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Parliament-Funkadelic

Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. Their eclectic style has drawn on psychedelia, outlandish fashion, and surreal humor.[5] They released albums such as Maggot Brain (1971), Mothership Connection (1975), and One Nation Under a Groove (1978) to critical praise, and scored charting hits with singles such as "Tear the Roof Off the Sucker" (1975) and "Flash Light" (1978). Overall, the collective achieved thirteen top ten hits in the American R&B music charts between 1967 and 1983, including six number one hits. Their work would have an influential effect on subsequent funk, post-punk, hip-hop, and techno artists of the 1980s and 1990s,[6] while their collective mythology would help pioneer Afrofuturism.[7]

This article is about the musical collective. For the individual bands, see Parliament (band) and Funkadelic. For the genre called psychedelic funk or P-funk for short, see Psychedelic funk.

Parliament-Funkadelic

P-Funk, P-Funk All-Stars

1968–present

George Clinton
See other "Members"

The collective's origins date back to the doo-wop group the Parliaments, formed by Clinton during the late 1950s in suburban New Jersey. By the late 1960s, Clinton had gained experience as a producer-writer for Motown Records and, inspired by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, and Frank Zappa, he relocated to Detroit and enlisted musicians from his New Jersey days in his own two sister bands Parliament and Funkadelic; the first would go on to develop a commercially successful style of science fiction-inspired funk, while the second pursued a heavier sound which blended funk with psychedelic rock.[8] The name "Parliament-Funkadelic" became the catch-all term for the dozens of related musicians recording and touring different projects in Clinton's orbit, including the female vocal spinoff groups the Brides of Funkenstein and Parlet. Financial and label issues slowed the collective's recorded output in the 1980s while Clinton and other members began solo careers, with Clinton also consolidating the collective's multiple projects and touring under names such as George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars. In the 1990s, their sound became the chief inspiration for the West Coast hip hop subgenre G-funk.[9]


Prominent collective members have included bassist Bootsy Collins (who formed the spinoff group Bootsy's Rubber Band), keyboardist Bernie Worrell, guitarists Eddie "Maggot Brain" Hazel, Michael Hampton, and Garry "Diaper Man" Shider, and horn players Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker. Some former members of Parliament perform under the name "Original P". Sixteen members of Parliament-Funkadelic were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2019, the group was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Legacy[edit]

In May 1997, George Clinton and 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the largest band yet inducted. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Parliament-Funkadelic #56 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".[15] In February 2002, Spin ranked Parliament-Funkadelic #6 on their list of the "50 Greatest Bands of All Time". Besides their innovation in the entire genre of funk music, George Clinton and P-Funk are still heard often today, especially in hip-hop sampling. The Red Hot Chili Peppers video for their 2006 single "Dani California" featured a tribute to Parliament-Funkadelic. Parliament-Funkadelic's musical influence can also be heard in rhythm and blues, soul, electronica, gospel, jazz, and new wave.


Parliament-Funkadelic was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2013.[16]


In December 2018, the Recording Academy announced that Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic would be given Lifetime Achievement Awards. The awards were presented on May 11, 2019.[17][18][19]

"" (Funkadelic), 1971

Maggot Brain

"" (Parliament), 1974

Up for the Down Stroke

"" (Parliament), 1975

Chocolate City

"" (Parliament), 1975

P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)

"" (Parliament), 1976

Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)

"" (Parliament), 1976

Do That Stuff

"I'd Rather Be With You" (), 1976

Bootsy's Rubber Band

"" (Parliament), 1977

Bop Gun (Endangered Species)

"" (Parliament), 1978

Funkentelechy

"" (Bootsy's Rubber Band), 1977

The Pinocchio Theory

"" (Parliament), 1978

Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)

"" (Bootsy's Rubber Band), 1978

Bootzilla

"" (Parliament), 1978

Flash Light

"" (Funkadelic), 1978

One Nation Under a Groove

"" (Funkadelic), 1979

(Not Just) Knee Deep

"" (Funkadelic), 1981

The Electric Spanking of War Babies

Album era

List of P-Funk members

List of P-Funk projects

Category:P-Funk songs

Parliament discography

Funkadelic discography

P-Funk mythology

George Clinton's official website

(includes an excellent FAQ)

the Motherpage

(with many interviews, discographies, photos, and links)

P.Funk portal

P-Funk Collectors Page on Facebook

George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic on Facebook

(archival)

P-Funk Tour List

P-Funk Forums