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Michael Hampton | |
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 Michael Hampton at the Million Man Mosh in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1956-11-15)November 15, 1956 (age 69) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, record producer |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Labels | Westbound,Ace,Casablanca Records,Warner Bros. Records,CBS Records,P-Vine Records,Capitol Records,Arista Records,Atlantic Records,A&M records |
Michael Hampton (born November 15, 1956) is an Americanfunk/rock guitarist. He is a member of theRock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members ofParliament-Funkadelic.[1]
Hampton was born inCleveland, Ohio, and started his professional career when he was recruited as a seventeen-year-old guitar prodigy by the bandFunkadelic, which found itself in need of a lead guitarist after original guitaristEddie Hazel left the band. Hampton impressed Funkadelic'sGeorge Clinton by performing a note-for-note rendition of Hazel's ten-minute solo "Maggot Brain". Hampton made his debut with the band's albumLet's Take It to the Stage in 1975, which is dominated by his guitar. Hampton's playing included fuzzy,Hendrix-inspiredlicks and wailingharmonics.[2] Due to his young age, Hampton was nicknamed "Kidd Funkadelic".
Hampton became a fixture in Funkadelic, and he continued his role as lead guitarist even during Hazel's sporadic returns to the band. Hampton's performances of "Maggot Brain" — which had become moreimprovised – became regular features of liveParliament-Funkadelic shows, and the song became his signature concert performance. The bonus-EP of Funkadelic'sOne Nation Under a Groove (1978) included a live version of the song featuring Hampton. One of his most celebrated performances is the lead guitar solo on the Funkadelic hit single "(Not Just) Knee Deep" from 1979, as well the title track to theBrides of Funkenstein's second albumNever Buy Texas From A Cowboy.
In 1981, Clinton was forced to disband theP-Funk musical empire due to financial and legal difficulties. In 1993, Hampton performed on the albumUnder the 6 with Slave Master. Hampton continued to perform on albums released under Clinton's name, which featured many other P-Funk mainstays as well, and he became a member of theP-Funk All-Stars. In 1998, he released his first solo album entitledHeavy Metal Funkason through theP-Vine label in Japan.
In 2022, Hampton joinedChuck Treece to form the funk/punk fusion groupPunkadelic. With Hampton on guitar and Treece on bass and drums, Punkadelic performed both original music and Funkadelic covers in Philadelphia, Mexico, and live on the radio atWOCM Ocean 98 inOcean City, Maryland. Punkadelic released two singles and an original EP titledCollective Consciousness in 2023.[3]
Hampton joined Parliament Funkadelic for the Parliament Funkadelic Tour 2025, which included seven dates from November 2025 through the end of January 2026.[4]
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