all of that. It’s brand new.
Some of the former record executives at the labels that distributed your music say that your case lacks merit because you were issued advances against future royalties and signed away your claim to the copyright.
There’s no place for them to go in reality. They can’t say I signed something that I didn’t. They didn’t get it clean enough. And I’m not gonna stop fighting to prove it. They can’t have their cake and eat it too. They were never looking to pay any royalties ’cause now they’re saying that they expected us to work for hire. That doesn’t make any sense.
You’ve been very outspoken over the years about drugs and how you believed that it fueled some of your artistic work. Now you’re just as vocal about being clean. What’s changed?
Just seeing how a sophisticated team of accountants, lawyers, and record labels were handling samples under the table and trying to cheat all of the members of the group on the publishing and copyright. They were linked together in this. We all knew there were mobsters in the record industry, but this is some very serious underworld stuff. I have no problem with the artists sampling. This is about what the labels were doing and are still doing. All of this is becoming clear to me now. But I had to get clean to even talk about it because nobody wants to listen to a crackhead.
What is your view on the state of the music business today?
It ain’t no different than it was before, coming from vinyls to CDs. It’s just that now you can download it. You just gotta figure out a way to let people hear what you doin’. You can download new songs from my book. And I’m hoping that will at least give me some new ways of being heard. It’s hard to get on the radio. Like in the ’60s, if you were underground then you couldn’t get on a Top-40 station. So with funk, we have to bring it any way that we can.
You have children and grandchildren. Have you ever sat and watched some of the concert footage of Parliament and Funkadelic that routinely appears on YouTube?
Oh yes, I love it. My grandkids always show me what’s up. I’ve seen most of the ones that are up there. We were pretty hot back then and it still holds up today.
In the book, you say “Absorb youth and you will be absorbed by youth.” Talk about how you’ve managed to stay relevant to so many generations.
The key is that each time you hear some new music that gets on your nerves, recognize that it’s something that you need to be paying attention to. That’s the music that’s getting ready to take your place. But as soon as you get past that and accept what they’re doing and say, ‘OK, let me see what it is that they’re doing,’ then you’ll get it. You just have to find your space within it.
You were concerned for Bob Marley’s life long before he was shot and wounded in 1976. Why?
Yeah, having a microphone and so many people under your control always frightened me. When I started seeing how big the crowds were getting as opposed to little clubs, I was scared of the power of the microphone and being the spokesperson. And that’s what Bob had. I was trying not to endorse an ideology. I was always trying to make a joke out of it so I didn’t have to be responsible for nothing. All I wanted people to do was think. Think. And think. That’s all I would say. I wasn’t trying to be in control of the audience in no other way than to be a DJ on the stage. Let’s have a party.
Tell us about the new album that you’re working on.
It’s called First You Gotta Shake the Gate. And it’s got 33 songs on it. It’s been 33 years since a legitimate Funkadelic record, The Electric Spanking of the War Babies, has been out. A lot of it is from the band, but I also have everybody from my kids and grandkids to Sly Stone, Kim Burrell and El DeBarge on there. It’s a package.
A lot of veteran artists say that the hardest part of the job is touring. Why are you still on the road so much?
‘Cause I got a booty. That speaks for itself.
http://www.wonderingsound.com/spotlight/funkadelic-sound-the-genius-of-george-clinton/
Funkadelic Sound: The Genius of George Clinton
By Hua Hsu
Contributor
07.30.06 in Spotlights
There are few terms as overused as "funky" — anyone who has entered it in the eBay search field and come up with everything from "funky 1960s earrings!" to the deeply misnamed 1970s country-rockers the Funky Kings already knows this. The Oxford English Dictionary — the place to go for matters like these — lists a few different usages of "funky," a word that dates back to at least 1784. When Samuel Naylor wrote Reynard the Fox, in 1845, it's likely that his usage of "funky" — "I do feel somewhat funky," a character complains — was in line with the nineteenth-century definition ("state of nervousness, anxiety"). An occurrence from 1855 suggests that "funky" also described something "given to kick, as a horse," while further usages come from the dairy sciences (moldy, as in cheese) and matters of etiquette ("smelling strong or bad"). Somewhere in the 1950s, the now standard usage — "swinging," "authentic," "down-to-earth" — emerged, evolving from groovy, laid-back jazz sketches to the precise, militaristic breakbeat assaults of James Brown.
Other than Brown, no man has colonized our modern understanding of funk quite like George Clinton. As the leader of the cast-of-hundreds Parliament-Funkadelic mob, Clinton's funk came to signify a stretchy and expansively rugged evolution in soul music. Whereas the best soul hits of the '60s had been punchy, tightly wound and catchy, Clinton's unpacking of funk trafficked in loose grooves and intricately textured jams. It was an open-minded approach that freely grabbed from neighboring genres like psychedelic rock, embraced new technologies and weird instruments and endeavored to amplify songs and riffs into full-blown mythologies. Most of all, Clinton made funk into a philosophy — a thin but infinitely intriguing post-soul, post-civil rights way of seeing the world.
In the '60s, Clinton's band the Parliaments was just another crew of would-be doo-wop stars practicing in anonymity. They honed their skills in the back of Clinton's Plainfield, New Jersey, barbershop — a popular hangout spot among young locals — and eventually worked up the nerve to travel to Detroit in the hopes of catching on with Berry Gordy's Motown family. The best they could do was a minor hit on the Detroit indie label Revilot; Clinton wrote a couple of minor hits for Motown artists, but his dream of signing with the label proved elusive.
They decided to go for broke and invert the group's sound: the Parliaments 'backing band, Funkadelic, became the marquee attraction. Once guitarist-turned-bassist Billy Nelson recruited childhood friend and guitar genius Eddie Hazel to join on, the frazzled Funkadelic sound was set. Clinton and his fellow singers switched up styles — with their thrashed, anti-preppie look, they resembled the MC5 rather than Marvin Gaye. The new group, Funkadelic, released their first record in 1970. It opened with the sound of moistened lips, a whispered come-on ("If you will suck my soul, I will lick your funky emotions") and nine-minutes of sweet, cosmically stoned jamming. The answer to this first song's question — "Mommy, What's a Funkadelic?" — wasn't immediately clear. But all who heard it, and studied how the exquisitely detailed electric guitars, shards of harmonica and reverb-drenched vocals shadowboxed, knew this was something new — and weird.
The first Funkadelic album made for an excellent mission statement. "I'll Bet You" buried its soul-pop core with layers of roughhewn guitars, clashing howls and thick drums, while "I Got a Thing, You Got a Thing, Everybody's Got a Thing" was a bit of Hazel-helmed family funk as fierce and violent as the times themselves. That same year, the band returned with Free Your Mind… And Your Ass Will Follow. Besides boasting one of the best album titles ever, the record signaled a giant step in the band's ever-evolving aesthetic. Again, they let you know up-front exactly what you were getting yourself into — the nightmarish opening title track is a ten-minute pastiche of decontextualized howls, quotes from church and blasts of squiggly, free noise, all butting up against an incredible blues-tinged psychedelic workout by Hazel. The band was exploring the limits of their vision, figuring out how loud they could get before people started tuning out. They grew darker and heavier, as evidenced on "Funky Dollar Bill," wherein Clinton and his fellow screamers sound like they're locked in combat with Hazel's strident riffing. Another highlight is "I Want to Know if It's Good to You?" which plays like a Hendrix solo unwound to quarter-speed.
Everyone has their favorite Funkadelic moment, and mine is undoubtedly 1971's Maggot Brain. This grim masterpiece opens with the title cut, an elegy for a world gone mad that finds Hazel submitting one of the most mournful solos you'll ever hear — it's rumored that Clinton told Hazel to play "like your momma just died." Lesser bands would wilt under the magnificence of such a first step, but the album continues unabated. The glorious "Can You Get to That" is a patient, country-tinged sing-along that goes a way toward erasing the loneliness, as do the elastic "Hit It and Quit It" and the cathartic "Super Stupid." (To get a sense of just how powerful Funkadelic was circa 1971, check out this face-melting live recording.)
Having established themselves as a band that could rock as hard as anyone, they began toying around with a more textured approach on 1972's America Eats Its Young. (This was also the first Funkadelic album to feature an illustrated cover, though artist Pedro Bell wouldn't take over until the following year.) The band was beginning to focus their sound and message, especially on songs like the gospel-ish "If You Don't Like the Effects, Don't Produce the Cause" and "Everybody Is Going to Make It This Time." The shift was confirmed on the 1973 classic Cosmic Slop. Funkadelic stowed their hard rock ways, instead producing thick, layered guitar-and-organ grooves that were tight and otherworldly — check out the dystopian dirge and cartoonish falsettos of "Cosmic Slop" and the playfully risqué "Nappy Dugout."
The enterprise was growing: a reconfigured Parliament became another outlet for Clinton's vision, and by decade's end Hazel, keyboardist Bernie Worrell and bass prodigy Bootsy Collins had released solo records as well. (There were anti-spin-offs, too, like Mutiny's Mutiny on the Mamaship, in which some ex-P-Funkers rebelled against Clinton but kept his basic approach.) Funkadelic continued to shade in the outlandish, goofy outline of their name on their next three albums — 1974's Standing on the Verge of Getting It On, 1975's Let's Take It to the Stage (with its playful challenges to "Earth, Hot Air and No Fire" and the "Godmother" of Soul) and 1976's Tales of Kidd Funkadelic (featuring the exquisite "Undisco Kidd"). It's jarring to listen to these smoother, quirkier mid-'70s albums in light of their proto-punk beginnings, but it never feels unnatural. It's all funkadelic — you can look that very word up in the O.E.D. "Funk used to be a bad word," Clinton observed on "Let's Take It to the Stage." By the time he was done with funk, bad felt so very good.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Clinton_%28musician%29
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| George Clinton | |
|---|---|
Clinton performing in 2007.
|
|
| Background information | |
| Born | July 22, 1941 Kannapolis, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Origin | Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Funk, soul, rock, funk rock, rhythm and blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1955–present |
| Labels | Westbound, Revilot, Capitol/EMI, Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 550 Music/Epic/SME, Shanachie |
| Associated acts | Parliament, Funkadelic, Bootsy's Rubber Band, Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| Website | www |
Contents
Career
Beginnings
Clinton was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina, grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey, and currently resides in Tallahassee, Florida. During his teen years Clinton formed a doo wop group inspired by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers called The Parliaments, while straightening hair at a barber salon in Plainfield.
1960s and 1970s
For a period in the 1960s Clinton was a staff songwriter for Motown. Despite initial commercial failure (and one major hit single, "(I Wanna) Testify"
in 1967, as well as arranging and producing scores of singles on many
of the independent Detroit soul music labels), The Parliaments
eventually found success under the names Parliament and Funkadelic in the 1970s (see also P-Funk). These two bands combined the elements of musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, Cream, and James Brown
while exploring various sounds, technology, and lyricism. Clinton and
Parliament-Funkadelic dominated diverse music during the 1970s with over
40 R&B hit singles (including three number ones) and three platinum albums.
1980s
Clinton's efforts as a solo artist began in 1982. He is also a notable music producer who works on almost all the albums he performs on, and has produced albums for Bootsy Collins and Red Hot Chili Peppers,
among others. Beginning in the early 1980s, Clinton recorded several
nominal solo albums, although all of these records featured
contributions from P-Funk's core musicians. The primary reason for
recording under his own name was legal difficulties, due to the complex
copyright and trademark issues surrounding the name "Parliament"
(primarily) and Polygram's purchase of that group's former label Casablanca Records.[citation needed]
In 1982, Clinton signed to Capitol Records under two names: his own (as a solo artist) and as the P-Funk All-Stars, releasing Computer Games under his own name that same year.[1] The single "Loopzilla" hit the Top 20 on the R&B charts, followed by "Atomic Dog", which reached #1 R&B and #101 on the pop chart.[1] In the next four years, Clinton released three more studio albums (You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish, Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends, and R&B Skeletons in the Closet) as well as a live album, Mothership Connection (Live from the Summit, Houston, Texas) and charting three singles in the R&B Top 30, "Nubian Nut", "Last Dance", and "Do Fries Go with That Shake?".
This period of Clinton's career was marred by multiple legal problems
(resulting in financial difficulties) due to complex royalty and
copyright issues, notably with Bridgeport Music, who Clinton claims fraudulently obtained the copyrights to many of his recordings.[2]
In 1985, he was recruited by the Red Hot Chili Peppers to produce their album Freaky Styley, because the band members were huge fans of George Clinton's and of funk
in general. Clinton, in fact, wrote the vocals and lyrics to the title
track which was originally intended by the band to be left as an
instrumental piece. The album was not a commercial success at the time,
but has since sold 500,000 copies after the Red Hot Chili Peppers became
popular years later.[citation needed]
Though Clinton's popularity had waned by the mid-1980s, he
experienced something of a resurgence in the early 1990s, as many
rappers cited him as an influence and began sampling his songs. Alongside James Brown, George Clinton is considered to be one of the most sampled musicians ever.[citation needed]
"Sure, sample my stuff…" he remarked in 1996. "Ain't a better time to
get paid than when you're my age. You know what to do with money. You
don't buy as much pussy or drugs with it – you just buy some."[3]
In 1989, Clinton released The Cinderella Theory on Paisley Park, Prince's record label. This was followed by Hey Man, Smell My Finger in 1993. Clinton then signed with Sony 550 and released T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M.
(The Awesome Power of a Fully Operational Mothership) in 1996, having
reunited with several former members of Parliament and Funkadelic.[citation needed]
1990s to 2000s
1994 saw Clinton contribute to several tracks on Primal Scream's studio album Give Out But Don't Give Up. In 1995, Clinton sang "Mind Games" on the John Lennon tribute Working Class Hero. In the 1990s, Clinton appeared in films such as Graffiti Bridge (1990), House Party (1990), PCU (1994), Good Burger (1997), and The Breaks (1999). In 1997, he appeared as himself in the Cartoon Network show Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Clinton also appeared as the voice of The Funktipus, the DJ of the Funk radio station Bounce FM in the 2004 video game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, in which his song "Loopzilla" also appeared.
Rapper Dr. Dre sampled most of Clinton's beats to create his G-Funk
music era. In 1999, Clinton collaborated with Lil' Kim, Fred Durst, and
Mix Master Mike for Methods of Mayhem's single "Get Naked".[citation needed]
Displaying his influence on rap and hip hop, Clinton also worked with Tupac Shakur on the song "Can't C Me" from the album All Eyez on Me; Ice Cube on the song and video for "Bop Gun (One Nation)" on the Lethal Injection album (which sampled Funkadelic's earlier hit "One Nation Under A Groove"); Outkast on the song "Synthesizer" from the album Aquemini; Redman on the song "J.U.M.P." from the album Malpractice; Souls of Mischief on "Mama Knows Best" from the album Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution; Killah Priest on "Come With me" from the album Priesthood, and the Wu Tang Clan on "Wolves" from the album 8 Diagrams.
Clinton founded a record label called The C Kunspyruhzy in 2003. He had a cameo appearance in "Where Were We?", the season two premiere of the CBS television sitcom How I Met Your Mother, on September 18, 2006.
Clinton wrote "You're Thinking Right", the theme song for The Tracey Ullman Show. He appeared on the intro to Snoop Dogg's Tha Blue Carpet Treatment album, released in 2007. Clinton was also a judge for the 5th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.[4]
On September 16, 2008, Clinton released a solo album, George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love on Shanachie Records. Largely a covers album, Gangsters features guest appearances from Sly Stone, El DeBarge, Red Hot Chili Peppers, RZA, Carlos Santana, gospel singer Kim Burrell and more.[5]
On September 10, 2009, George Clinton was awarded the Urban Icon Award from Broadcast Music Incorporated.[6] The ceremony featured former P-Funk associate Bootsy Collins, as well contemporary performers such as Big Boi from Outkast and Cee-Lo Green from Goodie Mob.
Also in 2009, Clinton was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.[7]
Personal life
On February 1, 2010, Clinton's son, George Clinton, Jr., was found
dead in his Florida home. According to police, he had been dead for
several days and died of natural causes.[8]
On May 20, 2010, Clinton received a proclamation from Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs of Plainfield, New Jersey, where he was raised, at a fundraiser for the Barack Obama Green Charter High School, which is focused creating leaders in Education for Sustainability for the 21st century.[citation needed]
Clinton married Stephanie Lynn Clinton in 1990. In February 2013, after 22 years of marriage, he filed for divorce.[9]
Discography
George Clinton performing in The Netherlands.
George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic performing at Waterfront Park, in Louisville, Kentucky, July 4, 2008
George Clinton performing live in Texas.
George Clinton in Long Beach 2009
Clinton performing in Centerville, 2007
Studio albums
| Year | Album information | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
|||||
| 1982 | Computer Games
|
40 | 3 | |||
| 1982 | You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish
|
102 | 18 | |||
| 1985 | Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends
|
163 | 17 | |||
| 1986 | R&B Skeletons in the Closet
|
81 | 17 | |||
| 1989 | The Cinderella Theory
|
192 | 75 | |||
| 1993 | Hey Man, Smell My Finger
|
145 | 31 | |||
Dope Dogs
|
— | — | ||||
| 1996 | T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M.
|
121 | — | |||
| 2005 | How Late Do U Have 2BB4UR Absent?
|
— | — | |||
| 2008 | George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love
|
— | 34 | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||
Live albums
| Year | Album information |
|---|---|
| 1976 | The Mothership Connection – Live from Houston
|
| 1990 | Live at the Beverly Theater
|
| 1995 | Mothership Connection Newberg Session
|
| 2004 | 500,000 Kilowatts of P-Funk Power (Live)
|
| 2006 | Take It To The Stage (Live)
|
Family Series albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Go Fer Yer Funk | Nocturne |
| Plush Funk | Nocturne | |
| 1993 | P Is the Funk | Nocturne |
| Testing Positive 4 the Funk | AEM | |
| A Fifth of Funk | AEM | |
| 1995 | The Best (compilation) | AEM |
EPs
| Year | Album information |
|---|---|
| 1988 | Atomic Clinton! (EP)
|
| 1990 | Atomic Dog (EP)
|
Solo singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B |
US Dance | UK | ||||||||
| 1982 | "Loopzilla" | 19 | 48 | 57 | Computer Games | |||||
| "Atomic Dog" | 1 | 38 | 94 | |||||||
| 1983 | "Nubian Nut" | 15 | — | — | You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish | |||||
| 1986 | "Do Fries Go with That Shake?" | 13 | — | 57 | R&B Skeletons in the Closet | |||||
| "R&B Skeletons (In the Closet)" | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1989 | "Why Should I Dog You Out?" | — | — | — | The Cinderella Theory | |||||
| "Tweakin'" | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1993 | "Paint The White House Black" | — | — | — | Hey Man, Smell My Finger | |||||
| "Martial Law | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1996 | "If Anybody Gets Funked Up (It's Gonna Be You)" | 13 | — | — | T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. | |||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||||||
Contributions
- 1981: "Work That Sucker To Death" (Xavier featuring George Clinton and Bootsy Collins; Point of Pleasure)
- 1983: "I Almost Believed You" (from the Michael Bolton album Michael Bolton)
- 1985: "American Ghost Dance" sang backing vocals with the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their album Freaky Styley
- 1985: "May The Cube Be With You" collaborated with Thomas Dolby and appeared in the music video for the song.
- 1985: "Sun City" (Artists United Against Apartheid; Sun City)
- 1986: "Break My Heart" (Jimmy G. & The Tackheads) one of his many one-off groups with George Clinton supplying vocals & possibly Bootsy on bass.
- 1986: "Magilla Gorilla" (from the Kurtis Blow album Kingdom Blow)
- 1990: "We Can Funk" (from the Prince album Graffiti Bridge)
- 1991: "Rock The Planet", "Dysfunction", "Air Head", "Freedom of Speech" (from the Muruga UFM album Rock The Planet)
- 1991: "Sons of the P" (from the Digital Underground album Sons of the P)
- 1991: "Words & Music from da Lowlands" (from the Gotcha! album Words and Music from the lowlands)
- 1993: "G-Funk Intro" (from the Snoop Doggy Dogg album Doggystyle)
- 1993: "Tight" (from the MC Breed album The New Breed (album))
- 1994: "PCU" (George Clinton)
- 1993: "Bop Gun (One Nation)" (from the Ice Cube album Lethal Injection)
- 1994: "P-Funk" (NBA Jam; Hidden Character)
- 1994: "Funky Jam" / "Give Out But Don't Give Up" / "Free" (Primal Scream; Give Out But Don't Give Up)
- 1995: "Blac Mermaid" (from the Society of Soul album Brainchild)
- 1996: "Can't C Me" (from the 2Pac album All Eyez on Me)
- 1997: Good Burger (Mental Patient/Dancer)
- 1998: "Synthesizer" (from the Outkast album Aquemini)
- 1999: "Get Naked" (from the Methods of Mayhem album Methods of Mayhem)
- 2000: "Alien Love" (from the Alien Lovestock album "Planet Of The Fish")
- 2001: "Come With Me", "The One" (from the Killah Priest album Priesthood)
- 2001: "Speed Dreaming" (from the Warren G album The Return Of The Regulator)
- 2001: "J.U.M.P." (from the Redman album Malpractice)
- 2002: "The Movie" (from the Too Short album What's My Favorite Word?)
- 2003: "Hey Bulldog" (from the Eric McFadden album "Diamonds To Coal")
- 2005: "Lotus Flower" (from the Blackalicious album The Craft)
- 2006: "Uncle Speaks (Album Naration)" (from the Joi album Tennessee Slim Is the Bomb)
- 2006: "Intrology" (from the Snoop Dogg album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment)
- 2006: "The Doctor and the Kidd" (from the People Under The Stairs album Stepfather)
- 2007: "Wolves", "Tar Pit" (from the Wu-Tang Clan album 8 Diagrams)
- 2007: "When the World is at Peace" (Masters of Funk & Blues feat. George Clinton & Bobby Taylor; A Soulful Tale of Two Cities)
- 2007: "Love Won't Let Me Wait" (Masters of Funk, Soul & Blues featuring George Clinton; A Soulful Tale of Two Cities)
- 2007: "Night Out" (from the Lifesavas album Gutterfly)
- 2008: "Up Again" (from the Bobby Digital album Digi Snacks)
- 2008: "Hitler's Brain" (from the Die Warzau album Vinyl88: Not the best of Die Warzau)
- 2009: "There's A Party" (from the N.A.S.A album The Spirit of Apollo)
- 2010: "Fo Yo Sorrows" (from the Big Boi album Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty)
- 2010: "Red Wine (Skit)" (From the Stevie Stone album New Kid Comin)
- 2010: "Red Wine" (From the Stevie Stone album New Kid Comin)
- 2011: "D-Funk (Funk With Us)" (from The Headhunters album Platinum)
- 2012: Thanksgiving Day halftime show at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan. Halftime Concert featuring Kid Rock.
- 2013: "Tonight We Ride" (from the Killah Priest album The Psychic World of Walter Reed)
- 2014: "UFO Le Funk" & "Brooklyn UFO" from the Funky Taurus& George Clinton album UFO Le Funk via MTV / USA their first mutual CDs
References
- "GEORGE CLINTON TO WIFE Go Funk Yourself ... I Filed for DIVORCE". TMZ. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
Further reading
- Clinton, George; Greenman, Ben (2014). Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard on You?. New York: Atria Books. ISBN 978-1-4767-5107-8.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Clinton (musician). |
- George Clinton's official web site
- Cox-Cordova, Jill (September 15, 2011). "Red Chair Interview: George Clinton". CNN.com.
- George Clinton -VH1
- Houston Press interview
- George Clinton at the Internet Movie Database
- George Clinton at AllMusic
- College Crier George Clinton Interview
- Trouser Press George Clinton Discography
- George Clinton Audio Interview, Feb. 08
- Promotional MP3 "Ain't That Peculiar" from George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love
- George Clinton's Psychedelic Paintings in SPIN's February '09 Issue
- George Clinton at WhoSampled
