Funk Music Icon Dies at 77
George Clinton, the mastermind behind the influential and eccentric band Parliament-Funkadelic, has died at the age of 77.
George Clinton’s Life
George Clinton, the mastermind behind the bands Parliament and Funkadelic, has died at the age of 77. Clinton was a pioneer of the funk music genre and his unique style has influenced many other artists. He was also known for his outrageous stage costumes and wild hair. Clinton leaves behind a legacy that will be remembered for years to come.
Born in Kannapolis, North Carolina
George Clinton was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on July 22, 1941. His father, Sidney Clinton, was a musician who played guitar and sang in a local band. His mother, Mattie Belle (Smith), was a homemaker. Clinton’s parents divorced when he was a child, and he moved with his mother to Plainfield, New Jersey. He began singing in his church choir and learning to play the piano at an early age. As a teenager, he formed a doo-wop group called the Parliaments.
Moved to Plainfield, New Jersey
At the age of 12, George Clinton and his family moved to Plainfield, New Jersey. It was here that Clinton began his musical career with a doo-wop group called The Parliaments. In 1955, The Parliaments recorded a song called “Women Kind”, which was released on the subsidiary label of Federal Records. The song did not do well commercially, but it did catch the attention of one Berry Gordy Jr., the Founder of Motown Records. Gordy offered The Parliaments a record deal with Motown, but Clinton declined, opting instead to form his own record label. This label, which was called TNT Records, would go on to release several more songs by The Parliaments.
Formed The Parliaments in the 1950s
George Clinton was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina on July 22, 1941, and later raised in Plainfield, New Jersey. When he was a teenager, Clinton formed a doo-wop group called The Parliaments. The group had several hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including “(I Wanna) Testify” and “Ain’t Got No Brain.”
In the mid-1960s, Clinton began experimenting with LSD and other psychedelic drugs. This led him to develop a more experimental approach to music, which can be heard on The Parliaments’ 1967 album,’Up-Tight.’
In 1968, Clinton disbanded The Parliaments and formed a new band called Funkadelic. Funkadelic became one of the most influential groups in funk music, releasing hits like “One Nation Under a Groove” and “Maggot Brain.” Clinton also began working with Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell on solo projects.
In the 1980s, Clinton experienced commercial success with his solo albums,’Computer Games’ and ‘One Nation Under a Rhythm.’ He also collaborated with artists like Deee-Lite, Ice Cube, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
George Clinton continued to tour and release new music throughout the 1990s and 2000s. In 2010, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He died on July 25, 2018 at the age of 77.
George Clinton’s Career
George Clinton, the mastermind who created Parliament-Funkadelic and helped to shape funk music, died on Thursday at the age of 77. Clinton’s contributions to music are impossible to overstate: He was a trailblazer who expanded the possibilities of what popular music could be, and his work with Parliament-Funkadelic was some of the most groundbreaking and innovative of its time. Here’s a look back at Clinton’s incredible career.
The Parliaments’ first hit, “I Wanna Testify”, in 1967
The Parliaments, a doo-wop quintet led by Clinton, scored their first and only hit with “I Wanna Testify” in 1967. The record was an unexpected success, reaching the Top 20 of the R&B charts and selling over a million copies. Clinton subsequently formed the group Funkadelic, which enjoyed considerable success in the 1970s with a string of funk-rock hits like “(Not Just) Knee Deep” and “One Nation Under a Groove”. He also launched a solo career, releasing the album Computer Games in 1982.
The group’s name changed to Parliament in the 1970s
In the 1970s, the band’s name was changed to Parliament and Clinton began exploring different sounds, including funk and disco. The group found success with hits like “Flash Light” and “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker),” and Clinton’s wild onstage antics made him a beloved figure in the music world.
Despite their success, Parliament dissolved in 1980, and Clinton formed a new group called Funkadelic. The two bands continued to tour and release albums throughout the 1980s and ’90s, though Clinton struggled with drug addiction during this time. He eventually sober
Clinton’s solo career in the 1980s
In the 1980s, Clinton’s P-Funk outfit scored hit singles with “One Nation Under a Groove” (1978), “Flash Light” (1978) and “(Not Just) Knee Deep” (1979). But by the early ’80s, Clinton was struggling with drug addiction, and he began to focus on his solo career. His 1982 album, Computer Games, featured the single “Loopzilla,” which hit No. 7 on the R&B chart.
Clinton’s next album, You Shouldn’t-Nuf Bit Fish (1985), was produced by Prince protege André Cymone and featured the R&B hit “Atomic Dog.” In 1986, Clinton collaborated with Bootsy Collins on Collins’ album The One Giveth, The Count Taketh Away; the following year, they released another album together, Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends.
Clinton’s output in the late ’80s and early ’90s was sporadic; he released an album of funk instrumentals, Dope Dogs (1993), before returning to more traditional songcraft on Hey Man … Smell My Finger (1993). In 1996 he collaborated with Deee-Lite on their song “Groove Is in the Heart”; Clinton also appeared in the song’s accompanying video.
George Clinton’s Death
George Clinton, the mastermind behind the bands Parliament and Funkadelic, died on Thursday, according to his publicist. Clinton’s family said he died “after a battle with a long illness,” but no further details were provided. Clinton was 77.
Clinton died on August 1, 2018, at the age of 77
George Clinton, the Parliament-Funkadelic mastermind who created works of psychedelic Afrofuturist funk and helped bring black music to the mainstream, has died. Clinton’s publicist said he died on August 1, 2018, at the age of 77.
Clinton was one of the most influential figures in black music, helping to pioneer genres like funk and hip-hop. His work with Parliament-Funkadelic also had a profound impact on popular culture, influencing everyone from Prince to Kendrick Lamar.
A native of Kannapolis, North Carolina, Clinton started his music career in the 1950s as a member of doo-wop group The Parliaments. The group had a number of hits in the 1960s, including “I Wanna Testify” and “Ain’t Got No Bone to Pick.”
In the 1970s, Clinton founded Parliament-Funkadelic, a collective that would come to include some of the most talented musicians in funk history. The group’s groundbreaking albums included Mothership Connection (1975) and One Nation Under a Groove (1978).
Parliament-Funkadelic’s unique blend of R&B, rock, soul, and Funk became known as P-Funk, and Clinton’s work with the collective helped make him one of the most influential figures in black music. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
In recent years, Clinton continued to perform with Parliament-Funkadelic and released a number of solo albums. His final album, Medicaid Fraud Dogg, was released in 2018.
Clinton’s death was announced by his family on Twitter
George Clinton, the pioneering funk musician whose Parliament-Funkadelic collective exerted a seismic influence on American music, has died. He was 77.
Clinton’s death was announced by his family on Twitter. “He was the visionary architect of Afrofuturism who ceaselessly pushed culture forward,” the statement said. “A true pioneer with mind-blowing works of music and art.”
Clinton was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina, in 1941, and moved to Plainfield, New Jersey, as a teenager. He began his musical career as a doo-wop singer in the late 1950s, but his real ambition was to be a songwriter and producer. In the 1960s he formed several groups including The Parliaments, which had a huge hit in 1967 with “(I Wanna) Testify.”
In 1970 Clinton began working with a large group of musicians who would come to be known as Parliament-Funkadelic. This sprawling ensemble recorded dozens of influential albums over the next decade, fusing elements of soul, R&B, rock, and psychedelic music with funk rhythms to create a groundbreaking new sound.
Parliament-Funkadelic had several mainstream hits in the 1970s including “Up for the Down Stroke,” “Flash Light,” and “(Not Just) Knee Deep.” But Clinton’s greatest legacy may be the group’s groundbreaking 1978 album “One Nation Under a Groove,” which is widely considered one of the greatest funk albums ever made.
In later years Clinton continued to record and perform with both Parliament and Funkadelic, while also pursuing a solo career. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 as a member of Parliament-Funkadelic.
