The Best of 70’s Funk Music

Check out our top picks for the best funk songs of the 70’s. From James Brown to Parliament-Funkadelic, these tracks will get you grooving.

The Birth of Funk

Funk is a genre of music that began in the early 1970s. It is a style of music that is based on a strong rhythm section, often with a bass guitar playing on the “one and three” beat. Funk music is often syncopated, or off-beat, and has a groove that is often infectious. The genre was born out of the African-American experience and was heavily influenced by jazz, soul, and R&B.

James Brown and the Birth of Funk

In the early 1970s, James Brown was looking for a new sound. He had achieved massive success with his brand of soul music, but he wanted to take things in a different direction. He wanted to create something that was more upbeat and would get people moving.

He found his inspiration in the music of Sly and the Family Stone. Sly Stone was a pioneer of funk music, and Brown was intrigued by the new sound. He began incorporating elements of funk into his own music, and the results were electrifying.

People loved the new sound, and Brown became known as the “Godfather of Funk.” His influence can still be heard in funk music today. If you’re a fan of funk, then you have James Brown to thank!

Sly and the Family Stone

In the late 1960s, Sly and the Family Stone’s releases such as “Dance to the Music”, “Everyday People”, and “Stand!” helped to shape the sound and style of what would come to be known as funk music. Unlike other groups of the time, Sly and the Family Stone were racially integrated, featuring both black and white members, which was unusual for a band at that time. The band’s unique sound was a mix of different genres, including soul, pop, rock, and psychedelia.

The group’s 1969 album Stand! is considered to be one of the most important albums of the era. The album’s title track became an anthem for the African-American community and its message of unity and pride. The album also featured other hits such as “I Want to Take You Higher” and “Everyday People”.

Sly and the Family Stone’s success helped to launch the careers of several other artists who would go on to become major figures in funk music, including George Clinton, Parliament-Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins, and Prince.

Parliament-Funkadelic

In the late 1960s, George Clinton was the mastermind behind two successful R&B groups, The Parliaments and Funkadelic. In 1970, Clinton combined the two groups into Parliament-Funkadelic, a collective that would pioneer the genre of funk music. Over the next decade, Parliament-Funkadelic would release a string of hit albums and singles, cementing their place as one of the most influential acts in 1970s popular music.

The Golden Age of Funk

The 1970s was the golden age of funk music. Funk is a style of music that is characterized by a groove that is often syncopated and African in origin. The genre developed out of the blues and R&B traditions in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

George Clinton and P-Funk

George Clinton is the mastermind behind the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s. He was a major innovator of the psychedelic funk sound. His work with Parliament-Funkadelic was some of the most influential music of the time, and it is still popular today. Clinton’s bands were known for their outrageous stage shows, which often included costumes, props, and frantic dancing. The music was also notable for its mix of different genres, including R&B, soul, rock, and funk.

Bootsy’s Rubber Band

Bootsy’s Rubber Band was a funk band led by bassist Bootsy Collins. The band also featured Bootsy’s brother, Phelps “Catfish” Collins on guitar, Frank Waddy on drums, and Larry Hatcher on vocals. The band was active from 1976 to 1984 and had several hit songs, including “Bootzilla” and “Play with Bootsy.”

The Meters

The Meters were an American funk band, active from 1965 to 1977. The band originated in New Orleans, Louisiana. The classic Meters lineup consisted of bassist George Porter Jr., keyboardist Art Neville, drummer Zigaboo Modeliste and guitarist Leo Nocentelli. The original group was later joined by vocalists Cyril Neville and Russell Batiste.

The Meters’ sound is a synergetic blend of second-line New Orleans grooves with hard-driving James Brown-like R&B; these elements were brought together by the band’s mastery of the “pocket.” Their use of elements from African music brought a new level of rhythmic complexity to their work that influenced subsequent funk artists.

The Legacy of Funk

Funk music emerged in the late 1960s as a style of African-American music that incorporated elements of soul, jazz, and R&B. The genre reached its peak of popularity in the 1970s with artists like James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic. While funk music is not as popular as it once was, it continues to influence other genres of music.

Funk Today

Funk today is a blend of the old and the new. Although the original style of funk has been updated and modernized, there are still elements of that classic sound in the music being made today. Funk is a style of music that is all about groove and rhythm. It’s funky, it’s soulful, and it’s always danceable.

If you’re looking for some funk in your life, there are plenty of great artists making great music in the genre today. Here are just a few of our favorites.

The Influence of Funk

The term “funk” was first used in the music industry in the late 1960s by promoters and record labels to describe a new kind of R&B that was rawer and harder than the polished soul that was popular at the time. It’s believed that the word funk is a shortened version of the word “funky,” which was used to describe earthy, soulful music. The popularity of funk grew in the early 1970s as more and more R&B artists began incorporating elements of funk into their music. Some of the most famous funk songs were released in the 1970s by artists like James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, Parliament-Funkadelic, and George Clinton.

Funk is a style of music that is characterized by a strong beat, often with a repetitive bass line. Funk songs often have a call-and-response structure, with a lead singer or rapper calling out to the audience and then being answered by the rest of the band or singers. Funk lyrics are often playful and positive, focusing on topics like love, dancing, and having a good time. The popularity of funk waned in the 1980s as newer styles like hip hop and electronic dance music became more popular, but it has experienced a resurgence in recent years thanks to artists like Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, and Kendrick Lamar who have incorporated elements of funk into their music.