I know I've seen it a few times in "sources" but can someone tell me what did Little Richard have to do with funk music besides inspiring James Brown. I'm having a bit of a war in Wikipedia editing his article and they keep reverting it back as if it was a friggin' fact. Richard was one of rock's originators but I don't see how he was an originator of funk? Soul music, maybe (to some degree). R&B music, yes (also to some degree). Funk?

I don't know. Somebody keeps on reverting it back and the article's already a friggin' mess. Here's the article: http://en.wikipedia.org/w...le_Richard

I don't know of any Funk as it relates 2 LR.

R&b sounds more believable. Like you, I can see how James Brown was inspired.....vocally. Beat wise, not really.

James Brown said that Little Richard was the first to put funk in a rock n roll track. His use of horns was pretty funky to James Brown.

Replica said:

James Brown said that Little Richard was the first to put funk in a rock n roll track. His use of horns was pretty funky to James Brown.

I think he meant Richard's band the Upsetters instead of Richard himself, though he admitted Richard was his idol. He said Charles Connors, the Upsetters' drummer, was actually the pioneer of funk, not Richard himself.

Timmy84 said:

Replica said:

James Brown said that Little Richard was the first to put funk in a rock n roll track. His use of horns was pretty funky to James Brown.

I think he meant Richard's band the Upsetters instead of Richard himself, though he admitted Richard was his idol. He said Charles Connors, the Upsetters' drummer, was actually the pioneer of funk, not Richard himself.

Interresting, however after googling/youtubing, I saw a few clips. This video shows Charles Connor explaining how Little Richard would want him to play shit that he wasn't aware of himself. Little Richard helped influence his band, and was probably very much controlling the sound of the instrumentation pretty much like James Brown was. He was a band leader, composer and had the energy to really get the little extra from the band.

Replica said:

Timmy84 said:

I think he meant Richard's band the Upsetters instead of Richard himself, though he admitted Richard was his idol. He said Charles Connors, the Upsetters' drummer, was actually the pioneer of funk, not Richard himself.

Interresting, however after googling/youtubing, I saw a few clips. This video shows Charles Connor explaining how Little Richard would want him to play shit that he wasn't aware of himself. Little Richard helped influence his band, and was probably very much controlling the sound of the instrumentation pretty much like James Brown was. He was a band leader, composer and had the energy to really get the little extra from the band.

Yeah Richard would make weird hand signals to his band to play anything that got him moving. Anything wild was up his (Richard's) alley. No doubt this inspired James Brown (who was only a few months younger than Richard interestingly enough). Brown started making similar weird hand signals to his band, some of them former Upsetters band members in his first unofficial band.

Richard may have set the table for funk, JB just put food on that table.

His boogie woogie style of piano, mixed with the baddest band at that time, the Upsetters. Also, his shouting while singing, more than anyone not named Louis Jordan or Muddy Waters.

[youtube] http://www.youtube.com/wa...cg4v_kloAM [/youtube]

Graycap23 said:

I don't know of any Funk as it relates 2 LR.

I think it was more of its origin and development though I'm guessing if you're playing "funky music", you let it all hang out... I don't think he recorded funk music like say in the '70s. But I know Rich and the Upsetters weren't the only ones who laid that foundation for it though most wasn't "on the one" as say, JB was.

Little Richard was the progenitor of rock and roll