When I was in my early twenties a friend of mine introduced med to funk music. It blew my mind and music was never the same to me.
I had of course heard many songs that was funky or had elements of funk in them. Hip hop was and is even today a child of funk and disco. The early hip hop dj's would use the breaks in disco and funk songs to make the catchy beats and bass that they used to rap over.
Anyways. The group that my friend made me listen to was the legendary group Parliament/ Funkadelic. We have to use both names when we talk about them. Originally Parliament started as a doo-wop group in the mid 50s. As they evolved they started to make more experimental music. They felt the need to expand even more musically. To do that they came up with a new group Funkadelic. These two bands acted as a music collective. The leader of the band was George Clinton, but there was several other musicians worth to mention: Bootsy Collins (bass), Eddie Hazel (guitar), and Bernie Worrel (keyboard/ synth).
The two bands made several records. After a while there was no or little difference in what music they made. They explored and developed funk music. Their music and concerts would go from prog rock to disco. Obscure stage outfits, lyrics was often funny and the shows was grand. In fact some of their shows included a spaceship landing on stage. In fact it had so many people involved in the production that the tour went bankrupt...
George Clinton still tours today. I have seen him/ them four times. Three great concerts and one that was horrible. Still I would go see them if I get the chance. Few groups today will put on a show like they do. So if you ever get the chance to see them I would advice you to. The normal lineup of the group would be 12+ members on stage.
Here are some of the songs that I was introduce to. They are all from the album: Clones of Dr. Funkenstein, released in 1976.
First one is one of my favourite songs by the group: Getting To Know You It is a uptempo love song.
Second song is the: Children Of Production. Horns played by Fred Wesley who was a big part of the sound of James Brown.
Last song is the ballad: I've Been Watching You...
Hope you enjoy!