Parliament-Funkadelic

This article is about the musical collective. For the individual bands, see Parliament (band) and Funkadelic. For the genre called psychedelic funk or P-funk for short, see Psychedelic funk.

Parliament-Funkadelic
George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic performing at the Granada Theater in Dallas, Texas, May 4, 2006
George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic performing at the Granada Theater in Dallas, Texas, May 4, 2006
Background information
Also known asP-Funk, P-Funk All-Stars
OriginPlainfield, New Jersey, U.S.
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres
DiscographyParliament discography
Funkadelic discography
Years active1968–present
LabelsWarner Bros., Casablanca, Invictus, Westbound
Spinoff of
MembersGeorge Clinton
See other "Members"

Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. Their eclectic style has drawn on psychedelia, outlandish fashion, and surreal humor.[5] They have released albums such as Maggot Brain (1971), Mothership Connection (1975), and One Nation Under a Groove (1978) to critical praise, and scored charting hits with singles such as "Tear the Roof Off the Sucker" (1975) and "Flash Light" (1978). Overall, the collective achieved thirteen top ten hits in the American R&B music charts between 1967 and 1983, including six number one hits. Their work has had an influential effect on subsequent funk, post-punk, hip-hop, and techno artists of the 1980s and 1990s,[6] while their collective mythology has helped pioneer Afrofuturism.[7]

The collective's origins date back to the doo-wop group the Parliaments, formed by Clinton during the late 1950s in suburban New Jersey. By the late 1960s, Clinton had gained experience as a producer-writer for Motown Records and, inspired by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, and Frank Zappa, he relocated to Detroit and enlisted musicians from his New Jersey days in his own two sister bands Parliament and Funkadelic; the first would go on to develop a commercially successful style of science fiction–inspired funk, while the second pursued a heavier sound which blended funk with psychedelic rock.[8] The name "Parliament-Funkadelic" became the catch-all term for the dozens of related musicians recording and touring different projects in Clinton's orbit, including the female vocal spinoff groups the Brides of Funkenstein and Parlet. Financial and label issues slowed the collective's recorded output in the 1980s while Clinton and other members began solo careers, with Clinton also consolidating the collective's multiple projects and touring under names such as George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars. In the 1990s, their sound became the chief inspiration for the West Coast hip hop subgenre G-funk.[9]

Prominent collective members have included bassist Bootsy Collins (who formed the spinoff group Bootsy's Rubber Band), keyboardist Bernie Worrell, guitarists Eddie "Maggot Brain" Hazel, Michael Hampton, and Garry "Diaper Man" Shider, and horn players Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker. Some former members of Parliament perform under the name "Original P". Sixteen members of Parliament-Funkadelic were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2019, the group was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

  1. ^ Echard, William (2017). Psychedelic Popular Music: A History Through Musical Topic Theory. Indiana University Press. p. 119. ISBN 9780253026590.
  2. ^ "New Generation Dances to a Different Drummer". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. August 10, 1978. p. 60. Retrieved January 26, 2021 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Parker, James (July 24, 2020). "The Funkadelic Album That Predicted the Future". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  4. ^ Dove, Ian (February 15, 1975). "Three Soul Groups Sing at Music Hall". The New York Times. p. 16. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  5. ^ Bush, John. "Parliament -Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  6. ^ Parliament/Funkadelic. (2009). In Student's Encyclopædia Archived April 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine: "Combining funk rhythms, psychedelic guitar, and group harmonies with jazzed-up horns, Clinton and his ever-evolving bands set the tone for many post-disco and post-punk groups of the 1980s and 1990s." Retrieved August 15, 2009, from Britannica Student Encyclopædia.
  7. ^ Echard, William (2017). Psychedelic Popular Music: A History through Musical Topic Theory. Indiana University Press. pp. 123–125. ISBN 9780253026590. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  8. ^ Bush, John (July 22, 1940). "George Clinton - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  9. ^ Christopher Hunter (March 16, 2017). "Warren G Is Releasing a Documentary on the History of G-Funk - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved June 17, 2021.