Sign In
 
 
 
 

Description of Funk

 
Funk developed out of the late 1960s deluge of smooth, sugary pop that plagued soul music as it crossed over to the mass market. Rhythmic experimentalists like Sly Stone and George Clinton liberated Funk from the popular, smooth soul of the time by forming large bands that added gritty textures to the same African and Gospel rhythms that soul was built upon. Funk is dirty, sweaty music for dancing all night and doing whatever comes naturally. In the wake of the visceral, booty-shaking power of bands like Kool & the Gang and the Bar-Kays, late '70s Funk artists like Rick James and Chaka Khan relied on synthesizers and heavy production for their grooves. Their synthesizers paved the way for the Electro-Funk of the early '80s, which itself was quickly overtaken by rap.
 

Filed Under

 
 

Funk Key Artists

 
Bobby Byrd

In addition to being a funky
hitmaker in his own right,
Bobby Byrd discovered and
co-wrote hits for James
Brown. Byrd wrote "Get U...

Bootsy Collins

Sparkling and
star-bespectacled, bass
player Collins laid down the
funk for James Brown,
George Clinton and all of...

Cameo

Riding the disco/funk wave
out of the '70s, Cameo's
crossover pop hits in the
mid-80s included the
ubiquitous "Word Up." Ca...

Curtis Mayfield

A seminal Soul figure best
known for "Superfly," he
mixed his rich falsetto and
funky guitar with messages
of black pride. Mayfield fr...

Earth, Wind & Fire

This dynamic, spiritually
focused Funk/Soul outfit
authored slick harmonies,
phenomenal horn parts, and
resonant hit songs. Drum...

Funkadelic

First came James, and then
Jimi, then Sly. George
Clinton put it all together
and then there was
Funkadelic. Funkadelic's...

George Clinton

Aside from James Brown,
George Clinton is the most
innovative, influential, and
sampled artist in the history
of funk. In Parliament, Fu...

James Brown

Known as the Godfather of
Soul, James Brown is the
hardest-working man in
show business. Even before
he revolutionized Funk, J...

Kool & the Gang

Kool and the Gang
swallowed '60s Funk whole
and came up with
irresistible grooves and a
slew of untouchable pop...

Lakeside

Lakeside released some
well-received Funk sides in
the early '80s, including the
much-sampled "Fantastic
Voyage."

Maceo Parker

Maceo Parker is the
preeminent Jazz-Funk
saxophonist. Parker earned
his Funk stripes playing alto
sax with James Brown, Ge...

Ohio Players

The Ohio Players got
stranded somewhere on
the gritty side of funk,
matching their material to
their steamy album cover...

Parliament

Half of George Clinton's P.
Funk empire, this vocal
group grew into one
sprawling '70s intergalactic
Funk love jam. Parliament...

Pleasure

A somewhat overlooked
'70s Funk phenomenon,
Pleasure deliver just what
their name suggests.

Rick James

Talented, controversial and
often legally entangled,
Rick James'
rock-influenced Funk
delighted super freaks ev...

Rufus

A successful '70s Funk
outfit, Rufus benefited
hugely from lead singer
Chaka Khan's voice and
charisma. Rufus evolved i...

Slave

Funk stalwarts Slave were
part of Ohio's '70s Funk
explosion, scoring their first
hit with "Slide" in 1977.

Sly & the Family Stone

Along with James Brown
and Parliament-Funkadelic,
Sly & the Family Stone,
virtually invented 1970s
funk. Their fusion of R&B r...

Stevie Wonder

Groomed from an early age
for Motown stardom, Stevie
Wonder mastered that
label's distinctive fusion of
pop and soul and then we...

The Bar-Kays

This long-standing Motown
outfit scored a classic '60s
soul hit with "Soul Finger,"
then turned toward funk in
the '70s. All but two mem...

The Gap Band

A dance/Funk outfit formed
by three brothers, the Gap
Band have been actively
recording and touring since
the mid-1970s. The Gap Ba...

The Meters

A phenomenally tight,
rhythmically complex
studio band, the Meters'
music was a key
component in the develo...

Wild Cherry

Ohio four-piece who
emerged in 1976 with the
Disco/Funk classic "Play
That Funky Music White
Boy." The title "Play That...

Electronics

Listen to any song in the catalog through home audio systems, MP3 players, mobile apps and more.

Get Unlimited Music

Listen to anything and everything with a Rhapsody Subscription.
AMG - Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.
© 2001-2009 Listen.com, a subsidiary of RealNetworks