The History of Funk Music
Contents
A look at the history of Funk music and how it has evolved over the years.
Origins of Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-1960s. It is a style of African-American music that is characterized by a strong groove and a mixture of different musical elements. Funk music was created by African-American musicians who were influenced by African and Western music.
James Brown and the Birth of Funk
In the early 1960s, James Brown was the hardest-working man in show business, and his brand of soul music was taking the country by storm. But Brown was always looking to push the envelope, and by 1965, he had begun to experiment with a new sound that would eventually come to be known as funk.
Funk is a style of music that is characterized by a groovy, often bumpy bass line, repetitive rhythms, and horn or guitar riffs. It is often said to have a “sexy” or “dirty” feel to it, and it was often used as background music inAdult films of the 1970s.
While James Brown is often credited as the inventor of funk, the genre actually has its roots in rhythm and blues. Brown’s innovation was to take this existing style of music and give it a harder edge, making it more danceable and adding elements of improvisation. This new sound quickly caught on with both audiences and other musicians, and funk soon became its own distinct genre.
Over the next few decades, funk would go on to have a major influence on other genres of music, including disco, hip hop, and rock. Funk bands like Parliament-Funkadelic and The Gap Band helped to pave the way for these later genres, while artists like Prince and Michael Jackson popularized funk for mainstream audiences. Today, funk remains an important part of popular music, and its legacy can be heard in countless songs across different genres.
The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based musicians who performed the backing tracks for most of the Motown Records hits from 1959 to 1972. The musicians were not formally credited on most of the records. They became widely known after the release of the 2002 documentary film Standing in the Shadows of Motown.
The core group of musicians in the Funk Brothers consisted of bassist James Jamerson, keyboardists Earl Van Dyke and Joe Hunter, guitarists Robert White and Eddie Willis, percussionists Jack Ashford and Uriel Jones, and drummers Richard “Pistol” Allen and Benny Benjamin. In addition to these core members, there were a number of other musicians who played on Motown recordings during the 1960s, including trombonist Paul Riser, saxophonists Hank Moore and Aaron Dumont, trumpeter Al Nichols, and singers Mike Hightower and Sonny Turner.
The Funk Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
The Rise of Funk
Funk music originated in the mid-1960s with African American musicians who were looking for a new way to express themselves. Funk was a response to the constraints of the Motown sound and the political climate of the time. Funk is a style of music that is based on a heavy groove and often has a danceable, party-like feel to it.
George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic
In the 1960s, George Clinton was the mastermind behind two different groups, The Parliaments and Funkadelic. While The Parliaments achieved some mainstream success with the 1967 hit single “(I Wanna) Testify,” it was Funkadelic that would come to define the sound of Parliament-Funkadelic.
Clinton assembled a group of musicians that included former Motown session players like keyboardist Bernie Worrell, bassist Bootsy Collins, and guitarist Eddie Hazel. Clinton wrote songs that were both sexually suggestive and politically charged, and the band’s performances were high-energy affairs complete with outrageous costumes and psychedelic visuals.
Parliament-Funkadelic’s influence can be heard in the work of subsequent generations of funk and hip-hop artists, including Prince, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, and Dr. Dre.
Sly and the Family Stone
Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Headed by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, and containing several of his family members and friends, the band was known for its pioneering died-back vocals, musicianship, colorful stage outfits, and heady fusion of rock and roll with R&B.
The band’s Top 10 singles “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”, “Everybody Is a Star”, and “Hot Fun in the Summertime” defined an era of progressive pop music. Although the group was critical darling during its lifetime -given nine Grammy Award nominations between 1968 and 1971- it fell into obscurity following Sly Stone’s hospitalization during a tour in late 1974. The band had reunited multiple times since its breakup in 1983 but never recorded new music or toured again until 2019.
The original lineup of Sly and the Family Stone featured Stone on lead vocals and keyboards; his brother Freddie on saxophone; their cousin Larry Graham on bass guitar; Rose Stone on keyboards; Cynthia Robinson on trumpet; Jerry Martini on drums;and Greg Errico on drums. Keyboardist/vocalist patrons Laudiyah Polite (cousin of Larry Graham)and Lydia Pendergrass (sister of Jerry Martini)would also sit in with the band during live performances.
Sly & The Family Stone’s first album -A Whole New Thing- was released in 1967 to little fanfare but subsequent releases -Dance to the Music (1968), Life (1969), Stand! (1969), There’s a Riot Goin’ On(1971)- catapulted them to international stardom.
Funkadelic
Funkadelic was an American band that was most prominent in the 1970s. The band and its sister act Parliament Funkadelic were led by George Clinton. Both of these groups have been considered some of the pioneers of the funk music genre. Funkadelic’s self-titled debut album was released in 1970. The album did not enter the Billboard 200 chart, but it did reach number thirty-three on the magazine’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
The Legacy of Funk
Funk music is a genre that originated in the late 1960s. It is a style of music that is characterized by a heavy groove and a focus on improvisation. Funk music is often danceable and has acall-and-response style of singing. It has influences from soul, R&B, and jazz.
Hip-hop and the Sampling of Funk
In the 1990s, a new generation of musicians began to sample funk music in their hip-hop tracks. These artists helped to introduce funk to a new audience and cement its place in popular culture. Some of the most iconic hip-hop tracks of all time, such as Dr. Dre’s “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” and Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice,” feature samples of classic funk songs.
Today, funk is more popular than ever. It continues to be a major influence on hip-hop, R&B, and pop music. Many modern artists, such as Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, and Kendrick Lamar, have all been influenced by funk music. The legacy of funk is alive and well in the 21st century!
The Revival of Funk
In the 1990s, a new generation of musicians began to revive the sounds and styles of Funk. These artists took the foundation laid by James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic, and other pioneers of the genre and built upon it, creating a unique blend of Funk, Hip-Hop, R&B, and Dance music.
The Revival of Funk began in the early 1990s with groups like Digable Planets and Arrested Development. These groups brought a new level of popularity to Funk music, reaching a wider audience than ever before.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, artists like Outkast, Missy Elliott, and Justin Timberlake continued to push the boundaries of Funk music. They blended the sounds of Hip-Hop, R&B, Pop, and Dance music to create a truly unique sound that was all their own.
Today, the legacy of Funk music is alive and well. Artists like Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Kendrick Lamar, and Childish Gambino are carrying on the traditions of James Brown, George Clinton, and Parliament-Funkadelic. They are expanding upon the foundations laid by these pioneers and taking Funk music in new and exciting directions.
