Few artists can make the kind of claim on funk that George Clinton can. Clinton, with his multi-colored dreads, bizarre fashion sense and psychedelic sonic experimentation, fused the psychedelia of the '60s with soul, creating a danceable sound that was unlike anything else in the field of R&B. But what made his records stand out was his sense of humor and penchant for strange, off the wall characters. With Parliament the band it evolved into, Funkadelic, he wrote the book on funk—and then wrote a sequel through his solo work in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.



Born in 1940 in Kannapolis, NC, George Clinton first got into music through doo-wop. In the mid-‘60s, he formed a band out of the back of a barbershop where he worked, first called the Parliaments. The name would change frequently over the ensuing years, largely due to disagreements with their label, who owned the name.

Eventually, though, Funkadelic was born out of the band's initial bad experiences with labels. They started recording music that was danceable but drugged out, like Pink Floyd with a groove. Their early albums—like 1970's Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow, ‘71's Maggot Brain and ‘72's America Eats Its Young—exhibited a willingness to experiment with funk in new ways. The albums included strange audio samples, spoken word pieces, and a social consciousness that critiqued America constantly—especially in regards to the issue of race.

Funkadelic's music would set a new precedent for what dance and funk could be, but the band's shows were as otherworldly as some of their song titles. They would dress in strange costumes that made perfect sense considering LSD played a major part in influencing their music. At the same time that they were recording and touring as Funkadelic, they also were creating music as Parliament, which tended to be sillier and a little more upbeat, though no less critical of American society. 1975's Chocolate City, ‘76's Mothership Connection, and ‘76's The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein were all among the band's best known albums, and remain important records today.

Both bands were huge throughout the ‘70s, and their music and shows were bizarre enough that they appealed to people outside of the usual funk or R&B market. In time, their work would be considered classics of the ‘70s.

Sadly, as they became more and more commercially successful, friendships between band members began to grow tense. Eventually, a moray of legal problems led Clinton to leave both bands and continue to record on his own.

His solo career began in 1980, with 1982's Computer Games earning critical accolades and continuing his tradition of guaranteeing excellent funk for his audiences. Throughout the ‘80s, many of the people who grew up listening to Parliament or Funkadelic began to create their own work, and the influence from George Clinton was noticeable.

He continued to release notable records throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, and there's a good reason why George Clinton tickets at http://www.stubhub.com/george-clinton-tickets are popular even today.