P-FUNK at HOB-BOSTON 2/14/2015

P-FUNK in Boston

Parliament-Funkadelic will be in Boston at the House of Blues on Saturday, February 14.

George Clinton with vocalist Steve Boyd in Seattle in 2013.

George Clinton with vocalist Steve Boyd at Showbox at The Market in Seattle, Wash. in 2013. (This great photo is by Mat Hayward and was found at seattlemusicinsider.com.)

George Clinton is one of the greatest innovators of urban based soul, rock and funk over the last forty years.

Now George has created his own label, The C Kunspyruhzy that will release George’s first studio album in ten years, followed by solo recordings by individual members of the P-Funk empire. Clinton also plans to release a collection of Parliament-Funkadelic, and P-Funk All Stars live recordings gleaned from board tapes. Called the Uncut Funk Series, the live CD’s will incorporate some of the best shows over the past thirty years and will be augmented with superior graphics and extensive liner notes. “We got four generations of fans out there who keep bugging me to get these live shows out there, and now’s the time,” George says. “I’ve seen what the Grateful Dead have been doing with their archives, as well as bands like Pearl Jam, and I figured it was time to show the world what the funk is all about.”

George Clinton leads the charge on stage.

P-FUNK at Boston’s House of Blues 3/7/2014. This so-so photo is by Peter Wetherbee.

Clinton has been showing the world what the funk is for fifty years and his career mirrors musical trends from doo wop to hip hop. While growing up in New Jersey, George was a teen age fan of Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers. After seeing them perform at a talent show, he decided it was time to get up and do his thing. First as the founding member of the Parliaments, Clinton started recording doo wop sides in the 1950’s, followed by a move to Detroit where the group finally hit pay dirt with their Number One R&B hit “(I Just Wanna) Testify” in 1967.

In 1968, George formed Funkadelic in 1968, a visionary band that combined acid rock with primal funk. Funkadelic carried the torch for George’s creative output until 1972 when, in a stroke of genius, George renamed the band Parliament and signed them to Casablanca Records, while Funkadelic  signed with Warner Brothers in 1976.

Clinton now had two powerhouse bands signed to two different labels even though each band consisted of the same members. As George breaks it down, “Parliament was more orchestrated with horns and complicated vocal arrangements while Funkadelic was more a straight up rock band with a heavy rhythm section.”

With the growth of funk as a vibrant musical force, George was churning out landmark hits with both acts. Parliament was hitting with dance floor jams like “Tear the Roof Off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk),” “Aqua Boogie,” “Flashlight,” and “Bop Gun.” Meanwhile, Funakdelic was also hitting hard with anthemic funk jams like “(Not Just) Knee Deep” and “One Nation Under A Groove.”

As the Seventies came to a close, George Clinton soldiered on as a solo act and hit once again with the Number One Urban smash “Atomic Dog.” Times and music changed, but Clinton remained true to the funk and recorded a number of acclaimed albums for Prince’s Paisley Park imprint as well as Epic Records in the 1980’s and ’90’s. And George and his touring band, the P-Funk All Stars, graced the stage at the Woodstock festival as well as on a popular Nike ad during the 2002 NBA playoffs, and a show stopping live performance with OutKast at the 2004 Grammy Awards.

Now the funky worm has turned with George back in control of his creative output with the C Kunspyruhzy label. “I can’t wait to grow this Pfunk thang all over again,” he laughs. “I got the old roots with the live concerts and the new branches with the various band members, as well as my own solo projects.” It’s the best of ALL worlds…all worlds funky that is!

Instrumentation

GEORGE CLINTON – LEAD VOCALS, REFEREE

Garry “Starchild” Shider – Rhythm Guitar, vocals
DeWayne “Blackbyrd”McKnight – Lead Guitar
Michael “Kidd Funkadelic” Hampton – Lead Guitar
Cardell “Boogie” Mosson – Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Ricardo Rouse – Guitar,
Lige Curry – Bass, Vocals
RonKat Spearman – Bass, Vocals
Frankie “Kash” Waddy – Drums
Joseph “Foley” McCreary – Drums
Rico Lewis – Drums
Jerome Rogers – Keyboards
Michael “Clip” Payne – Keyboards, Vocals
Bennie Cowan – Trumpet
Greg Thomas – Saxophone
Robert “P-Nut” Johnson – Vocals
Belita Woods – Vocals
Steve Boyd – Vocals
Kimberly Manning – Vocals
Kendra Foster – Vocals
Shonda “Sativa Diva” Clinton – Rap
Carlos “Sir Nose” McMurray – Dancer
Shaunna Hall – Guitar
Gene “Poo Poo Man” Anderson – Vocals
Danny Bedrosian – Keyboards
Tracey Lewis – Rapper & Vocals & Guitar
Paul Hill – Vocals

Discography

1967 The Parliaments I Wanna Testify
1970 Funkadelic Funkadelic
1970 Funkadelic Free Your Mind…And Your Ass Will Follow
1970 Parliament Osmium
1971 Funkadelic Maggot Brain
1972 Funkadelic America Eats Its Young
1973 Funkadelic Cosmic Slop
1974 Funkadelic Standing on the Verge of Getting It On
1974 Parliament Up for the Down Stroke
1975 Funkadelic Let’s Take It to the Stage
1975 Parliament Chocolate City
1976 Funkadelic Hardcore Jollies
1976 Funkadelic Tales of Kidd Funkadelic
1976 Parliament Clones of Dr. Funkenstein
1976 Parliament Mothership Connection
1977 Parliament Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome
1977 Parliament Get Down & Boogie
1977 Parliament Live Earth Tour
1978 Funkadelic One Nation Under a Groove
1978 Parliament Motor Booty Affair
1979 Funkadelic Uncle Jam Wants You
1979 Parliament Gloryhallastoopid
1980 Parliament Trombipulation
1981 Funkadelic The Electric Spanking of War Babies
1982 George Clinton Computer Games
1983 George Clinton You Shouldn’t-Nuf Bit Fish
1984 P-Funk Allstars Urban Dancefloor Guerillas
1985 George Clinton Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends
1986 George Clinton R&B Skeletons in the Closet
1989 George Clinton The Cinderella Theory
1993 Sample Some of Disc, Sample Some of DAT Vol. 1
1993 George Clinton Hey Man, Smell My Finger
1994 Sample Some of Disc, Sample Some of DAT 2
1995 Sample Some of Disc, Sample Some of DAT Vol. 3
1995 George Clinton & Family Go Fer Yer Funk
1995 George Clinton & Family P is the Funk
1995 George Clinton & Family Plush Funk
1995 George Clinton & Family Testing Positive 4 The Funk
1995 George Clinton & Family A Fifth of Funk
1996 George Clinton The Awesome Power of a Fully Operation Mothership
1996 George Clinton Greatest Funkin Hits
1997 George Clinton & The P-Funk Allstars Live & Kickin’
1998 George Clinton & P-Funk Allstars Dope Dogs
2000 George Clinton The Best of George Clinton
2002 Parliament Funked Up: The Very Best of Parliament
2003 George Clinton Six Degrees of P-Funk
2004 George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic Instant Live: Portland, ME
2004 George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic Instant Live: Atlanta, GA
2005 Parliament Gold