Funkadelic | Artist
Funkadelic was an American funk-rock band formed 1968 in Plainfield, New Jersey, by George Clinton (vocals), Ray Davis (vocals), Clarence Haskins (vocals), Calvin Simon (vocals), Tiki Fulwood (drums), Eddie Hazel (guitar), Tal Ross (guitar), Billy Nelson (bass) and Mickey Atkins (organ). Over time the band underwent many lineup changes, adding at various stages, big name players Bootsy Collins (bass), Bernie Worrell (keyboards) and Maceo Parker (saxophone). Funkadelic and its sister act Parliament (P-Funk), both led by George Clinton, pioneered the funk music culture of that decade drawing on Afrofuturism, outlandish fashion, psychedelia, and surreal humor. The collective's origins date back to the doo-wop group the Parliaments, formed by Clinton during the late 1950s in suburban New Jersey. By the late 1960s, Clinton had gained experience as a producer-writer for Motown Records and, inspired by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, and Frank Zappa. Funkadelic pursued a heavier, Psychedelic Rock-oriented sound, influenced by Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, whereas Parliament had a more soul and synth-rock sound. Parliament and Funkadelic featured mostly the same stable of personnel but operated concurrently under two names. Between 1970-1978 Funkadelic released a string of excellent albums, including the classics Funkadelic (1970), Free Your Mind.. And Your Ass Will Follow (1970), Maggot Brain (1971), Cosmic Slop (1973), Standing on the Verge of Getting It On (1974), Let's Take it to The Stage (1975), and One Nation Under a Groove (1978). Many critics regard 1971's Maggot Brain as the band's masterpiece. The following comment is typical of the album's reviews: "This one of a kind masterpiece seems to exist in some phantasmagoric parallel universe where Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix have pscylocibin roasts in Dr. Octagon's backyard". In the early 1980s George Clinton dissolved Parliament and Funkadelic as recording and touring entities but continued to release new albums regularly, sometimes under his own name and sometimes under the name George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars. The rock-oriented sound of Funkadelic gradually moved towards more of an R&B and hip hop sound. George Clinton is regarded, along with James Brown and Sly Stone, as one of the foremost innovators of funk music. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, alongside 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.
Artist Website: georgeclinton.com
Featured Albums: Funkadelic
Related Artists: Parliament, Bootsy's Rubber Band, George Clinton, The JB's
