Funk is considered a derivative 

of Soul originating in the mid to late

1960s in the US. 

Listen To Sly & 
The Family Stone

Sly & The Family Stone

Funk African- American musicians

created a rhythmic, dance-

able form of music mixing elements of

 Soul, Jazz and Rhythm & Blues.

Added to this mixture were Afro-Cuban

rhythms particularly from New Orleans.

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James Brown - I Feel Good

The Music

In Funk, melody and harmony are de-

emphasized while a strong rhythmic groove of

bass and drums are in the foreground. Funk

songs are often based on an extended vamp on a

single chord, as different from R&B and Soul

which are built on chord progressions. Funk

typically consists of a complex groove with

such rhythm instruments as electric guitars,

bass, organs, and drums playing interlocking

rhythms. Sometimes, Funk bands incorporate 

horn sections of several saxophones, trumpets,

and in some cases, trombones, which play

rhythmic "hits". Many of the most famous Funk 

bands also played Disco and Soul extensively.

Elements of Funk have been used extensively in

Hip Hop, House music, and Drum and Bass. It is

also considered the main influence of Go-Go, a

subgenre associated with Funk.


By using strong guitar riffs and bass lines, Funk

creates an 'intense' groove. Like Motown

recordings, Funk songs used bass lines as the

centerpiece of songs. The bass was used to a 

drum-like rhythmic role - a distinctive element of

Funk. Guitarists typically play in a percussive

manner style, often using the wah-wah sound

effect and muting the notes in their riffs to create

a percussive sound. One major influence on the

emergence of Funk, of course, was Jimmy

Hendrix.

Parliament Funkadelic - 
One Nation Under A Groove

Jimi Hendrix - Foxy Lady

The Term

Originally, in the music world,  'Funk'

meant a bad smell, some say akin to 

bad body odour. But in the US music

world, it  came to mean a certain

integrity, and sense of strong energy.

Hence 'Funk' in American Jazz 

parlance can mean earthiness, a

 return to fundamentals". It is also

thought African-American Jazz

musicians originally applied the term

to music with a slow, mellow 

groove. It soon evolved to mean

music with a rather hard-driving, 

insistent rhythm, implying a more

carnal quality. This early form of 

Funk set the pattern for later

 musicians. Funk was identified as 

slow, "sexy", loose, riff-oriented and

danceable. 

Parliament Funkadelic - Bring The Funk

Parliament Funkadelic - Dr Funkenstein

Early on such musical qualities were described as 'Funky' rather than a distinct genre.

In early jam sessions, musicians would encourage one another to "get down" by telling

one another, "Now, put some stank on it!". At least as early as 1907, one Jazz song 

carried the title "Funky Butt". As late as the 1950s and early 1960s, when "Funk" and

"Funky" were used increasingly in the context of Jazz music, the terms still were

considered rude or inappropriate for use in polite company. According to one

source, New Orleans-born drummer Earl Palmer "was the first to use the word 'Funky'

to explain to other musicians that their music should be made more syncopated and

danceable."

Isaac Hayes - Shaft

Fatboy Slim - Funk Soul Brother

Best of Funk

The History

Another observer noted: "The singular style of Rhythm & Blues that emerged from

New Orleans in the years after World War II played an important role in the

development of Funk. In a related development, the underlying rhythms of American

popular music underwent a basic, yet generally unacknowledged transition from triplet

or shuffle feel to even or straight eighth notes."


James Brown

Another important influence, or guiding force, was James Brown, often considered the

founding father of Funk. His entwinement with Little Richard was a crucial factor in the

development of Funk. Little Richard's saxophone-studded, mid-1950s R&B road band

was credited by James Brown and others as being the first to put 'the Funk' in the

Rock n Roll beat. Soon after his temporary exit from secular music to become an

evangelist in 1957, some of Little Richard's band members joined Brown and The

Famous Flames, resulting in a long string of hits in 1958. By the mid-1960s, James

James Brown & The Famous Flames

Brown developed a

signature groove that

emphasized the downbeat

 - with a heavy emphasis

on the first beat of every

measure to etch his

distinctive sound, rather

than the backbeat

typifying African 

American music. 

Bootsy Collins - Stretching Out

Among other innovations, due to his change of percussion emphasis to the 'one' rather

than the  'two' 'four' associated with traditional Soul music, Brown further developed his

own signature music style, starting with his 1964 hit single, "Out of Sight" and his 1965

hits, "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and "I Got You (I Feel Good)". As such, Brown's

style of Funk was based on interlocking, contrapuntal parts: Funky bass lines, drum

patterns, and syncopated guitar riffs. Over time, Brown's innovations led to him and

his band to become the essential Funk act; they also pushed the Funk music style

further with releases such as "Cold Sweat" (1967), "Mother Popcorn" (1969) and "Get

Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine" (1970), discarding even the twelve- bar blues

featured in his earlier music. Instead, Brown's music was overlaid with "catchy,

anthemic vocals" based on "extensive vamps" in which he also used his voice  like a

percussive instrument with frequent rhythmic grunts and rhythm-section  patterns ...

[like] West African polyrhythms – a tradition evident in African American work songs

and chants. Throughout his career, Brown's frenzied vocals, frequently punctuated with

screams and grunts, channeled the "ecstatic ambiance of the black  church" in a secular

context. In a 1990 interview, Brown offered his reason for switching the rhythm of his

music: "I changed from the upbeat to the downbeat.... Simple as that, really."

James Brown - Cold Sweat

James Brown - Sex Machine

James Brown - Mother Popcorn

Sub Genres

From the early 1970s onwards, Funk developed various subgenres. While George

Clinton and the Parliament were making a harder variation of Funk, bands such as Kool

and The Gang, Ohio Players and Earth, Wind and Fire were making Disco-influenced

Funk music. There was also the 'Funk Rock' derivative which fuses Funk with elements 

of Rock elements. Its earliest incarnation was in the late '60s through the mid-70's

performed by musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Steely Dan, Herbie

Hancock, Gary Wright, David Bowie and Funkadelic among others on their earlier

albums. Many instruments can be incorporated into Funk Rock, but overall the sound is

defined by a definitive bass or drum beat and electric guitars. The bass and drum

rhythms are influenced by Funk music but with more intensity, while the guitar can be 

Funk-or-Rock-influenced, usually with distortion. Prince, Jesse Johnson, Red Hot Chilli

Peppers and Fishbone are major artists in Funk Rock.

Earth, Wind & Fire - Boogie Wonderland

Prince - Cream

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication

Funkadelic

Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Herbie Hancock

Ohio Players

Funk & Other  Bands

Other musical groups soon picked up on the Funk rhythms and vocal style developed 

by James Brown and his band, and the Funk style rapidly grew. These bands included:

Dyke and the Blazers, who released "Funky Broadway" in 1967, Charles Wright & the

Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band (especially with "Express Yourself") in 1971. Others

included Tower of Power. Their debut album East Bay Grease, released 1970, is 

considered an important milestone in Funk. Throughout the '70s, TOP had many hits,

and the band helped to make Funk music a successful genre, with a broader audience. 

Others included Sly & the Family Stone, The Meters,  The Isley Brothers and more.

A new group of musicians also further developed the "Funk Rock" approach. 

Innovations were prominently made by George Clinton, with his bands Parliament and 

Funkadelic. Together, they produced a new kind of funk sound heavily influenced by

Jjazz and Psychedelic Rock. The two groups shared members and are often collectively

referred to as "Parliament-Funkadelic."

The 1970s Onwards

Funk got its highest visability in the 1970s, when many of the above mentioned bands

received considerable airplay. These included Parliament Funkadelic, artists like Sly

and the Family Stone, Rufus & Chaka Khan, the Isley Brothers, Ohio Players, Con

Funk Shun, Kool & The Gang, The Bar-Kays, Commodores, Roy Ayers, among 

others. The advent of Disco also owed a great deal to funk. Many early disco songs and

performers came directly from funk-oriented backgrounds. Some disco music hits, such

as all of Barry White's hits, "Kung Fu Fighting" by Biddu and Carl Douglas, Donna

Summer's "Love To Love You Baby", Diana Ross' "Love Hangover", KC & The

Sunshine Band's "I'm Your Boogie Man", "I'm Every Woman" by Chaka Khan (also

known as The Queen of Funk Soul), and Chic's "Le Freak" appeared strongly 

influenced by funk as did Rose Royce's top hit "Car Wash". So in effect Disco's 

popularity fed that of Funk.

Barry White - Can't Get Enough Of Your Love

Chaka Khan - I'm Every Woman

Rose Royce - Car Wash

To this day, despite the emergence of many different competing music genres, Funk 

continues, with many artists and top bands still including elements of Funk in their 

music. For example, since the late 1980s Hip Hop artists have regularly sampled old

Funk tunes, particularly those of James Brown. To this day Funk still lives on as a

major ingredient in modern pop music.

Ohio Players

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