George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic

“Let There Be Music” theme chosen to celebrate HAL’s platinum anniversary

The legendary and always colorful George Clinton, principal architect of P-Funk, has been named the recipient of the prestigious 2009 Heroes and Legends Pioneer Award. Clinton will be honored at the 20th Annual Heroes and Legends (HAL) Awards on Sunday, September 27th, 2009 at The Beverly Hills Hotel. Other honorees include, Eddie Levert, (recording artist), Clarence Avant, (Music and Film Producer, Entrepreneur) Mykelti Williamson (TV and Film Star), Dennis Coffey (legendary songwriter, recording artist, and producer), and Maani Edwards, (V.P. Urban Music, Universal Music Publishing) (complete list of awards below). This years presenters will include Wesley Snipes, Freda Payne, Claudette Robinson, and many more.

The Pioneer Award, awarded to those who forge ahead against all odds, is one of 9 awards bestowed upon individuals who have made positive accomplishments and achievements for at least 15 years. “I am thrilled that the Heroes and Legends Foundation is celebrating its 20th year, which coincides with Motown’s 50th Anniversary,” Founder Janie Bradford explains. “Pioneers like George Clinton and our other honorees, past and present, have planted the seeds of obtaining your artistic goals. It’s so wonderful that we can continue to honor them, as well as to provide scholarships for students to pursue their artistic dreams.”

The 2009 HAL Awards continues its reputation for excellence and bringing out the best Hollywood has to offer with another star-studded event honoring a select group of individuals who have brought honor and dignity to the arts. JoMarie Payton returns as the Mistress of Ceremonies.

An additional highlight will be the awarding of scholarships to deserving students from the Southern California area. The HAL Awards are the brainchild of famed songwriter and Motown Alumna, Janie Bradford. Bradford has written such classic hits as Marvin Gaye’s “Too Busy Thinkin’ About My Baby,” Barrett Strong’s “Money. That’s What I Want” and countless others.
- debra@halawards.com.

The Deal: The Godfather of Funk hits Charlotte for a three-hour tour of classic P-Funk and some newer hits.

The Good: If you wanted the funk, you were in the right place. Clinton hit the stage around 10:30 p.m. and the band kept going for roughly three hours.

Sure, most of the stuff you'd expect was played: Give Up the Funk, Somethin Stank and I Want Sum, Bounce 2 This, and Flashlight. He also played the newer song Hard as Steel from TAPOAFOM.
Michael Hampton shredded the hell out of plenty of guitar riffs, showing why he's been with the band since age 17. Garry Shider, aka Starchild or Diaper Man, also did his job as the musical director.
One of the talented female backup singers found time to roll around on skates in a bikini. She was more than eye candy though as she held her own in a duet with Clinton. Funny that when I did some research on her online, I found out she was Peaches on Flavor of Love.

Who else is gonna get 20 people on stage and make it sound fantastic?

The Bad: I won't say she was bad, Kendra Foster got out there and warmed up the crowd for 30 minutes with a mixture of her own songs and some old Funkadelic. However, it was clear from all of the We want the funk! chants that people were there for Clinton and no one else would do. It helped that Foster was backed up by members of P-Funk though.

Let's face it, George is getting old. That's not a bad thing because he can still tear the roof off, but when I saw him the first few times, he never left the stage. This time around, he took a few breaks.
The Verdict: It may not be as consistent, or draining (the first time I saw him the show lasted for four hours), but he can still give the funk as good as he ever did.
- Jeff Hahne

June 27, 2008

George Clinton is getting by with a little help from his friends on his next album -- a list that includes the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Carlos Santana, Sly Stone, RZA, System Of A Down bassist Shavo Odadjian, El DeBarge and gospel singer Kim Burrell.

They all show up on an assortment of covers on "George Clinton and Some Gangsters of Love," which Clinton will release Sept. 16 on Shanachie.

"It started out with me doing some doo wop songs," Clinton, who grew up singing on street corners in Plainfield, N.J., tells Billboard.com. "As we got going, people started coming through to be on it." Among the first, he says, was Santana, who plays on a version of the Impressions' "Gypsy Woman," and then Stone and DeBarge, who sing on Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar."

"Then I got serious about other people joining in with me," Clinton says. "It still is a concept album, but it's taken a little bit of a different turn."

On "Gangsters" Clinton also covers Shirley & Lee's "Let the Good Times Roll" with the Chili Peppers -- whose "Freaky Styley" he produced in 1985 -- Barry White's "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up," Johnny Ace's "Pledging My Love," Shep & the Heartbreak's "A Thousand Miles Away," Bobby Rydell's "Kissin' Time" and Ruby & the Romantics' "Our Day Will Come."

The album includes one new song, "Mathematics of Love" (which features Burrell) and a new take on the Parliaments' "Heart Trouble." Much of the album was produced with longtime Eminem cohort Mark Bass.

Clinton and Bass have also teamed for a Parliament-Funkadelic Motown covers album to salute the label's 50th anniversary. The album incorporates samples from a speech by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today)" and also includes versions of "Bernadette," "Heat Wave," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" and "The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game." Clinton says he hopes to add some guests to that set as well.

Meanwhile, P-Funk plans to celebrate its 40th anniversary with a party and performance on July 22 in Los Angeles. And Clinton says he plans to release an album of new P-Funk material in early 2009.


- Gary Graff, Detroit

Funk legend George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic will perform at half time at the United Football League’s championship game Saturday at Rosenblatt Stadium.

The band will perform three to four songs in a 12-minute set — a great feat if it can do it. Most of the group’s hit songs (such as “Flashlight,” “We Want the Funk” and “Atomic Dog”) typically last about 10 to 15 minutes each. No joke.

Clinton, aka the Godfather of Funk, was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early ’80s and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. He began his solo career in 1981. He recently spoke with Michael Preston of the UFL about his upcoming Omaha performance and great football playing.

Here’s what he had to say:

Q. What should people expect from your show?

A. We’re going to tear the roof off. We want to rock the people of Omaha. Really 12 minutes is short for a P-Funk show, but we’re going to sock it to them.

Q. Have you ever been to Omaha before?

A. Yeah, plenty of times. We had the mother ship there in Omaha in 1976 and ’77. (He gave a sold-out performance at the Whiskey Roadhouse at Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs in January.)

Q. There will be thousands of football fans at the game. What message do you have for them?

A. They are coming to watch a good game, but they need to bring two bootys with them: One to sit on and one to dance with when we get up there and play.

Q. Who will win the UFL championship?

A. We’re bringing the funk, so Las Vegas is going to have the edge, because that’s a funky town.

Q. Have you ever played before at a football game or sporting event?

A. Yes. We played at a University of Southern California game five years ago. It was a real good close game and we had a good time at the show.

Q. Do you watch football or did you ever play any sports?

A. They wouldn’t let me on the team. I had my own baseball team before I had a group, but they wouldn’t let me play. I watch sports games when teams get to the playoffs. Music has consumed my life, so there was never much time for sports.

Q. Tell us about your current recording session.

A. I’m doing a Motown album with Sly Stone. We’re getting ready to hit the road with a new show at the beginning of the year. I’m fully fledged into the new music, and the Internet has made new things happen such as video and animation, so I’m embracing that.

Q. Who is your current favorite artist?

A. Eminem and Rihanna. I predicted they would be real big stars. Eminem has been able to redefine himself and I’m proud of that. When I first heard “SOS” by Rihanna, I was raving about that song, and she came up to be twice as big and hasn’t stopped since.

Q. What is your lasting memory of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose album “Freaky Styley” you produced?

A. Them staying at my house, riding snowmobiles, having to chase young girls away from the house. I had to take them to the city to get their own apartment in the end. They were really cool kids.

Q. What is the best live concert you ever played?

A. Oh, man, there have been so many. Boston used to be ridiculous. We used to play up there in ’68 and ’69 and had some of the best shows in the world playing with the rock bands from England, like Led Zeppelin. We played a place called the Sugar Shack, had just got into psychedelic music and played five or six hours at a time.
- World Herald

Bow wow wow yippee yo yippe yea.

The 69-year-old “godfather of funk” known for hit songs such as “Atomic Dog,” “We Want the Funk” and “Dr. Funkenstein” has been releasing albums steadily since 1967 and refuses to let “the funk” die. Clinton tours 200 days a year with his 15-piece band, Parliament Funkadelic, in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Africa. This year, he's kicking off his 2011 tour in Tokyo, Japan and will play San Francisco before he makes his way up to Redway to play at the Mateel Community Center's Black and Red Ball on Friday night. George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic (or P-Funk) have performed in Humboldt County twice before -- once at Humboldt State University last year and before that they played a sold-out show at the Mateel in 2008.

Clinton recently answered questions while on his way to Los Angeles. His gravely voice was cheerful despite almost missing his plane from his home in Florida.

Q: So, George, this will be your third time coming up to perform in Humboldt County. What do you like about it?

”I like to go fishing up that way a lot, I like the whole area.I've caught lots of steelhead, salmon. I've been trying to get up there recently.”

Q: I know there must not be a lot of time to fish on your tour schedule. At this point, why do you keep on performing music?

”Funk. It's like musical Viagra. It keeps you ready to go. It gives you energy.”

Q:You must have a lot of energy. I read that, along with touring, you will also be teaching a master class at a college in London. What do you teach?

”I teach them longevity. Try to keep in step, try to listen to the new thing. It saves you five years worth of energy. Listen to what older people say is not music. The music that your parents hate and older musicians hate, that's the next music. Kids always do what their parents hate. It saves you so much energy trusting that.”

Q: What is “gongafunkadine” ?

”Damned if I know (laughs). It's a children's puppet (television) show we did in Florida. It's something the kids put together and they put me on a starship with babies. I think it's probably going to be on Disney or Nickoloedeon or something. It might be on Adult Swim. It's finished now.”

Q: And George, I wanted to say I'm sorry to hear about Garry Shider. I know he was the lead singer of P-Funk who died last June. What has it been like touring without him?

”He's been missed -- that's for sure. His spirit is still there and in his name, we're still doing it.”

Q:What did he add to your show?

”Oh my God -- loads and loads of energy. The spirit over the years. For real. There's no replacing that."

Q: What are you most proud of in your career?

”To still be doing what I like doing.”

Q: What is it that you like doing?

"Funk. It's all wrapped up in the f-u-n-k."

Q: How would you describe “the funk”?

”Anything you need to be, when you need it to be that. As it is, it shall be that. You know it is its own reward.”

Q: And George, on the flip side, what has been the biggest challenge of your career?

"Oh, damn -- that question. The thing about that one is I've seen all the challenges. It's a hard thing to find something that resists being funky. Probably lawsuits and things like that, but I look at it as I'm 70 years old -- it's something to do. Without humps, there'd be getting nowhere.”

Q:What have you had lawsuits about?

”All the music we have made -- people are trying to steal it. We've been to the Library of Congress and we've been in touch to get all the rights to our songs. The fact that we've taken it that far is very fulfilling. It's almost impossible to get your music back for a lot of people. It will be coming up pretty soon all over the media. I don't mind the kids sampling it -- that's beautiful. But the record companies are not up to par with what the whole country is about -- free enterprise. That part of music makes it almost not possible to do.”

Q: What do you do when you're not performing?

”Fish. I'm in the studio and recording most of the time.”

Q: Should we expect any new songs any time soon?

”Oh yeah. I'm doing a Motown album and working with different artists.”

Q: Anything else you'd like to add?

”Say what's up for the new Motown album by funkadelic. Thanks, baby.” - Ashley Bailey

25 February 2011

George Clinton is the single most influential figure in the history of funk, the mastermind behind both Parliament & Funkadelic.

Clinton started his career in junior high, founding The Parliaments, a barbershop doo-wop ensemble, which scored a major hit with "I Wanna Testify" in 1967. Clinton then began experimenting with harmonies, melody and rhythm and taking cues from the psychedelic movement, forever setting himself apart from the Motown era.

By the early 1970’s, the group’s tight songs evolved into sprawling jams around the funkiest of rhythms. They dropped the "S" from the band name and Parliament was born. Around the same time, Clinton spawned Funkadelic, a rock group which fused psychedelic guitar distortion, bizarre sound effects, and cosmological rants with danceable beats and booming bass lines which became the definition of funk. Funkadelic made a number of Earth shattering concept albums, focusing on the politics facing the planet, with titles like Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow, Maggot Brain, and America Eats It’s Young.

Parliament & Funkadelic dominated and revolutionized the music scene in the 1970’s, capturing 40 R&B hit singles and racking up four #1 hits: "Flashlight," "One Nation Under a Groove," "Aqua Boogie" and "(Not Just) Knee Deep." Clinton’s collaborators included master keyboardist Bernie Worrel, guitarist Eddie Hazel, bassist Bootsy Collins, saxophonist Maceo Parker, trombonist Fred Wesley. On stage, spectacle ruled the day, with an enormous mothership, outrageous costumes, and marathon performances.

In the 1980’s, George Clinton emerged as a successful solo artist. He released Computer Games with the #1 hit single "Atomic Dog," produced The Red Hot Chili Peppers pioneering Freaky Styley, and signed onto Prince’s Paisley Park label. He also began to experiment with the urban hip-hop music scene, as a generation of rappers reared on P-Funk began to name-check him.

By 1990, Clinton had become recognized as the godfather of modern urban music. Beats, loops and samples of P-Funk appeared on albums by OutKast, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot, De La Soul, Fishbone, and many, many others. As Clinton has said, "Funk is the DNA of hip-hop and rap." Clinton also teamed up to create new recordings with artists like Too $hort, Digital Underground, Ice Cube, Q-Tip, Coolio and Redman. In 1996, Clinton released his most recent solo album The Awesome Power of a Fully Operational Mothership, which reunited him with Bernie Worrel and Bootsy Collins.

In 1997, George Clinton & Parliament / Funkadelic were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Guitar Center’s Hollywood Rock Walk, and earned a Lifetime Achievement Award at the NAACP Image Awards. In 2002, SPIN magazine voted Parliament/Funkadelic #6 of the 50 Greatest Band of All Time.

At the dawn of the new millennium, the Parliament/Funkadelic juggernaut has shown no signs of slowing down, remaining active on the recording and touring fronts. The line-up includes both original band members, such as guitarist Gary Shider, guitarist Dewayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight, guitarist Mike Hampton, and bassists William "Billy Bass" Nelson and Cardell "Boogie" Mosson, along with fresh new voices with sometimes as many as 30 people appearing on stage at once. In the summer of 2002, George Clinton & Parliament/ Funkadelic completed an ambitious world tour of the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan.

Discography
Parliament
1970 Osmium
1974 Up for the Down Stroke
1975 Chocolate City
1976 Clones of Dr. Funkenstein
1976 Mothership Connection
1977 Get Down & Boogie
1977 Live: P-Funk Earth Tour
1977 Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome
1978 Motor Booty Affair
1979 Gloryhallastoopid
1980 Trombipulation

Funkadelic
1970 Funkadelic
1970 Free Your Mind...And Your Ass Will Follow
1971 Maggot Brain
1972 America Eats Its Young
1973 Cosmic Slop
1974 Standing on the Verge of Getting It On
1975 Let's Take It to the Stage
1976 Hardcore Jollies
1976 Tales of Kidd Funkadelic
1978 One Nation Under a Groove
1979 Uncle Jam Wants You
1981 The Electric Spanking of War Babies

George Clinton
1982 Computer Games Capitol
1983 You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish
1985 Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends
1986 R&B Skeletons in the Closet
1986 Mothership Connection - Live from the Summit, Houston
1989 The Cinderella Theory
1993 Sample Some of Disc, Sample Some of DAT
1993 Hey Man, Smell My Finger
1998 Dope Dogs
1996 T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. (The Awesome Power of a Fully Operation Mothership)
1997 Live & Kickin'
- London Centre of Contemporary Music

George Clinton feels funk's time has come again.

Clinton essentially pioneered the genre through ground-breaking work with his bands Parliament and Funkadelic, and is considered one of the most influential musicians of the last 40 years.

The 69-year-old doesn't just write and record funk - he lives it and breathes it. In fact, it's pretty fair to say it's what keeps him going.

Asked what he can recalls about his last visit to New Zealand, performing an exceptional gig at Aucklan's St James in April 2005, the raspy-voiced Clinton says he "can't remember which show that was, but I know we did about three in the area".

The gig - among the top three concerts this reviewer has attended - featured a 17-minute version of the hit Flashlight, and Clinton says punters can expect to hear it when he and Parliament-Funkadelic reach Auckland next month.

The 2005 concert saw up to 18 people on stage, and Clinton says that's a slimmed-down version of his at-times massive band.

"It fluctuates. Sometimes it's up to 25, usually around 20. Sometime it's more people than I need, sometimes it's less."

Clinton says when he launched Parliament in 1970s, "I didn't know what popular was, but I knew I was going to be doing it (funk) all my life." He's happy to "still be around, and be worthy of it".

The funk-father says funk has gone beyond music, and is now a lifeforce, ''and part of history, gonna be around for a long time''.

Clinton considers "wild and crazy" hip-hop music to be the child of funk, and loves the way both forms of music bring people of all races and backgrounds together.

"It's great for race relations," he says. "A lot of people think I am crazy for saying that, but something makes it work, y'know."

He's also very grateful a myriad of hip-hop artists, most notably Los Angeles producer Dr Dre, have sampled the P-Funk he produced.

"It kept funk alive ... and now we actually (use) sampling ourselves, and them. People weren't ready for the funk to leave, hip-hop just came in and put a spin on it. The funk just keep going."

Acknowledging the rise of contemporary 21st century funk and soul acts like Dudley Perkins, Dam-Funk and Erykah Badu, Clinton has "been waiting on it to come".

"I think Motown and the funk are the root to all the good music today," he says. "I've been saying for 20 years, 'the funk will not leave'."

He goes as far as saying funk and soul will be "the rallying cry" for the United States in 2011, pointing to the success of a funk-filled episode of popular TV musical Glee, which featured a version of We Want The Funk.

Clinton is also working on an album of reworked Motown material, which sees him team up with another legendary funkateer, Sly Stone.

"Yeah man," George croaks, "we're having a good time, and it's gonna be finished real soon. Sly's playing on a lot of the stuff. We've got so much good stuff on there, we're doing really good with the new material."

Clinton says it's also possible he will again collaborate former Parliament-Funkadelic members Bernie Worrell and Bootsy Collins, and identitifed rappers Rakim and Eminem as two artists he would also like to work with.

"They as smooth as hell."

Having take the funk all over the world - thanks in large part to his well-documented "Mothership Connections" - Clinton's been stunned by how funky some places can be.

"We were surprised by, like, Poland! Amsterdam has always been funky, and France too. When we come to Australia and New Zealand, it's like playing down south here. Japan is straight-out funky, but also polite ... they clap at the end of it. But when we start up, they are all the way into it!"

Clinton isn't sure where the current tour takes him. "I just go where they tell me to go," he says but he never gets bored with performing and gets tired when he's not on the road or in the studio

"I can't remember the last place that was un-funky. Pretty much everybody has got the capacity to feel it! And if you try to hard to stop it, it's definitely gonna pop out."
- Jeff Neems

April 7 2011

According to George Clinton, the chief architect of funk, the definition of the style is "to do the best you can in life, and after that, funk it." Considering his reputation, though, it's a little ironic that Clinton's first band was a doo-wop-style group modeled after Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic perform Thursday, April 7, at South Side Music Hall.
But a change in musical taste soon birthed Parliament, which was quickly followed by Funkadelic.

A melding of rhythm and blues, jazz, gospel and psychedelic rock, these bands' music was highly innovative at the time. Each group had a distinct identity and alternated releases into the late '70s on a variety of labels, with Clinton dividing his time between the two.

Now, at almost 70 years old, Clinton is still touring. In advance of his Thursday night performance at South Side Music Hall, we had a chance to kick it with the always colorful artist and talk about Bootsy, Motown and how he's still keeping it funky at his age.

Q: What's your best Bootsy Collins story?

Oh, I have a good one. He did a song called "Pinocchio Theory" in 1977. It was all about if you fake the funk, your nose will grow. I didn't know for years that the dirty motherfucker didn't know who Pinocchio was! He thought Disney was stealing his ideas! [Laughs.] He thought, "I came up with that!" I was like, "No, no, no. He's been around for years."

Q: Why isn't Bootsy touring with you?

He's still doing music in Cincinnati. He's waiting until things get really hot, then he'll probably hit the road with us. But I ain't no fair-weather funkster. There ain't no chance of me not touring.

Q: You were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. What has made Parliament Funkadelic a permanent part of music history?

Damn, well, we've had enough time to do all kinds of music. We took advantage of that, from rock 'n' roll to doo-wop to pop to rock to Motown to the kind of rock 'n' roll we did at the end of the '60s. That was Funkadelic. We did stuff with Sly Stone and Bootsy, then moved on to hip-hop in the '80s and the '90s.

Q: When you first started out, you were trying to make it in Motown. What took you from doo-wop to funk?

Evolution. We always try to change. We pay attention to whatever new is coming out. We found a way to pick up on the kind of music kids love and parents hate. We've been lucky enough to use that as a barometer. Our shows are like a circus now. We have grandchildren and great-great grandchildren all coming out to the shows. I have a granddaughter in my band.

Q: At nearly 70 years old, you're still going. How do you find the motivation to keep touring?

Well, funk has its own built-in energy. It starts you up when you want to sit down. - Kyle Eustice

The connection to the mothership is a little distorted. "Hello George. Come in Mr Clinton. Is the psychedelic funkmaster there? Come in George."

He is, but his voice is croaky and as husky as static since the 69-year-old band leader and brains behind bands Parliament and Funkadelic - who travel the world as one entity these days - has just got off the road from yet another epic tour.

While he's a little hoarse, it won't stop the man who invented P-Funk - think James Brown-meets-Jimi Hendrix in the 70s - beaming his way back to New Zealand for the Parliament Funkadelic show at the Powerstation on April 23.

"We gonna do a whole lot of funkin'. A whole lot of funkin'. We gonna come down there with the whole mob and tear the roof off the place," he says in his flippant and, yes, funky lilt.

And damn right they will be tearing the roof off the sucker - as he once declared on Give Up the Funk from Parliament's classic 1975 album Mothership Connection - since the mob he's talking about is made up of 26 musicians playing a three-hour show, with 20 to 30 minutes of that likely to be taken up with catchy 1977 P-funk popper Flashlight alone.

"It could be even longer this time ... if it don't fall apart on us," laughs Clinton on the phone from somewhere deep in the heart of Texas.

That's Parliament Funkadelic for you. While the music has an unflinching groove, it's also sprawling and chaotic, whether it's the cosmic bop of Up For the Down Stroke, the relentless knees-up of Do Fries Go With That Shake? or the steely and eerie squall of Maggot Brain, the title track from Funkadelic's loopy and legendary third album from 1971.

"You've got to be tight but still be loose enough to jam. You've got to be as tight as you can possibly be but also do what you want to do. I was able to straddle all of that and later on I just added more to it. That's the funk," says Clinton.

On top of the many band members (up to 40 or so), numerous albums (around 35 counting Clinton's solo albums), and the good, the bad, and downright weird songs, Clinton's career has been a long and often complex one - but with funk always at its core.

He was 15 when he started the doo-wop group the Parliaments in Plainfield, New Jersey. However, it wasn't until the late 60s that the group made any major headway. Also by this time Clinton was a key figure on the Detroit music scene, writing and producing for Motown Records.

"To me Motown was an education - being around all those great players and producers. And when they left Detroit we inherited the city," he says.

But before they could do that, Clinton had to do some creative jostling within his ranks after losing the rights to the Parliaments' name. His solution was to move the Parliaments backing band to the fore, call them Funkadelic, and then when he eventually got the rights to the Parliaments back (now called Parliament), the two bands charted a parallel course into the unexplored musical universe.

And with Clinton at the helm, ably assisted by lead guitarist Eddie Hazel, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, and bass player Bootsy Collins, Parliament and Funkadelic forged a fruity, fiery and fun musical legacy in the 70s and into the 80s.

The sound of Funkadelic and Parliament are mostly, although not exclusively, distinct; the former a trippy funk rock-style and the latter a more psychedelic Motown, soul-inspired funk band (with some songs clocking in at 10 minutes-plus).

"Funkadelic was rock with guitar domination," says Clinton grandly. "That was rock 'n' roll, whereas Parliament was our arrangement of, like, Sly [and the Family Stone] and James Brown and taking music as far as we could go because we could do anything we wanted to do."

Ask Clinton what goes into his music and he will reel off specific styles, bands, and place names. "Doo-wop, Motown, psychedelic, jazz, rock, the Isley Brothers, New Orleans, Dr John, the Beatles."

But while it's a melting pot of influences the result is something wholly unique and often unhinged. And it also helps that elements of P-Funk are beamed in from outer space.

"Oh yeah, it came from the Starchild," deadpans Clinton, with a little chuckle.

But for that story, and other tales from Dr Funkenstein, you may want to hook up a connection with the mothership. - Scott Kara

George Clinton and his P-Funk crew have gone through countless changes since their heyday in the 70s and 80s. Along the way, their catalog became the reservoir for rap beats, with Dr. Dre and others liberally sampling their unique grooves. Clinton’s musical and biological family grew, and he now shares the stage with his rapping grandchildren and other young disciples. Key members such as Bootsy Collins parted ways with Clinton and company, and just months ago, the band lost Garry “Diaper Man” Shider.

But despite these changes and losses, P-Funk continues to pack venues, including Boston’s House of Blues. The live music hasn’t lost any of its funk, and their visual theatrics remain as bizarre, fun, and over-the-top as ever. Clinton eschewed his trademark rainbow hair for a black do-rag, with only his distinct, gravelly voice setting him apart from his huge, colorfully-costumed ensemble. He and the young Turks lined up by their mics and got the party started with the still-anthemic chant “Give Up The Funk,” driven by the stinging horns of Bennie Cowan’s trumpet and Greg Thomas’s sax.

The band kept the energy up for a long set of funk classics, including “Flash Light” and “Up For The Down Stroke.” They got help from huge, full-body puppets constantly roaming the stage, including various grotesque monsters and a giant skull smoking a giant joint. In some more serious moments, Clinton, always a democratic bandleader, often stepped aside and lent the spotlight to a band mate. Longtime lead guitarist Michael Hampton performed P-Funk’s lighter-waving solo, “Maggot Brain.” In a beautifully dirty number taking the “House of Blues” name literally, Mary Griffin performed Aretha Franklin’s “Dr. Feelgood.”

But in the end, the P-Funk stage show concludes just as it should: in a fun, ridiculous fashion. The star of the finale, “Atomic Dog,” is an eponymous full-body dog puppet, complete with dog ears, shades, dangling tongue, and a long, lanky body jumping around to the groove. The crew then left the stage one-by-one to “Knee Deep.” The lights came on, the venue reiterating the midnight closing time. The bandmates trickled out, with only a drummer, puppets roaming the house, and the chanting crow keeping the beat going. "Ain't no party like a P-Funk party cause a P-Funk party don’t stop,” the audience continued to yell in unison, even as Clinton, his crew, and the venue wrapped up for the night. - Ben Tan

The debut of George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic in Argentina was faultless and exceeded all expectations, by deploying (with 16 musicians on the stage for three hours), musicianship and stagecraft. And also because it was one of those memorable debuts, a tantric approach, hormonal and pelvic hediento to funk, and yet with the reflection of onanism used psychedelia. Clinton is no longer strokes while synthesizers and keyboards and whispers into his microphone fewer words when he and his company stable deflower ears, legs twitch and my head is spinning really. Mentors, sponsors and educators of all music artists, they might have been denounced for sexual abuse in mass with the show that were in store.

See them appear on stage one is scary. And not because they are beautiful people, but because each chip on the board is adding bulk to what is expected: a synthetic but experimental detail of a giant four-decade career, 60 albums (compilations, rarities and live discs included) and no accurate record of the number of musicians who participated ultracalificados it. They played fourteen of his original compositions, and the rest was a display necessary to win in style thanks to the musical quality that sustained beyond the little boy were left bowling intimate acoustics and suffered too many sound problems.

People tried not sitting in the cozy tables until only Lord George Clinton did appear kaleidoscopic hair into the microphone. That is, only two themes: "And Intellirie Funk" and "Boop Gun". Without denying greeting, smoky treat or wink, Clinton took well to the voladísima "Cosmic Slop" ( "Are you ready to fly?" Came off) the leadership of this great "gang of gangs", which includes not only its two landmark projects, but also to James Brown to Jimi Hendrix (with two losses from their images, and many other symbolic references in the locker room) and Sly Stone, Kool & The Gang and Prince and, by settling late John Frusciante, Tom Morello and Vernon Reid.

Already with "Flash Light" became clear that the concert would be a new birth of these songs fun (k) damental, still having been almost distorted in comparison to their phonograph records, remained slim. In "Rneedeep" and "Tear The Roof Off The Sucker", the phrasing of viola and voices of Garry "Starchild" Shider (historical diapers!) Were a trampoline for Boogie Mosson vocal lines (away from the guitar complete) a risk by stretching the notes from the winds of Greg Thomas, who later made his trumpet a tool harmful to collective mental health.

Others who were solearon to remember guitarist Michael Hampton (after seven minutes of stand-by technical problems), behind a mask of Mexican boxer in a afro wig and LSD, the sensational and captivating Mary Griffin, young and demure showgirl Kendra Foster and Kim Manning and dancer Sir Nose, who towards the end of the show set up on stage to half a dozen girls. Special mention to Belita Woods, an incredible oral ability.

Most went unnoticed by the agitator Peanut Johnson, envestido gangsta rapper, the tremendous bassist Lige Curry (perfect double the risk of Sasha Baron Cohen) and drummer Frani Waddy. He was not king size trumpeter Bennie Cowan. Neither Eddie Hazel, guitarist died, but his tribute to Hendrix ( "Maggot Brain"), which shocked after the classic "Free Your Mind (And Your Ass Will Follow)", literally: Free your mind and your ass will be back.

Then it was time the choir and folk dance to "One Nation Under A Groove", a manifesto of funk that works late in metalinguistic plan, like all speaking basically funk funk, but also the babies, the squeezing and nocturnal. And the cathartic moment of rhythm & blues singer Mary Griffin, who finished oiled with sweat but pulled away from the mosh that young people in the front ranks forced him to the provocative Kimberley Manning.

The ending was with "Red Eyed Mama" and the reggaeton perreo group of showgirls and the brave men who took the stage, and "Atomic Dog". They were three hours in which those who wanted the funk, the funk had, where at times 30 strings (four guitars and a six strings) massaged the left lobe, which allowed a pseudo-striptease Mister Nose and ended up with condoms dumped from the stage as confetti. Popular heat and sensual message (and subliminally sexual) of funk, the most valuable gift and was charged in a pocket or purse, along with Tony leaflets 70 that gave the go in the back.

And there, just to get out, is the only question left the concert: how much longer will settle the debt with local authors' funk?

* George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic concert cycle closes her today at 21 in The Hidden, Balcarce 460, San Telmo. - Luis Paz

What happens when you amalgamate one of the most exciting cities in the world with one of the most anticipated annual music award events? You get New York City being used as a backdrop for the BMI Urban Awards honoring the top R&B, rap and hip-hop songwriters, producers and publishers.

The exhilarating event took place last month, at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th Street, in Columbus Circle.

The star-studded music event was hosted by BMI president & CEO Del Bryant and Catherine Brewton, vice president, writer/publisher relations, Atlanta, with Coca-Cola and Hennessy Black on board as presenting sponsors.

During the award ceremony, supreme rulers of the hip-hop universe, T-Pain and Lil Wayne, shared the prestigious “Songwriter of the Year” prize. They both contributed six songs to the year’s most-performed list, underscoring the dominance both artists have achieved, occasionally through collaborations with each other.

T-Pain’s award-winning compositions include “Baby Don’t Go,” recorded by Fabolous; Rick Ross’s “The Boss”; “Low,” recorded by Flo Rida and featuring T-Pain; 2 Pistols’ “She Got It”; and “Can’t Believe It” and “Got Money,” which he co-wrote and performed with Lil Wayne.

In addition to “Can’t Believe It” and “Got Money,” Lil Wayne’s most-performed compositions include “A Milli,” “Lollipop” and “Mrs. Officer,” which he co-wrote and recorded; and “Duffle Bag Boy,” recorded by Playaz Circle and featuring Lil Wayne.

Attention-grabbing hip-hop stars Polow Da Don and Kanye West shared “Producer of the Year” titles having individually logged the most producer credits on charting songs over the past year. The BMI Top Urban Producers list also featured contemporary hit-makers L.O.S. Da Mystro, Jim Jonsin, T-Pain and JR Rotem.

“Song of the Year,” “No Air,” was co-written by Erik “Bluetooth” Griggs and published by 4 X Ample Music, Irving Music and Underdog East Songs.

Recorded by Jordin Sparks and featuring Chris Brown, the tune has already amassed more than 1 million performances in the United States alone, as more than 3.5 million copies have been digitally purchased worldwide.

In addition to achieving platinum-sales status in the U.S., New Zealand and Australia, “No Air” climbed into the top ten of charts over the world.

However, the biggest winner of the evening was George Clinton who was crowned winner of the BMI “Icon Award.” The King of Punk’s royal musical achievements were celebrated with an all-star musical tribute, featuring regal performances by Cee-Lo Green, who delivered “One Nation Under a Groove”; Nikka Costa and Parliament/Funkadelic’s Bootsy Collins, who performed “Atomic Dog”.

Others adding to the musical salute to punk royalty included: Janelle Monáe and Gym Class Hero’s Travis McCoy, who performed “Flashlight”; Dallas Austin, Big Gipp and Outkast’s Big Boi, whose medley of “(Not Just) Knee Deep,” “Tear the Roof Off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk)” and “Up for the Down Store.”

Then it was P-Time. Pandemonium broke out when Clinton – dressed to impress in one of his memorable concocted outfits -- took the stage, accepted his award and then had everyone up on their feet dancing to his beat while pledging allegiance to his groove nation.

Clinton has won numerous awards during his distinguished career but the highest BMI award places him in an elite class of iconic songwriters who have had a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers, including The Jacksons, James Brown, the Bee Gees, Isaac Hayes, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Gloria Estefan, Willie Nelson, Carlos Santana, Little Richard and Al Green.

As the Pioneer of P-funk, Clinton’s solo work and collaborations with his ace bands Parliament, Funkadelic and the P. Funk All-Stars rank among urban and rock music’s most influential.

From the self-penned “(I Wanna) Testify,” “Atomic Dog,” “One Nation Under a Groove” to “Tear the Roof Off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk)” and “Aqua Boogie,” his songs have spawned new genres of music, have been sampled in countless hits and have been used in more than 1,000 television programs and films.

In 1997, Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic became members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, claimed a spot on the Hollywood Rock Walk, and garnered the prestigious lifetime achievement award from the NAACP Image Awards.

Universal Music Publishing Group earned its second consecutive BMI Urban “Publisher of the Year” trophy by scoring the highest percentage of copyright ownership in award songs.

The publishing powerhouse placed fifteen hits on the most-performed list, including Mario’s “Crying Out for Me”; David Banner’s “Get Like Me,” featuring Chris Brown; Usher’s “Love In This Club,” featuring Young Jeezy; Alicia Key’s “Teenage Love Affair”; and Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body”; along with Song of the Year “No Air” and compositions from Songwriter of the Year T-Pain.

Additional multiple award-winners included T.I., with three BMI Urban Awards, and Chris Brown, Jim Jonsin, Plies, Polow Da Don, JR Rotem, Kanye West and Young Jeezy, who each contributed two songs to the most-performed list.

The BMI and Coca-Cola #1 Show held prior to the ceremony also recognized the BMI-affiliated writers whose songs reached #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot Rap Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Hot 100 charts during the past year. (Photos by Kyle J. Cassett/whoshotya)

Audrey J. Bernard is an established chronicler of Black society and Urban happenings based in the New York City area.

- Eurweb

In 1993... (please click link to continue) - SPIN

March 3, 2009

As if Ash Wednesday weren't already the best party night of the year in Boston, George Clinton and his motley crew swung their tour bus through Lansdowne Street last night. And trust me they were wasted on more than just the blood of Christ.

The show was extremely sold out, and heads formed thick lines before doors even opened. No surprise there; Boston is a college town after all, and dormitory conduct code requires all students to go through some sort of P-Funk phase. Fortunately, the House of Blues staff almost has its shit together at the brand new venue, so things moved relatively quickly.

The main event commenced with Parliament keyboardist Dan Bedrosian, a Lawrence native holding down his home-town crowd. For nearly an hour before Clinton moseyed out, Funkadelic all-stars filed on stage one by one, from Diaper Man to drummer Rico Lewis. Once the full mother ship landed, Clinton entered wearing Tina Turner's scalped mane and announced that he was celebrating a new holiday: "The Boston P-Party." Prepared to groove, the crowd chanted, "In 20-09 Ñ P-Funk is gon-na shine." Then came the blessing.

Clinton is a prime performer for the same reason he's a lousy reality-television star he wants nothing more than harmony. And that's what he got from funk fanatics of every shade and age who came to bang through new cuts like "Bustin' Loose" and eternal bangers like "Get Off Your Ass and Jam" and, of course, Parliament's anthem, "Make My Funk the P-Funk."

The venue was well suited to Clinton fans: there was ample room to dance, and there were plenty of remote corners to crouch in for those embarking on virgin acid trips. I'm not sure whether it was for one night only, but lobby vendors were selling fried chicken that was almost tasty enough to compensate for House of Blues security's not allowing folks to step outside for cigarettes.

Six months ago I had the numbing experience of spending an entire afternoon with George Clinton. In our time together I learned remarkable things: he eats peanut-butter-and-psilocybin-jelly sandwiches for lunch, and "Give Up the Funk" was written as a slap at David Bowie, whose 1975 hit "Fame" Clinton believed was a below-the-belt P-Funk ripoff.

Near the end of our interview, I asked what it's like to rock 200 shows a year at his age to which he responded that he did more like 300 gigs in 2007. He might not get up and down the stage the way he used to, but P-Funk's rainbow-colored ringleader still has enough gas to send rooms into frenzies.

Over the past few years, there's been much media noise about how flamboyant rock stars have been replaced by lame jeans-and-T-shirt frontmen like Chris Martin. It's mostly true Ñ few big-ticket acts compare with Hendrix or the Faces or Alice Cooper in his prime.

But Clinton and his spaz brigade have never let me down not even now that dude is half as mobile as he used to be. The music industry or the cops, for that matter have hardly been kind to the godfather of funk, but that's never for a second stopped him from helping beer-gutted ex-frats and irie Rastafarians get funked up beyond repair. Thanks be to George.

- Chris Faraone

In 1970, the eternal question of “Mommy, what’s a Funkadelic?” was raised on wax. The answer was (and still is) the brainchild of Funk pioneer George Clinton (who played at South Side Music Hall in Dallas on April 7) and his merry band of Funkateers. Clinton came roaring out of New Jersey via Detroit with a plan to spread the gospel of Funk music with a multi-pronged marketing amalgam of bands:

Funkadelic – the heavy guitar (long before Living Color), psychedelic soul band

Parliament – the urban, dance-floor aggregate

Bootsy’s Rubber Band – the cartoon-like band led by stoned-voiced, Star-bass superstar Bootsy Collins

The Brides of Funkenstein – the female version of Funkadelic featuring a duo of backing singers

Parlet – the female version of Parliament featuring a trio of backing singers

The Horny Horns – the horn section which featured former James Brown associates like saxophonist Maceo Parker and trombonist Fred Wesley

During the '70s these bands would go on package tours featuring UFOs landing on stage, release concept albums about the nefarious plans of Sir Nose D’void of Funk trying to suppress their music in space or in underwater utopias, and create some of the most innovative, polyrhythmic music ever recorded. Along the way, members like Bernie Worrell (Julliard trained keyboardist and first exponent of the Moog synthesizer bass), Eddie Hazel (Hendrix-like guitarist now sadly deceased), and the aforementioned Collins and Parker joined the collective and solidified the concept of P-Funk (Pure Funk) and later left for their own careers.

Clinton’s band in Dallas consisted of some long-serving members like Michael “Kidd Funkadelic” Hampton, Garry “Starchild” Shider, Robert “P-Nut” Johnson and Belita Woods along with a cast of younger members. Sir Nose (dancer Carlos McMurry) made several appearances during the show trying to suppress the crowd’s energy and tap the brakes on the show only to fail when hit by the power of the P-Funk released by George Clinton. Then Sir Nose’s proboscis was removed and the dancer could not stop boogieing the rest of the evening.

The stage show was kaleidoscopic as upwards to 27 performers would be singing, dancing or playing simultaneously during some numbers. Exhortations to get the crowd clapping or waving their hands in the air (“like you just don’t care”) kept the energy level high. Sometimes two lead and three rhythm guitarists would be jamming with Clinton conducting them. Three different drummers switched off playing in different songs so seamlessly you didn’t hear a missed beat. Although there’s no longer a UFO descending from the ceiling, cartoon-like characters would wonder out on stage (including a guy with a huge skull mask and oversized marijuana joint who would nod appreciatively as the band played).

Instrumentally, the bassist Lige Curry playing like a true thumpasaurus on his massive six-string bass, two keyboardists, five guitarists, three drummers, one percussionist, one harmonica player, and a two-man horn section (featuring very rotund trumpet player Benny Cowan and short saxophonist Greg Thomas) provided the funky gumbo that the roughly 10 vocalist sang over. It was managed chaos on stage at certain points.

Favorites like “Flash Light,” “Bop Gun,” and “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)” alternated with more obscure songs (unless one is steeped in uncut Funk) like “Cosmic Slop.” Rap was integrated in several songs (including Clinton’s granddaughter Shonda "Sativa Diva" Clinton who performed a very suggestive one before he snatched the mic from her hand in mock disgust). Rappers have long sampled Clinton so it’s just natural that turnabout is fair play.

Although Clinton didn’t appreciate his granddaughter’s lyrics, the 70-year-old did appreciate a joint that was handed up to him on stage! It seems the whole concept of P-Funk is F-U-N and everybody at the venue seemed to be down with that.
- Ron Dempesmeier