The Best of 60’s Funk Music

Find the best of 60’s funk music here. This blog will keep you updated on the latest news, reviews, and interviews with your favorite funk artists.

The Funk Era

The Funk Era of the 1960’s was a defining moment in music history. It was a time when the industry was shifting and artists were experimenting with new sounds. This was the era that gave us some of the most iconic songs and artists of all time. Let’s take a look at some of the best funk songs of the 60’s.

The Birth of Funk

In the early 1960s, black music artists began to experiment with new sounds andstyles that would soon come to be known as “funk.” Funk is a type of musicthat is characterized by a groovy, soulful sound and a strong focus on thebeat. It often incorporates elements of other genres, such as jazz, R&B,and rock.

funk began to emerge as its own distinct genre in the mid-1960s, with artists such as James Brown and Sly & The Family Stone leading the way. These pioneers of funk developed a sound that was danceable and infectious, yet still rooted in the soul tradition. Their music would go on to inspire generations of musicians, including many of today’s biggest stars.

If you’re looking to get your groove on, here are some of the best funk songsof all time.

The Spread of Funk

The popularity of funk music began to spread in the late 1960s, when James Brown’s “Cold Sweat” became a hit. Brown’s use of the word “funky” in the song’s title helped to popularize the term, and soon other artists were using it to describe their own style of music. Funk began to cross over into the pop charts in the early 1970s, thanks to hits like Brown’s “Sex Machine” and George Clinton’s “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker).”

Funk also became more experimental in the 1970s, as artists like Parliament-Funkadelic pushed the boundaries of the genre with their psychedelic sound. Funk continued to evolve in the 1980s and 1990s, with artists like Prince and Red Hot Chili Peppers incorporating elements of R&B, rock, and hip-hop into their music. Today, funk is enjoying a renaissance, thanks to contemporary artists like Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, and Anderson .Paak.

The Funk Sound

Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-1960s when African-American musicians blended Soul and R&B with elements of Jazz. Funk created a signature rhythmic groove that emphasized the downbeat, was often based on a central “talk box” or “guitar riff”, and used electric bass and drums.

The Instruments of Funk

The instruments of funk are electric and often distorted. The rhythm section is driven by a syncopated bass guitar, played with a pick or fingers, that lays down a groove on the “off-beat” or backbeat. A staccato, percussive guitar style called “chopping” reinforces the rhythm. An electric organ or piano usually plays chords on the off-beat as well. A horn section may be used to add texture and punctuate the changes in the music. Percussion instruments such as congas and bongos are also often used, along with drum machines.

The Groove of Funk

The word “funk” came into popular usage in the late 1960s, referring to a type of soul music that was darker and more rhythmically complex than other soul genres. Funk songs are often built around a central groove or riff, and they frequently make use of extended vamps with little variation in instrumentation.

While the origins of funk are sometimes traced back to the work of James Brown and Sly & the Family Stone in the late 1960s, the genre really came into its own in the 1970s with artists like Parliament-Funkadelic, George Clinton’s sprawling collective of musicians that blended elements of soul, R&B, rock, and psychedelia. Other important funk artists from the 1970s include Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & the Gang, Bootsy’s Rubber Band, and Prince.

In the 1980s and 1990s, artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lenny Kravitz, Living Colour, and Parliament-Funkadelic frontman George Clinton continued to keep funk alive and evolving. Today, funk is enjoying something of a renaissance thanks to modern artists like Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, and Vulfpeck who are keeping the spirit of this timeless genre alive for new generations to enjoy.

The Funk Bands

Funk music originated in the mid-1960s with African American artists such as James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone. The genre is a mix of soul, R&B, and psychedelic rock. Funk bands continued to gain popularity in the 1970s with bands such as Parliament-Funkadelic and The Gap Band.

James Brown and the J.B.’s

James Brown and the J.B.’s were an American funk band active from the early 1970s until the early 1980s. The band was founded by James Brown after he left the Famous Flames. The band’s name is derived from its members: James Brown (vocals, keyboards, percussion), Bootsy Collins (bass guitar, guitar, drums, vocals), Fred Wesley (trombone, arrangements), Phelps “Catfish” Collins (guitar, percussion), Alphonso “Country” Kellum (drums), Jabo Starks (drums), and Levi Rasbury (congas).

The band had a string of R&B hits in the early 1970s including “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine”, “Soul Power”, and “Super Bad”. They were billed as James Brown and the J.B.’s on most of their releases. Collins and Wesley departed in 1971 to join George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic collective; Starks departed soon afterwards. The remaining members continued to record with Brown throughout the 1970s.

Parliament-Funkadelic

Parliament-Funkadelic, also known as Funkadelic, is an American funk band formed in 1968 by George Clinton. Their style draws from a variety of genres, including psychedelic rock, soul, and R&B. They are widely considered to be one of the pioneers of funk music and their influence can still be heard in today’s music.

Sly and the Family Stone

Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active during the 1960s and 1970s, the band was pivotal in the development of funk and psychedelic music. Heading the band was singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone. The band’s other members were his brother Freddie Stone on guitar, sister Rose Stone on keyboards, trumpeter Cynthia Robinson, saxophonist Jerry Martini, drummer Greg Errico, and bassist Larry Graham.

The first African American members of a major pop group to have crossover success on mainstream radio stations,[1][2] Sly and the Family Stone were influential in both pop music and R&B. Their music bridged the gap between psychedelic rock and funk,[3] which would become predominant in black popular music during the 1970s.[4][5] The work of the Family Stone greatly influenced subsequent soul artists like Stevie Wonder[6] as well as newer bands like Earth, Wind & Fire.[7]

The Legacy of Funk

Funk is a music genre that emerged in the mid-1960s. It is a style of African-American music that combines elements of Soul, R&B, and Rock. Funk music is characterized by a busy, syncopated bass line and a prominent, often horn-like, melody. The genre was popularized by James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic.

The Influence of Funk

The legacy of funk can be traced back to the African American communities of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Funk was a reaction to the perceived excesses of psychedelic rock and other mainstream genres of the time. Influenced by soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues, funk created a new style of music that was characterized by a driving beat, heavy bass, and funkadelic grooves.

Funk quickly gained popularity in black communities in the United States and soon found its way into the mainstream. The genre would go on to have a profound impact on popular music, spawning countless derivative styles such as disco, hip hop, and contemporary R&B. Even today, the influence of funk can be heard in many modern genres.

The End of an Era

The 1960s was a decade of great change, and nowhere was that more apparent than in the world of music. Rock and roll had come to the forefront in the early part of the decade, but by the end of the 60s, a new genre was beginning to make its mark. That genre was funk, and it would go on to have a lasting impact on popular music.

Funk began to take shape in the late 60s, with bands like Sly and the Family Stone and James Brown leading the way. These artists blended elements of soul, R&B, and pop with a heavy rhythmic groove that emphasized the downbeat. This new sound quickly caught on with audiences, and funk soon became one of the most popular genres of the 1970s.

Despite its commercial success, funk would ultimately have a short-lived moment in the spotlight. By the end of the 1970s, disco had emerged as the dominant force in popular music, leaving funk relegated to a niche role. Nevertheless, the genre left an indelible mark on music history, and its influence can still be heard in today’s pop and R&B hits.