As segregated as radio was in the early 1980s, there were several black funk acts that had a white member or two in them. Some that come to mind are....

Kleeer
Sun
Prince
The Time
Rick James and The Stone City Band
Vanity 6
The Mary Jane Girls
Bill Summers and Summers Heat (I think, I would have to pull my album)

Just goes to show that anybody can be funky if the funk is in them. Can you think of some more? By the way, this thread is not limited to just the 1980s. Feel free to go back further if you like.
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[Edited 2/7/07 6:28am]

The Dazz Band

I predict bad things for this thread.

BB&Q Band
L.A. Boppers (remember them? They sing the 1980 jam "Is This The Best")

MFSB
Jesse Johnson's Revue
War

I don't remember them.

Hot Chocolate.....Although I think they were more racially balanced. I can't remember.

RipHer2Shreds said:

why? It doesn't have to turn into a nasty discussion about race but then again,this is the Org so you never know,lol

vainandy said:

I didn't realize this. I've never seen any pictures of them as a group.

Are we gonna count The Revolution as a "funk act" even though they weren't limited to that?

The GREATEST of them all.....

Actually, it's not meant to say one race is funkier than the other. It's meant to show that we are all more alike than we think.

The only one that came to mind right away for me is Tower of Power.

Andy - I know that wasn't your intention.

Harlepolis said:

Someone should start a Rufus thread, discussing all their albums.
I only have the "Ask Rufus" album...

The Funk Brothers

[quote]

RipHer2Shreds said:

OK, I found a picture of them. They are about half and half.

Sly and the Family Stone
Graham Central Station

vainandy said:

Half and half, huh? So they're hot chocolate...with marshmallows?

Or my personal favorite....a long chocolate eclaire that squirts out cream when you apply pressure to it.

vainandy said:

On that note, I gotta do some work.

The Average White Band technically fits that description.

namepeace said:

Wouldn't that be the mirror image of this thread.
(After the addition of Steve Ferrone that is.)


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

theAudience said:

Yes, but maybe no. ARGUABLY, "black funk" is a repetitive term, i.e., funk is black. AWB got down with the funk, or so I've heard. So AWB would be a black funk band.

namepeace said:

Very true. I was thinking more along the lines of a black funk band that only had one or two white members. There were several back in those days. I also remember white rock bands that had maybe one black member, such as The Doobie Brothers, although they could get funky when they wanted to.

I got the idea for the thread watching the Asian girl dance on "Soul Train" and she could get down and do her thing with the rest of them. You can be what other people consider "totally out of place" but if you love what you do, you ain't out of place at all.

namepeace said:

Aah, now I get the real point (and humor) of your post.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

vainandy said:

I'm gonna add something against my better judgement.

In many cases (not sure if it holds true for successful name acts) a "token" addition was done for political/financial/survival reasons.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

Good point.

"Heatwave" had some white boys in the band. As a matter of fact, one of them was Rod Temperton who went on to write most of those hit on Michael Jackson's Off The Wall album.

They sure did. I had totally forgotten about them.