The Influences That Shaped Parliament-Funkadelic

Parliament-Funkadelic came into existence by way of numerous prominent influences who helped shape their sound and sharpen their live performances. In any given interview, P-Funk leader George Clinton name-drops various musical legends that preceded P-Funk’s emergence in the music industry. The influences represent different levels of inspiration, dating back to the very beginnings of Rock and Roll.

FRANKIE LYMON AND THE TEENAGERS

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers scored their first top ten single, “Why Do Fools Fall In Love?” in 1956 when George Clinton was 15 years old. At the time, Lymon was actually one year younger than Clinton and was one of the youngest performers to have a top ten hit in the U.S. at that time.

In fact, it would be Doo-Wop music (vocal group harmonies that serve as a sub-genre of R&B) that would become Clinton’s first musical influence. The music that would inspire Clinton to become a singer and form his own singing group, known as the Parliaments (named after the cigarettes).

JAMES BROWN

One of the first R&B superstars of the Rock and Roll era, James Brown would later assume the title of the first architect of Funk music. “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” (1965) was a warning shot signalling the direction his music would take. Two years later, Brown would drop what many would consider the very first Funk record, “Cold Sweat,” co-written with saxophonist Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis.

Drawing from a melody featured in the Miles Davis track “So What”, “Cold Sweat” would introduce the concept of “The One” (the accent on the first beat of the measure). That approach to the groove would serve as the central ingredient of what would be known as Funk music. In 1970, Brown recruited bassist William “Bootsy” Collins, his rhythm guitar-slaying older brother “Catfish”, and drummer Frankie “Kash” Waddy. They transformed the music into an entity based almost entirely on rhythm. In turn, they helped the Godfather of Soul transition into the Black Power Era that would define the beginning of that decade. In 1975, the Collins brothers, Kash, and horn players Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker would join Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic. Together, pursuing a bolder, more complex groove, now called “P-FUNK”.

SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE 

Coming out of San Francisco, Sly and the Family Stone first appeared on the national charts in 1967 with the monumental single “Dance To The Music.” Their music built itself upon the rhythmic foundations of James Brown’s work and opened Funk to the influence of Rock music, particularly the psychedelic rock based on the West Coast.

At the center of the Family Stone’s sound was bassist Larry Graham, who would introduce the Funk bass technique into the 1960s/early 1970s Black Musical landscape. The December 1969 single “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” would introduce thumping and plucking into the language of bass.

This new approach to bass playing would be furthered by prominent players such as Louis Johnson (the Brothers Johnson), Mark Adams (Slave), and Bootsy Collins, who would bring his own style of Funk bass to Parliament-Funkadelic. Indeed, Clinton and Sly Stone would forge a friendship that would endure for decades, culminating in the two-part collaboration “Funk Gets Stronger” from the Funkadelic album The Electric Spanking Of War Babies, in 1981. Clinton would do the induction speech for Sly and the Family Stone at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1981.

THE BEATLES

While the Beatles’ influence on modern popular music is well documented, their relationship to post-1970s era African-American music is a bit more understated. Indeed, Clinton and Prince may represent the only prominent Black artists of that decade who draw significant influence from the group. This is particularly true in terms of the conceptual aspect of the Beatles’ music, like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in 1967, Sgt. Pepper could rightfully be considered to be Rock music’s first full-fledged concept album. This is an approach that Clinton would take to the extreme, releasing a series of concept albums from 1975 to 1980 via Parliament.

The live shows during this period would be served under the title “A FUNK OPERA” (slight nod to the Who’s rock opera Tommy). Clinton would also draw ideas from the Beatles in terms of songwriting and arranging. The track “Put Love In Your Life” from the debut album from Parliament, Osmium (1970), utilizes a number of unfinished songs linked together to make one complete song. It’s a formula that the Beatles used numerous times.

JIMI HENDRIX

Like Sly and the Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix and his band, the Experience, would release their debut album, Are You Experienced?, in May of 1967. In record time, he would go on to be considered the greatest guitarist of his generation. But his influence on P-Funk (and Funk music in general) would come in the form of the live album Band of Gypsys released in 1970. That album, his first without the Experience, would feature Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on drums.

Unlike the previous albums by the Experience, Band of Gypsys leans deeply into the fusion of Funk and Rock rhythms, contextualized by a more jamming feel in their approach. The classic Funkadelic track “Maggot Brain” draws directly from the musical electricity of Band of Gypsys, in particular the track “Machine Gun.”

The influence of Hendrix reigns supreme throughout Funkadelic’s period at Westbound Records, as well as through the physical persona and playing style of Bootsy Collins. Indeed, Bootsy’s singing voice is largely modeled after Hendrix.

While there are various secondary musical acts that have impacted P-Funk, such as Smokey Robinson, Sun Ra, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and Zappa (an influence that goes both ways), JB, Sly, the Beatles, and Hendrix have had the most prominent effect on P-Funk’s musical identity. In turn, they’ve had a major impact on various R&B, Soul, Funk, and alternative acts that have emerged in the 1980s and 90s.

-Tim Kinley

Photo: Getty