I nominate George Duke.

Duke was a funk master pretending 2 be a Jazz artist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-NP1NL3Ba8

[Edited 3/31/21 0:05am]

without any question or hesitation, IMO it has to be Walter "Junie" Morrison, lead singer, writer, producer, arranger, and keyboard player from the Ohio Players during their Westbound Records years (lps "Pain", "Pleasure" & "Ecstacy") and later as a writer, vocalist, arranger, producer, keyboardist, and musical director for Parliament/Funkadelic in their late 70s prime (when he was known as J.S. Theracon)

[Edited 3/31/21 6:40am]

RJOrion said:

without any question or hesitation, IMO it has to be Walter "Junie" Morrison, lead singer, writer, producer, arranger, and keyboard player from the Ohio Players during their Westbound Records years (lps "Pain", "Pleasure" & "Ecstacy") and later as a writer, vocalist, arranger, producer, keyboardist, and musical director for Parliament/Funkadelic in their late 70s prime (when he was known as J.S. Theracon)

[Edited 3/31/21 6:40am]

He sure is, but not amongst funk connaisseurs! But generally speaking he should have been far better known.

funkaholic1972 said:

RJOrion said:

without any question or hesitation, IMO it has to be Walter "Junie" Morrison, lead singer, writer, producer, arranger, and keyboard player from the Ohio Players during their Westbound Records years (lps "Pain", "Pleasure" & "Ecstacy") and later as a writer, vocalist, arranger, producer, keyboardist, and musical director for Parliament/Funkadelic in their late 70s prime (when he was known as J.S. Theracon)

[Edited 3/31/21 6:40am]

He sure is, but not amongst funk connaisseurs! But generally speaking he should have been far better known.

100%

RJOrion said:

without any question or hesitation, IMO it has to be Walter "Junie" Morrison, lead singer, writer, producer, arranger, and keyboard player from the Ohio Players during their Westbound Records years (lps "Pain", "Pleasure" & "Ecstacy") and later as a writer, vocalist, arranger, producer, keyboardist, and musical director for Parliament/Funkadelic in their late 70s prime (when he was known as J.S. Theracon)

[Edited 3/31/21 6:40am]

Sat what? Everyone knows Junie.

Graycap23 said:

Betty Davis. She was a rocker, but she could get hella funky when she wanted to.

MotownSubdivision said:

RJOrion said:

MotownSubdivision said:

I'm gonna go put on a limb and say Mark Adams of Slave. That smoldering style of bass he played was a thing of beauty and I don't think anybody outside of the hardiest or hardcore funk fans know who he is although his style of play has been emulated across the spectrum.

yes Lawd...you win...as big a Slave fan as i am, i cant believe i missed that...like Graycap and funkaholic said, funk heads know Junie, even if the rest dont...but Mark Adams is easily the greatest and most influential bass player, that no one really talks about... those rumbling and rolling basslines, those popping and stinging accents in his monster bass parts are like no one else before him...his sound and style was the perfect match for Steve Arrington's (another underrated funk god) unique vocal stylings...I remember commenting here, that Prince almost channels the late great Mr. Mark on "Stare"...good one, Motown

Good choice but Slave had a real short run.......real short.

Did Mark do work outside of Slave?

Graycap23 said:

RJOrion said:

Graycap23 said:

Good choice but Slave had a real short run.......real short.

Did Mark do work outside of Slave?

not that im aware of...my understanding is that like the great bass- God himself, James Jamerson, Mr. Adams was a troubled man with substance abuse, health problems, and domestic issues which cut his career and life short... as it were, he had a 7 or 8 year run in the band...even tho the last 4 years were somewhat uneventful

With such a short run, no way can he be the most underrated......

I don't think that Roger Troutman's received his propers in terms of quality, quantity, and his contributions to "funk" as a genre. The talk box, and other vocal manipulations, were around before but he took it to a new level.

*

Agree with previous posts regarding Junie Morrison, George Duke, and (definately) Al Hudson.

thebanishedone said:

Graycap23 said:

I nominate George Duke.

Duke was a funk master pretending 2 be a Jazz artist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-NP1NL3Ba8

[Edited 3/31/21 0:05am]

Yessss. For a minute there he was sounding more like Bootsy than well....Bootsy. Reach For It, Dukey Stick, I Am For Real.

We know the magic of Junie but most of the world does not.

RJOrion said:

ReddBlitz said:

ReddBlitz said:

Let's not forget, just in case they haven't been mentioned, THE METERS.

My God, they are fantastic. But are they underrated? Not sure actually.

T-Connection - from deep funk to funky disco

Bloodstone - from old-school funk and soul to electro-funk

And I think Edwin Starr also had a string of real funky albums and 12 inches...

Krid said:

T-Connection - from deep funk to funky disco

Bloodstone - from old-school funk and soul to electro-funk

And I think Edwin Starr also had a string of real funky albums and 12 inches...

Bloodstone? Never heard of them.

peedub said:

maybe not underrated, but surely under recognized, dennis coffey.

Dennis Coffey?

Never heard of him.

Graycap23 said:

It's Junie Morrison or maybe Stevie Arrington.