Funkadelic Biography
George Clinton (22 July 1940, Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA), established this inventive, experimental group out of the 1969 line-up of his doo-wop vocal outfit the Parliaments - Raymond Davis (b. 29 March 1940, Sumter, South Carolina, USA, d. 5 July 2005, New Brunswick, USA), Grady Thomas (b. 5 January 1941, Newark, New Jersey, USA), Calvin Simon (b. 22 May 1942, Beckley, West Virginia, USA), Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins (b. 8 June 1941, Elkhorn, West Virginia, USA), plus the backing group; Bernard Worrell (b. 19 April 1944, Long Beach, New Jersey, USA; keyboards), Billy "Bass" Nelson (b. William Nelson Jnr., 28 January 1951, Plainfield, New Jersey, USA; bass), Eddie Hazel (b. 10 April 1950, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA, d. 23 December 1992; lead guitar), Lucius "Tawl" Ross (b. 5 October 1948, Wagram, North Carolina, USA; rhythm guitar) and Ramon "Tiki' Fulwood (b. 23 May 1944, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, d. 29 November 1979; drums) - when contractual problems prevented the use of their original name. Bandleader Clinton seized the opportunity to reconstruct his music and the result laced hard funk with a heady dose of psychedelia, hence the name Funkadelic (originally suggested by Nelson). Primarily viewed as an album-orientated vehicle, the group's instinctive grasp of such contrasting styles nonetheless crossed over into their singles. Although few managed to enter the R&B Top 30, Funkadelic consistently reached the chart's lower placings. Bass sensation Bootsy Collins (b. William Collins, 26 October 1951, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA) was added to the line-up for the recording of 1972"s America Eats Its Young, while teenage guitar player Michael Hampton joined up for the group's major label debut, Hardcore Jollies.
The compulsive "One Nation Under A Groove" provided the group with their first million-seller. By this point the distinction between Funkadelic and Clinton's other major act, Parliament was becoming increasingly blurred. The former secured another major hit in 1979 with "(Not Just) Knee Deep". Several offshoot projects, Bootsy's Rubber Band, Parlet and the Brides Of Funkenstein, also emanated from within the burgeoning corporation, but a protracted contractual wrangle with Warners ended with legal action. Three long-time associates, Clarence Haskins, Calvin Simon and Grady Thomas, then broke away, taking the Funkadelic name with them. Despite an early R&B hit, "Connections And Disconnections", they were unable to maintain their own direction and the group later dissolved. In 1993 the band were favourably reappraised and courted by the soul and dance music cognoscenti. Now recording as the P-Funk All Stars, Clinton's 1996 album The Awesome Power Of A Fully Operational Mothership was a superb blend of the Funkadelic and Parliament sounds.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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