George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic

Think of George Clinton and you’ll likely conjure an image of a crazy black man with rainbow dreads and garb befitting a galactic shaman.

Literally barking at phat bottomed girls with a sub-atomic “WOOF!” this loveable nutcase is the legendary renowned grandfather of funk and the founder of the Parliament-Funkadelic mob, taking the innovations of James Brown and Sly Stone to both outer space and Neptune, while selling millions of records and concert tickets in the process. Quiet as it’s kept, however, George Clinton’s initial approach to the ladies was crooning (when he wasn’t cutting hair) as leader of a standup vocal group he formed in 1955 called The Parliaments, emulating the doo-wop and love songs that were popular when he was still in nappies (well … he still wears those on occasion).

Clinton was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina, grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey and currently resides in Tallahassee, Florida. In Plainfield he ran a barber salon, where he straightened hair, and soon formed a doo-wop group called The Parliaments. For a period in the 1960s he was a staff songwriter for Motown. In the 1970s The Parliaments eventually found massive success under the names Parliament and Funkadelic. These two groups combined elements of Jimi Hendrix, Sly & The Family Stone, Cream and James Brown while exploring new sounds, technology and lyrical subjects.

In a fifty-plus-year career George has earned his Grandfather Of Funk tag producing Freaky Stylee for the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, collaborated with Primal Scream, Sly Stone, Carlos Santana, Outkast, the Wu Tang Clan and Tupac. Many rappers have recognised his work and alongside James Brown, he is considered to be one of the most sampled artists ever.

George Clinton’s live show is an anarchic and psychedelic experience with countless participants in a sonic celebration of P-FUNK. Experience the weirdness this April at The Powerstation.