If something stanks and you want some, then that smell is probably emanating from the stage at BBKing’s Blues Club in New York City where George Clinton, the funk master himself is scatting some funky beats with the P-Funk All Stars. There was no better way to celebrate Fat Tuesday in the Big Apple than getting down with the epic P-Funk dance party, because “there ain’t no party like a P-Funk party because a P-Funk party don’t stop!” B.B. King’s legendary Blues Club and Grill on West 42nd Street hosted this remarkable event as George Clinton often plays at this venue. As always, this was an intimate show and the entire crowd participated in the funky dance party that was Parliament Funk on stage.
George Clinton has been inspired by many genres to create his unique style of funk, including doo-wop, Motown, Disco, and 90’s rap. His musical roots first sprouted in a doo-wop band from New Jersey called Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers in the early 1950s. This humble beginning blossomed when Clinton formed The Parliaments in 1955, and released two singles within the following ten years. In 1967, The Parliaments put out a hit single “(I Wanna) Testify” under a Detroit based label, Revilot Records. Shortly thereafter, George Clinton encountered some legal problems with the name The Parliaments and began recording the same music under a new band name, Funkadelic, with the same main line-up as The Parliaments. By 1970, George Clinton was able to regain the rights to The Parliaments and signed the garnered line-up to Invictus Records under the name Parliament. In 1970, the group released Osmium, an album that scored a number 30 hit on the R&B charts in 1971 for the song “The Breakdown”.
Clinton and the Parliaments continued drawing inspiration from the various music styles of the time, including Motown in the 1970s. During this period, George Clinton had collected a loyal following of about 50 musicians and recorded the group under the names of both Parliament and Funkadelic. Funkadelic pursued more of a psychedelic rock sound, while Parliament continued to play their distinct funk, drawing inspiration from funk Kings such as James Brown and Sly Stone. Parliament’s live shows often incorporated performances in which members of the band were dressed in 60s style costumes.
1978-1979 was the epitome of the Parliament and Funkadelic history, seeing chart topping hit singles such as “Flash Light”, “Aqua Boogie”, and “One Nation Under a Groove.” Their first album was released on the Funkadelic LP called “Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome.” Also, in 1979 both “(Not Just) Knee Deep” and “Uncle Jam Wants You” reached platinum record status.
However, struggling once again with legal difficulties with both names Parliament and Funkadelic Clinton went solo in 1980. He produced a solo album called “Computer Games” in 1982. Within a few months, he hit the number one spot on the R&B charts with his funky jam “Atomic Dog,” which held strong for about four weeks (ranking 101 on the pop charts). Throughout the 1980s, George Clinton and several of the previous members of Parliament and Funkadelic continued to tour and record under a new name, The P-Funk All Stars. The musicians continued to derive inspiration from the evolving music of the time and added the 70’s disco sound to their repertoire. However, Clinton ran into legal difficulties yet again, revolving around the multitude of artists under three different names. Clinton’s reputation began to disintegrate in the late 1980s, but was revived by the funk fresh new sounds brought on by the 1990s.
In the early 90s, popular rap tunes appeared from Dr. Dre and Warden G. that seemed to be inspired by funk. Funk rock also began its up rise with the bands such as Primus and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This brought back the eclectic funky sound of George Clinton’s music as seen through the sounds of MC Hammer, LL Cool J and Snoop Dog, each of whom utilized Clinton’s music for some of their soundtrack. This led to the notoriety of one of the largest and arguably greatest funk bands, George Clinton leading the pack. In 1997, George Clinton along with the Parliament and Funkadelic, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame. In addition to that honor, Clinton has also received a Grammy, a Dove, an MTV music award, and recognition by the NAACP Image Awards, BMI, and the Motown Alumni Association for a lifetime achievement.
To this day, “there ain’t no party like a P-Funk party, because a P-Funk party don’t stop!” Known not just for their exceptional funky and multi-musically inspired sound, but also for their live performances, this band simply exudes an all around funky live celebration on the stage. This crazy funk onstage dance party consisted of performances by George Clinton as lead vocals, on guitars Cordell Boogie Mosson, Mixhael Kidd Funkadelic Hampton, Ricky Rousse and Garret Shider, on bass Lige Curry and Cherokee, Foley and Benzel Cowan on drums, percussions by RichieShakin Nagan, Horns by Bennie Cowan and Greg Thomas, and Jerome Rodgers and Danny Bedrossian on keyboards. Beautiful funkadelic vocals were performed by Robert Pnut Johnson, Michael Clip Payne, Tracy Lewis, Shonda Clinton, Trazae Lawis, Tonisha Nelson, SadAli, Kendra Foster, Steve Boyd, Paul Hill and Brandy Scott; and of course an epic dance performance by none other than Carlos “Sir Nose” Mc Murray.
George Clinton opened the show by telling the audience “if you free your mind your ass will follow.” These chief funkateers then revealed their purpose of the night, exclaiming that they came to “tear the roof open” and fell into a rendition of “Up the Down Stroke”. They then proceeded to ask the crowd if they brought their flashlight, and a ripple of movement surged through the audience as the entire room moved back and forth in a rhythmic groove. George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars continued with “I’ll Betcha” into “Stuff and Things”. The crowd cheered on a chorus with the band screaming, “Shit, goddamn, get off your ass and dance!” At this point, almost every individual in the venue, was getting down with their funky selves. Next came “Dr. Funkenstein”, the members of Parliament followed with “Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad/Doodoo Chasers” as the funkadelics broke out into a loud chorus with the audience chanting, “we got that doodoo, we got that shit!”
Then came a P-Funk Classic, “Flashlight” and Sir Nose made his way onto the stage with his low-hanging white pants, fuzzy white pimp hat and abstractly large nose. Next the crowd lit up in unison as the funky band began playing “Something Stank and I Want Some” with a guest on stage spitting out some nasty rhymes. George Clinton and others were “lighting up” and sharing the love by passing it back and forth between the crowd and members on the stage. Following this was an exclamation that “the girl’s a freak” and the song “(Not Just) Knee Deep” resonated throughout the club. Soon after, Kendra Foster, one of the P-Funk vocalists, made her way center stage for a solo. Then George Clinton began his speech, my personal favorite of the night, preaching to the crowd that, “the Maggot Brain is a state of mind and then the condition, and position of your ass. Free your mind and your ass will follow.” This song, “Maggot Brain” describes our population as a biological speculation and explains that one can either rise above all of the bullshit or drown in our own shit.
After that came P-Funks’ “Mommy, What’s a Funkadelic?” Where George Clinton tells the crowd, “if you suck my soul, I will lick your funky emotion.” The crowd then did what was instructed and put one finger in the air and began to sing with the band, “One Nation Under a Groove” showing America is nothing but the funk. The entire audience began chanting, “Shit, goddamn, get off your ass and jam,” and the dance floor exploded into a rippling sea of funky dance moves. This was followed by a rendition of “The Roof is on Fire” and then Clinton’s famous “Atomic Dog”, where members of audience were invited to join the All Stars on stage. What a phenomenally funky concert and endless dance party.
I can proudly say that on the night of February 12, 2013, I boarded the mothership along with my fellow funky motherfuckers. The P-Funk All Stars’ vocalists were constantly passing their mics to the crowd so the audience could join in the show and towards the end of the show many members of the audience were again invited on stage to dance with the musicians. All-in-all it was a very interactive show and a night of diverse self-expression!
Some upcoming George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars shows are Friday March 22, 2013 in Portland Oregon at the Crystal Ballroom, Wednesday March 27th, Thursday the 28th, and Friday the 29th in Oakland, CA at Yoshi’s and Saturday March 30th in Sacramento, CA at Ace of Spades.
George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars:
Website: http://georgeclinton.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgeclintonpfunk
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/gclinton
Twitter: https://twitter.com/george_clinton
Review by Rebecca Wolfe
Photography by Rebecca Wolfe
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