What is the best Funk band of all time?

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

I post this so as to learn. Funk is a genre of which I feel deficient in my exposure.


Anyway, I know and love Sly Stone and James Brown of course and I f-ing love Parlaiment/Funkadelic. But I need to be schooled.

Thank you in advance.

Edit: Gramattical assistance provided by GOPisEvil!

[terrya]

1. Grand Funk Railroad because it had the word "funk" in its title.

[GOPisEvil]

2. I've always been a George Clinton/P-funk All-Stars guy.

Oh, and remove the "to" at the end of your first sentence. :-)

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

3. Thanks - will do

I have always relied on the kindness of.............ok I'll shut up

:)

[LynneSin]

5. My vote is also for George Clinton

he is the King of Funk

You know freepers are running a smear campaign against George Clinton because his last name is Clinton. They insist that Wayne Newton is the real king of funk

:eyes:

[mr_hat]

4. The Funk Brothers, of course! >

The groove behind every Motown hit (and many others while moonlighting). James Jamerson, Robert White, Danny Turner, Earl Van Dyke, Uriel Jones and others.

Check out the "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" dvd if you get a chance. Great stuff.

[Beware the Beast Man]

6. The Kingston Trio...

.....cue the sound of crickets chirping......

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

9. I think you're thinking of The Weavers

[regularguy]

7. The Meters are great early funk band with a N.O. feel.

Also: Brecker Brothers, Pfunk (of course), Bootsy's Rubber Band...

On edit: I forgot "Tower of Power"! Yeah!

[GOPisEvil]

8. I was listening to The Meters over the weekend.

A "Best Of" cd, I believe. I was impressed for the most part!

[GumboYaYa]

19. The Meters are the epitome of funk.

Most hip hop tunes out there have ripped off a George Porter bass line or Zigaboo on the drums. The Meters initiated the funk movement by taking traditional New Orleans backbeat rythms and applying the unusually strong rythmn to a drum and bass combo.

Cissy Strut is the coolest funk tune that there is IMO. It has the greatest groove. "Sehorns Farm," "Cardova," and "Sophisticated Cissy" are funk classics from the Meters.

Tower of Power is another great call. Roco Prestia is one of the best basist ever IMO and that horn section is unbeatable.

Sly also must be mentioned among the top funk bands. I would love to see him recover from his problems and play again.

<ON EDIT> I forgot James Brown and Maceo Parker. Some people say JB invented funk. I think that is not right, but he is certainly one of the first movers in funk music. Maceo's sax laid the basis for all that funk. IMO you can't mention JB without including Maceo.

An unknown master of funk and boogie woogie piano is James Booker. Listening to Booker you think more than one person must be playing that piano. Amazing is an understatement.

The funkiest band playing right now is Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen. Hands down, there ain't a funkier band in the world. Check these guys out when you really want to get your groove on.

For other new funk bands I like Papa Grows Funk, Bonerama, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Galactic, Garage a Trois, and Medeski, Martin and Wood. There is also some great stuff out right now from George Porter, Jr., June Yanagushi and Johnny Vidacovich that is wicked jazz/funk fusion.

Can you tell funk is my favorite type of music?

[ProfessorGAC]

10. Ohio Players

Parliament/P-Funk a close second.
The Professor

[MAlibdem]

11. George Clinton and P-Funk

For sure.

[dr.strangelove]

12. Clinton / P-funk

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

13. Would the Average White Band be considered funk?

?

[Quahog]

18. Maybe in Scotland

Actually, AWB (who were Scots) were pretty damn funky.

I'd still go for any of the Clinton groups (I have a P-Funk All Stars cd that rips, but will always have a soft spot for Sir Nose Devoid-o-funk) in first place, followed closely by Ohio Players.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

21. Aww put me down

Let go my legs!!!

[radwriter0555]

14. Please. No contest, George Clinton , HELLOW?????

dang.

No brainer.... :)

[fudge stripe cookays]

15. Fishbone

And the others that have already been mentioned. Definitely the Ohio Players ("Skin Tight" anyone?), and Parliament.

The Gap Band and The Brothers Johnson for fun. Oh...and Bootsy Collins.

Oh...and check out a guy named Shuggie Otis from the 70s. Good stuff.

[Whitacre D_WI]

16. Sly and the Family Stone.

They are also the best soul band ever and maybe the best rock band ever.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

20. Wow - you really like them

I had no idea

[Whitacre D_WI]

22. That was sarcastic, right?

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

24. Y'know - I don't know

Flip a coin

[LTR]

17. Zapp

P-Funk is up there, but I thought I'd throw in something different.

"More Bounce to the Ounce"

[XNASA]

23. James Brown's Band in the early 70's.

He's not just the Godfather of Soul, but the inventor of Funk too.

'Sex Machine' is regarded as the first Funk song. The first song to put the "Uh" on the 1.

Like it do.