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Funkadelic

From Alfawiki
Funkadelic
Company typeMusical group
IndustryMusic
Founded1968 in Plainfield, New Jersey, United States
FounderGeorge Clinton (as part of P-Funk collective)
Defunct1982
Headquarters
Plainfield, New Jersey
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsFunk rock music albums and performances

Funkadelic was a pioneering American funk rock ensemble established in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and remained active until 1982. As a central act within George Clinton's P-Funk collective, they played a crucial role in shaping the funk movement of the 1970s. Originally serving as the instrumental support for Clinton's vocal group the Parliaments (which later evolved into Parliament), Funkadelic developed a distinctive sound marked by heavier, psychedelic rock influences. Their discography includes landmark albums such as Maggot Brain (1971) and One Nation Under a Groove (1978).

Origins

The roots of Funkadelic trace back to 1964 when George Clinton assembled a backing band for his doo-wop vocal ensemble, the Parliaments. The initial members featured Frankie Boyce, Richard Boyce, and Langston Booth alongside the five vocalists of the Parliaments. After the Boyce brothers and Booth joined the military in 1966, Clinton brought in bassist Billy Bass Nelson and guitarist Eddie Hazel in 1967, followed by guitarist Tawl Ross and drummer Tiki Fulwood. The moniker "Funkadelic" was created by Nelson after their move to Detroit. By 1968, amid legal disputes with Revilot Records regarding the Parliaments' name, the group began performing under the name Funkadelic.

Psychedelic period

Upon signing with Westbound Records in 1968, Funkadelic transitioned from their soul and doo-wop origins to a sound dominated by psychedelic rock-infused guitar work blended with soul and funk elements, drawing inspiration from artists like Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, and the MC5. This approach evolved into a more focused fusion of guitar and horn-driven funk between 1971 and 1975, incorporating R&B and electronic sounds during Parliament-Funkadelic’s peak years from 1976 to 1981. Their initial television performance took place on Say Brother in 1969.

Their debut album, Funkadelic (1970), showcased organist Mickey Atkins alongside Clinton, Fulwood, Hazel, Nelson, and Ross. It also featured uncredited vocals from Parliament members and session musicians affiliated with Motown, including Ray Monette of Rare Earth and future P-Funk keyboardist Bernie Worrell. Worrell received official recognition beginning with their sophomore release, Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow (1970), marking the start of an enduring partnership with Clinton. The 1971 release Maggot Brain further explored psychedelic textures but achieved modest commercial success despite its lasting influence on funk, rock, and hip hop genres.

After Maggot Brain, Funkadelic’s lineup underwent changes. Tawl Ross became inactive following a drug-related incident, while Nelson and Hazel departed due to financial disagreements. Clinton then enlisted several musicians from James Brown’s backing band, the JB's—most notably Bootsy Collins along with the Horny Horns. Bootsy Collins and his brother Catfish replaced Nelson and Hazel; Bootsy emerged as a vital architect of the P-Funk sound. The politically charged double album America Eats Its Young was released in 1972. The group’s configuration became more stable with Cosmic Slop (1973), which introduced singer-guitarist Garry Shider. After stepping away briefly due to legal issues related to substance abuse, Eddie Hazel returned to make significant contributions on Standing on the Verge of Getting It On (1974) but maintained only occasional involvement thereafter.

P-Funk

In 1974, George Clinton revitalized Parliament by securing a contract with Casablanca Records. While Parliament and Funkadelic shared most of their members, they operated concurrently under separate identities: Parliament delivered mainstream funk characterized by soulful vocals and horn sections, whereas Funkadelic pursued a more experimental, guitar-centric funk style. Together, they toured as Parliament-Funkadelic or simply P-Funk, a term that grew to represent Clinton's expanding collective of funk musicians. Funkadelic's breakthrough came in 1975 with the release of Let's Take It to the Stage, an album that nearly broke into the top ten on R&B charts and made an appearance on the Billboard 100.

That same year, teenage guitar virtuoso Michael Hampton took over from Hazel as lead guitarist, profoundly shaping Funkadelic’s future recordings. In 1976, Funkadelic transitioned from Westbound to Warner Brothers, debuting their Warner tenure with Hardcore Jollies. Prior to leaving Westbound, Clinton contributed unreleased tracks that formed the commercially successful Tales of Kidd Funkadelic, which included the R&B Top 30 hit "Undisco Kidd". In 1977, Westbound further capitalized on the group's earlier work by issuing the compilation The Best of the Early Years.

Mainstream success

From 1975 through 1978, Parliament secured significant mainstream acclaim while Funkadelic produced its landmark album One Nation Under a Groove (1978). Featuring Walter "Junie" Morrison, formerly of the Ohio Players, the record adopted a melodic and dance-friendly approach. Its title track remained atop the R&B charts for six weeks, paralleling Parliament’s chart-topping R&B singles "Flash Light" and "Aqua Boogie".

Continuing this electronic direction, Funkadelic’s 1979 release Uncle Jam Wants You included the extensive fifteen-minute track "(Not Just) Knee Deep", which featured Spinners’ lead vocalist Philippé Wynne; a shortened version reached number one on R&B charts. The last official Funkadelic album under Warner Brothers was The Electric Spanking of War Babies (1981), initially intended as a double album but reduced to one disc due to label demands. Tracks excluded from this release later surfaced on P-Funk albums, most notably George Clinton’s solo debut in 1982 with the hit "Atomic Dog".

Additionally in 1981, former Funkadelic members and original Parliaments Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas—who had departed P-Funk in 1977 amid management conflicts—issued Connections & Disconnections (later reissued as Who's a Funkadelic). This album prominently featured Thomas McEvoy’s jazz French horn and included "You'll Like It Too", which became a widely sampled breakbeat in 1980s hip hop. Meanwhile, ex-drummer Jerome Brailey formed Mutiny and released their debut album Mutiny on the Mamaship.

Dissolution

During the early 1980s, legal complications involving multiple group names alongside shifts at Parliament’s record label led George Clinton to formally disband Parliament and Funkadelic as active recording and touring groups. Many musicians from later lineups continued working with Clinton, who proceeded to release music under his own name and as George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars. The mid-1980s saw the creation of what would become Funkadelic’s penultimate album By Way of the Drum, featuring P-Funk collaborators and electronic instrumentation. Although initially rejected by its label, it was officially issued in the United States only in 2007 as a reissue that included a cover of Cream’s "Sunshine Of Your Love." Despite minimal promotion, it garnered positive critical reception.

Legacy

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Clinton continued to lead the P-Funk collective, featuring a fluid roster that included members from the original Parliament and Funkadelic ensembles. The musical style evolved, moving away from its rock roots toward stronger R&B and hip hop elements. In 1997, Parliament-Funkadelic earned induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 2005, Brazen Hussy productions released the documentary Parliament-Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove, which was broadcast on PBS. By 2008, Clinton was working on a new Funkadelic album under his own label. That same year, Westbound Records issued Toys, a compilation of previously unreleased outtakes and demos from the eras of Free Your Mind and America Eats Its Young, garnering favorable reviews. In April 2013, Funkadelic unveiled "The Naz," their first single in over two decades, featuring a collaboration with Sly Stone centered on Jesus Christ; its B-side included "Nuclear Dog," showcasing a guitar solo by Dewayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight.

Funkadelic's impact on hip-hop has been profound, influencing numerous artists within the genre. Particularly, Dr. Dre has acknowledged Funkadelic's sound as foundational to his development of the G-funk style. Their 1979 hit "(Not Just) Knee Deep" has been extensively sampled by G-funk musicians on landmark albums such as Dr. Dre's The Chronic, Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle, MC Hammer's Street Fighter OST, De La Soul's Me Myself and I, and Tupac's All Eyez on Me.

Discography

See also

External links

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