feltbluish said:

Too simplistic an approach. You're skipping over the biggest chunk o'funk with Hendrix and Sly which may be more rock in origin, but plays a big role in moving r&b away from the suited adn tailored doo-wop stepers and into the band thing.

Also, you're discounting the influence of the house bands of labels like MOTOWN (the FUNK BROTHERS included James Jamerson, Earl Van Dyke, Joe Messina, Eddie "Bongo" Brown and later Dennis Coffey and MElvin "Wah WAh" Watson) STAX/ATLANTIC (often recorded as Booker T & the MGs) and the CHESS House band (which featured Maurice White).

Leaving out The Isleys is totally unforgiveable. They pioneered soulful crooning with uncompromised hard rock guitars. Furthermore I'd have a entry for the glossy, yet earthy crossover funk of Earth,Wind & Fire which also extends into jazz-rock fusion where Crusaders, Miles Davis, Herbie hancock, Weather Report and Return to Forever, Mahavishnu Orch. etc reign supreme.

I really doubt I'd put Prince in a school all his own, as I think he just spins off the PFUNK/JB school, but that's water running uphill around here.

I don't think the breakdown stops today because there are vital emerging trends in Black Rock with bands like Living Colour, Me Shell, Bad Brains, Fish Bone etc. Plus the recent showings of Black jambands like Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Galactic, Soulive and Yohimbe Bros and Bernie Worrell's Woo Warriors. As George Clinton says: "Shit ain't over"


In addition to all this there's reggae (Marley & Wailers, Third World, Steel Pulse etc), afrobeat (per Miles above) some afro-Caribbean bands like Irakere, Orishas, etc) and some rock bands like Zep, Allman Brothers, Chicago, Doobies, Steely Dan, Beatles and Stones etc actually play a bit of funk.

It's just not that easy to define the parameters, is it?

PFunkjazz said:

I don't either.

And there's no Mandrill mention...

MANGO MEAT, MANGO MEAT, MANGO MEAT!!!

Supernova said:

Severe oversight!!

PFunkjazz said:

I'm not just sticking up 4 Prince here, but, so much of his 'funk' just doesn't sound like anyone else's.

Examples: Head, Let's Work, Lady Cab Driver Of course, the chicken scratch guitar came from somewhere, but his timings were his.

Honestly, I'm not too familiar with some of the artists/musicians you named, but I hear what you're saying.

and, let me just say Damn! those funky Meters sure were funky!!!

Also, PFunkJazz, mistermaxx, rdhull, essence et al, school me some more on the funk/soul scene, because I was on a freakin' island in the ocean for all of the 70's and 80's.

However, all y'all can come to me with questions on reggae...

feltbluish said:

READING IS FUNKDAMENTAL


Give the Drummers Some!: The Great Drummers of R&B, Funk & Soul
by Jim Payne, Harry Weinger

Funk (Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion Series)
by Dave Thompson (Paperback)

George Clinton and P-Funk: An Oral History (For the Record)
by David Mills, et al

Techno Rebels: The Renegades of Electronic Funk by Dan Sicko

Funk: The Music, the People, and the Rhythm of the One by Rickey Vincent, et al

Hit Me, Fred: Recollections of a Side Man
by Fred Wesley, Rickey Vincent

Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson
by Licks, Allen Slutsky, James Jamerson, Motown Record Corporation


Soulsville, U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records
by Rob Bowman, Robert M. J. Bowman