Parliament-Funkadelic | |
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 George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic performing at theGranada Theater inDallas, Texas, May 4, 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | P-Funk, P-Funk All-Stars |
| Origin | Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Works | Parliament discography Funkadelic discography |
| Years active | 1956–present |
| Labels | |
| Spinoffs | |
| Spinoff of | |
| Members | George Clinton See other "Members" |
Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated asP-Funk) is an Americanmusic collective of rotating musicians headed byGeorge Clinton, primarily consisting of thefunk bandsParliament andFunkadelic, both active since the 1960s. With an eclectic style drawing onpsychedelia, outlandish fashion, and surreal humor,[5] they have released albums such asMaggot Brain (1971),Mothership Connection (1975), andOne Nation Under a Groove (1978) to critical praise, and scored charting hits with singles such as "Tear the Roof Off the Sucker" (1975) and "Flash Light" (1978). Overall, the collective achieved thirteen top ten hits in the American R&B music charts between 1967 and 1983, including six number one hits. Their work has had an influential effect on subsequent funk,post-punk,hip-hop, andtechno artists of the 1980s and 1990s,[6] while theircollective mythology has helped pioneerAfrofuturism.[7]
The collective's origins date back to thedoo-wop groupthe Parliaments, formed by Clinton during the late 1950s in suburbanNew Jersey. By the late 1960s, Clinton had gained experience as a producer-writer forMotown Records and, inspired by artists such asJimi Hendrix,Sly Stone, andFrank Zappa, he relocated toDetroit and enlisted musicians from his New Jersey days in his own two sister bands Parliament and Funkadelic; the first would go on to develop a commercially successful style ofscience fiction–inspired funk, while the second pursued a heavier sound which blended funk withpsychedelic rock.[8] The name "Parliament-Funkadelic" became the catch-all term forthe dozens of related musicians recording and touring different projects in Clinton's orbit, including the female vocal spinoff groupsthe Brides of Funkenstein andParlet. Financial and label issues slowed the collective's recorded output in the 1980s while Clinton and other members began solo careers, with Clinton also consolidating the collective's multiple projects and touring under names such asGeorge Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars. In the 1990s, their sound became the chief inspiration for theWest Coast hip hop subgenreG-funk.[9]
Prominent collective members have included bassistBootsy Collins (who formed the spinoff group Bootsy's Rubber Band), keyboardistBernie Worrell, guitaristsEddie "Maggot Brain" Hazel,Michael Hampton, andGarry "Diaper Man" Shider, and horn playersFred Wesley andMaceo Parker. Some former members of Parliament perform under the name "Original P". Sixteen members of Parliament-Funkadelic were inducted to theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2019, the group was given theGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
The P-Funk story began in 1956 in Newark, New Jersey, with adoo-wop group formed by fifteen-year-oldGeorge Clinton.[10] This wasThe Parliaments, a name inspired byParliament cigarettes. By the early 1960s, the group had solidified into the five-man lineup of Clinton,Ray "Stingray" Davis,Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins,Calvin Simon andGrady Thomas. Later, the group rehearsed in a barbershop in Plainfield, New Jersey co-owned by Clinton and entertained the customers. After having performed for almost ten years, the Parliaments had added a rhythm section in 1964 -- for tours and background work -- consisting of guitarist Frankie Boyce, his brother Richard on bass, and drummer Langston Booth; The Parliaments finally achieved a hit single in 1967 with "(I Wanna) Testify" while Clinton began commuting to Detroit as a songwriter and producer forMotown Records.
The West End ofPlainfield, New Jersey, was once home to the Silk Palace, a barbershop at 216 Plainfield Avenue owned in part by Clinton, staffed by various members of Parliament-Funkadelic and known as the "hangout for all the local singers and musicians" in Plainfield's 1950s and 1960s doo-wop, soul, rock and proto-funk music scene.[10][11][12]
By the late 1960s, Clinton had assembled a touring band to back up the Parliaments, the first stable lineup of which includedBilly Bass Nelson (bass),Eddie Hazel (lead guitarist),Tawl Ross (guitarist),Tiki Fulwood (drums), and Mickey Atkins (keyboards). After a contractual dispute in which Clinton temporarily lost the rights to the name "The Parliaments", Clinton brought the backing musicians forward. When the band relocated to Detroit, their guitar-based, raw funk sound, with its heavypsychedelic rock influences, inspired "Billy Bass" Nelson, who coined the name "Funkadelic".[13] Clinton signed Funkadelic toWestbound Records, and the five Parliaments singers were credited as "guests" while the five musicians were listed as the main group members. The debut albumFunkadelic was released in 1970.
Meanwhile, Clinton regained the rights to the name "The Parliaments" and initiated another new entity, now known asParliament, with the same five singers and five musicians but this time as a smoother R&B-based funk ensemble that Clinton positioned as a counterpoint to the more rock-oriented Funkadelic. Parliament recordedOsmium forInvictus Records in 1970, and after a hiatus in which Clinton focused on Funkadelic, Parliament was signed toCasablanca Records and released its debut for that labelUp for the Down Stroke in 1974. The two bands began to tour together under the collective name "Parliament-Funkadelic".
By this time, the original ten-member lineup of Parliament-Funkadelic had begun to splinter, but many others joined for various album releases by either band, leading to a collective with a fluid and rapidly expanding membership. Notable members to join during this period include keyboardistBernie Worrell, bassistBootsy Collins, guitaristGarry Shider, bassistCordell Mosson, andThe Horny Horns.
In the 1975–1979 period, both Parliament and Funkadelic achieved several high-charting albums and singles on both the R&B and Pop charts. Many members of the collective began to branch out into side bands and solo projects under George Clinton's tutelage, includingBootsy's Rubber Band,Parlet, andThe Brides of Funkenstein, while longtime members likeEddie Hazel recorded solo albums with songwriting and studio help from the collective. The Parliament albums of this period had becomeconcept albums with themes from science fiction andafro-futurism, elaborate political and sociological themes, and an evolving storyline with recurring fictional characters. Parliament-Funkadelic stage shows (particularly theP-Funk Earth Tour of 1976) were expanded to include imagery from science fiction and a stage prop known as theMothership. These concepts came to be known as theP-Funk mythology.
By the late 1970s, several key members departed acrimoniously over disagreements with Clinton and his management style. Original Parliaments members Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas departed in 1977 after becoming disillusioned with the influx of new members, and later recorded an album under the name Funkadelic. Other members departed and formed new funk bands that detached themselves from P-Funk and even criticized the collective, such asQuazar (formed by guitaristGlenn Goins) andMutiny (formed by drummerJerome Brailey). Due to financial difficulties and the collapse of Casablanca Records (Parliament's label), Clinton dissolved Parliament and Funkadelic as separate entities. Many members of the collective continued to work for Clinton, first on his solo albums and later as Parliament-Funkadelic or the P-Funk All Stars.
In the early 1980s, George Clinton continued to record while battling with financial problems and well-publicized drug problems. The remaining members of Parliament-Funkadelic recorded the 1982 hit albumComputer Games, which was released as a George Clinton solo album.[14] Included on this release was the much-sampled number 1 hit single "Atomic Dog". The following year, Clinton formed theP-Funk All Stars, who went on to recordUrban Dancefloor Guerillas in 1983. In the spring of 1983 the P-Funk All Stars started one of their best tours, the Atomic Dog Tour. Many regard this as the best sounding period for the band. The P-Funk All Stars included many of the same members as the late-1970s version of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective, and was so named because of various legal issues concerning use of the namesParliament andFunkadelic after 1980. The name P-Funk All Stars is still in use to the current day, and group has included a mix of former Parliament-Funkadelic members as well as guests and new musicians.
As the 1980s continued, P-Funk did not meet with great commercial success as the band continued to produce albums under the name of George Clinton as solo artist. P-Funk retired from touring from 1984 until 1989, except for extremely sporadic performances and TV appearances. It was at this time thathip hop music began to extensively sample P-Funk music, so remnants of the music were still heard regularly, now among fans of hip hop. By 1993, most of the Parliament and Funkadelic back catalog had been reissued. The same year saw the return of a reconstituted P-Funk All Stars, with the re-release ofUrban Dancefloor Guerrillas under the titleHydraulic Funk, and a new hip hop influenced albumDope Dogs. In 1994, the group toured with theLollapalooza festival and appeared in the filmPCU.
The 1996 albumT.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. (The Awesome Power of a Fully Operational Mothership), released under the name George Clinton & the P-Funk All Stars, served as a reunion album featuring contributions from the band's most noteworthy songwriters from the earlier eras, such as Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, andJunie Morrison. It would be ten years before another album would be released. In the intervening time, successive tours would slowly restore some of the broken ties between the original band members, together with an accumulation of new talent. On July 23, 1999, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, including noteworthy former members Bootsy and Catfish Collins and Bernie Worrell, performed on stage atWoodstock '99. The collective continued to tour sporadically in to the 2000s, with participation from some of the children and grandchildren of the original members.
In May 1997, George Clinton and 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic were inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame, the largest band yet inducted. In 2004,Rolling Stone ranked Parliament-Funkadelic No. 56 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".[15] In February 2002,Spin ranked Parliament-Funkadelic No. 6 on their list of the "50 Greatest Bands of All Time". Besides their innovation in the entire genre offunk music, George Clinton and P-Funk are still heard often today, especially in hip-hop sampling. TheRed Hot Chili Peppers video for their 2006 single "Dani California" featured a tribute to Parliament-Funkadelic. Parliament-Funkadelic's musical influence can also be heard inrhythm and blues,soul,electronica,gospel,jazz, andnew wave.
Parliament-Funkadelic was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2013.[16]
In December 2018,the Recording Academy announced that Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic would be givenLifetime Achievement Awards. The awards were presented on May 11, 2019.[17][18][19]
About the albumMothership Connection, Clinton said "We had put black people in situations nobody ever thought they would be in, like theWhite House. I figured another place you wouldn't think black people would be was in outer space. I was a big fan ofStar Trek, so we did a thing with a pimp sitting in a spaceship shaped like aCadillac, and we did all theseJames Brown-type grooves, but with street talk and ghetto slang."[20][21] LikeSun Ra, Clinton wanted to see black people in space.
George Clinton (band leader, vocals, songwriter, producer; born July 22, 1941). George Clinton has been, since its inception, the driving force behind the development of the P-Funk sound, having led the collective since formingThe Parliaments as a doo-wop group in the late 1950s. The funk sound, socially conscious lyrics, andP-Funk mythology developed primarily by Clinton have been especially influential for later R&B, hip hop, and rock music.
Bernie Worrell (keyboards, vocals, songwriter, arranger; producer; April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016).Bernie Worrell officially joinedFunkadelic after the release of their first album and became an integral member of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective thereafter. His classical training on piano and innovative use ofsynthesizers has proven to be extremely influential, particularly his pioneering use of theMoog synthesizer, which replaced the conventional electric bass on songs like "Flash Light" and "Aqua Boogie". He was responsible for many P-Funk rhythm and (with trombonist Fred Wesley) horn arrangements. Worrell left the band in 1981, but continued to contribute to P-Funk studio albums and occasionally appear live with Parliament-Funkadelic as a special guest.
William "Bootsy" Collins (bass guitar, vocals, drums, songwriter, producer; born October 26, 1951).Bootsy Collins was a major songwriter, rhythm arranger, and bassist for Parliament-Funkadelic during the 1970s and was a major influence in the band's sound during that time. His style of bass playing has become especially influential. Collins later focused his attention on his ownBootsy's Rubber Band but continues to make occasional contributions to studio albums by members of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective.
Eddie Hazel (guitar, vocals, songwriter; April 10, 1950 – December 23, 1992).Eddie Hazel was the original lead guitarist forFunkadelic and was a major force on the first several albums by that group. HisHendrix-inspired style has become very influential. After the early 1970s, he contributed sporadically to various Parliament-Funkadelic projects. A key early Funkadelic song that captured both the band's unique sound and Hazel's talent was the ten-minute guitar solo "Maggot Brain" from the 1971 Funkadelic album of thesame title.
Maceo Parker (saxophone; born February 14, 1943).Maceo joinedJames Brown's band with brother Melvin Parker in 1964. In 1970, Parker, his brother Melvin, and a few of Brown's band members left to establish the band Maceo & All the King's Men, which toured for two years.In January 1973, Parker rejoined with James Brown. He also charted a single "Parrty – Part I" (No. 71 pop singles) with Maceo & the Macks that year. In 1975, Parker and some of Brown's band members, including Fred Wesley, left to join George Clinton's band Parliament-Funkadelic.
Walter "Junie" Morrison (keyboards, multi-instrumentalist, vocals, songwriter, arranger, producer; born June 28, 1954 – January 21, 2017 ).Junie Morrison joined P-Funk in early 1978 as musical director after having success in the earlyOhio Players and as a solo artist. Though primarily a keyboardist, Junie composed or co-wrote several of the band's hits at the height of their popularity and served as a lead vocalist, producer, and arranger on many songs for the collective. Morrison stopped touring with the band after 1981, but contributed to many subsequent albums. During his time with P-funk, some of his work was credited under the name J.S. Theracon.
Garry "Diaperman" Shider (vocals, guitar; July 24, 1953 – June 16, 2010).As a child, Garry Shider was a customer at the barbershop whereThe Parliaments rehearsed and performed, and after some time with his own group United Soul, he was recruited by George Clinton into Funkadelic in 1972. Shider became a frequent lead vocalist on several Parliament and Funkadelic albums and along with his "gospel" vocal and guitar style, was most recognized for wearing his trademark hotel-towel "diaper".
Michael "Kidd Funkadelic" Hampton (guitar; born November 15, 1956).Mike Hampton has been the lead guitarist for P-Funk since 1973, when he was recruited at age 17 to replace Eddie Hazel, after an impromptu performance of Hazel's signature song "Maggot Brain". Hampton is known for his advancement of rock and heavy metal guitar used by Parliament-Funkadelic and later the P-Funk All Stars, leaving the collective in 2015.
Glenn Goins (vocals, guitar; January 2, 1954 – July 29, 1978).Glenn Goins was recruited into Parliament-Funkadelic in 1975 and was an important contributor, and like bandmate Garry Shider, was known for his "gospel" singing and guitar style. In 1978, Goins and bandmate Jerome Brailey departed acrimoniously, and immediately began recording and producing a new band,Quazar, featuring his younger brotherKevin Goins. Shortly after his departure, Goins died fromHodgkin's lymphoma at age 24.
Jerome "Bigfoot" Brailey (drums and percussion; born August 20, 1950).Brailey was the most prominent drummer in the Parliament-Funkadelic collective during their period of greatest success in the mid-to-late 1970s. Brailey (and bandmate Glenn Goins) left the collective acrimoniously, forming his own bandMutiny, in which he criticized George Clinton's management style.
Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood (drums, vocals; May 23, 1944 – October 29, 1979).Tiki Fulwood was the original drummer for Funkadelic. He originally quit the band in 1971 but reappeared on several Parliament-Funkadelic releases during the remainder of the 1970s. After also working briefly forMiles Davis, Fulwood died of cancer in 1979.
"Billy Bass" Nelson (bass, guitar; born January 28, 1951).Billy Nelson was a teenage employee at George Clinton's barbershop in the 1960s and was the first musician hired to backThe Parliaments in the band that would eventually become Funkadelic. Nelson then brought his friend Eddie Hazel into the band and coined the name "Funkadelic" when Clinton moved the collective to Detroit. Nelson quit Funkadelic in 1971 but contributed to P-Funk releases sporadically for the next few years. Starting in 1994, he toured with the P-Funk All Stars for ten years.
Cordell "Boogie" Mosson (bass, guitar, drums; October 16, 1952 – April 18, 2013).Mosson joined Funkadelic in 1972 along with his friend and previous United Soul bandmate Garry Shider. Mosson was the primary bassist for Funkadelic starting in 1972 and Parliament starting a few years after Bootsy Collins began to focus on his solo career. Since the late 1970s, Mosson most frequently played rhythm guitar and continued to tour with the P-Funk All Stars until his death.
Ray "Stingray" Davis (vocals; March 29, 1940 – July 5, 2005).Davis was the bass singer and a member of The Parliaments. His distinctive voice can be heard on "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" and on George Clinton's solo hit single "Atomic Dog". Aside from Clinton, he was the only original member of the Parliaments not to leave in 1977. In the eighties, Davis recorded and toured with George Clinton and the P-Funk Allstars in support of "Atomic Dog" and withZapp in support of "I Can Make You Dance", but his vocal range made him an obvious choice as replacement bass vocalist forMelvin Franklin in theTemptations. Davis left the Temptations in 1995 (after being diagnosed with cancer), but continued to perform with former P-Funk members Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas under the name Original P.
Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins (vocals, guitar, drums; June 8, 1941 - March 17, 2023).Haskins was a member and first tenor of The Parliaments. In addition to writing, playing drums and guitar, Haskins is known for his "gospel" singing style. He left P-Funk in 1977. In the 1990s, he formed Original P with the other Parliaments (Davis, Thomas and Simon), and retired in 2011.
Calvin Simon (vocals, percussion; May 22, 1942 – January 6, 2022).Simon was an original member of The Parliaments, before leaving in 1977. In the nineties, he formed Original P with the other Parliaments (Davis, Thomas and Haskins), and retired in 2005. He was the owner of a record label.
"Shady Grady" Thomas (vocals; born January 5, 1941).In the late 1950s, Thomas started as bass vocalist for The Parliaments. When Parliament members moved from Newark to Plainfield, New Jersey to "conk" hair at The Silk Palace, The Parliaments began a friendly rivalry with local doo wop group Sammy Campbell and the Del-Larks, who featured bass vocalist Raymond Davis. Thomas persuaded Davis to take over as bass vocalist in the Parliaments, which enabled Thomas to move to baritone. Thomas (along with Worrell) is responsible for the addition of drummer Jerome Brailey. After Thomas, Haskins, and Simon left P-Funk in 1977, Thomas formed his own band called The Shady Bunch. Word of Thomas's drummer,Dennis Chambers, and bassist Rodney "Skeet" Curtis got back to Clinton, and Chambers and Curtis were invited, and joined Parliament-Funkadelic. After Thomas' brief return to The P-Funk Allstars in the nineties, Thomas cofounded Original P with original Parliaments (Davis, Haskins, and Simon). Thomas is the leader ofOriginal P.
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