Funk
Fred White, Earth Wind & Fire Drummer, Dead at 67
Fred White, former drummer of Earth Wind & Fire, has died at the age of 67. “Child protégé, member of the EWF ORIGINAL 9, with gold records at the young age of 16 years old!” his brother and bandmate Verdine White wrote in an Instagram post that announced Fred’s passing. After getting his start drumming for Donny Hathaway, Fred White joined his brothers Verdine and Maurice White in Earth, Wind & Fire in 1974. He played on eight of the group’s albums, beginning with 1975’s That’s the Way of the World through 1983’s Electric Universe, and can be heard on such classic songs as “Shining Star,” “September,” and “Boogie Wonderland.” Related Video As a member of Earth, Wind & Fire, White was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Advertisement Fred was proceeded in deat...
The Story Behind “The Glamorous Life,” Sheila E.’s Classic Pop Collab with Prince
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | RSS “The Glamorous Life” proved to be a major solo breakout for Sheila E. in 1984. The classic pop track was one of her man collaborations with the legendary Prince, but Sheila E. already had a long history of playing with legends. In fact, her professional career began at only 15, when her father (a percussionist himself) asked her to fill in for him as part of Santana’s band before a crowd of thousands in a night she describes as a true “out of body experience.” Advertisement From that point forward, this Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient fearlessly forged forged new pathways in the male-dominated world of per...
The Story Behind “The Glamorous Life,” Sheila E.’s Classic Pop Collab with Prince
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | RSS “The Glamorous Life” proved to be a major solo breakout for Sheila E. in 1984. The classic pop track was one of her man collaborations with the legendary Prince, but Sheila E. already had a long history of playing with legends. In fact, her professional career began at only 15, when her father (a percussionist himself) asked her to fill in for him as part of Santana’s band before a crowd of thousands in a night she describes as a true “out of body experience.” Advertisement From that point forward, this Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient fearlessly forged forged new pathways in the male-dominated world of per...
Thundercat Announces 2022 Headlining Tour Dates
Thundercat has announced a number of new headlining tour dates to go along with his upcoming stint opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers. Between July and September, the funk maestro will play shows in cities like Las Vegas, Vancouver, Milwaukee, Richmond, New Orleans, and Houston. Check out the tour’s full schedule below. Tickets for the newly announced dates go on sale Friday, May 6th at 10:00 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. A Live Nation pre-sale will proceed the public on-sale on May 5th (use code FINALE). Advertisement Related Video The upcoming dates come in support of Thundercat’s latest album, 2020’s It Is What It Is. Thundercat 2022 Tour Dates:05/16 – Tokyo, JP @ Ebisu Garden Hall05/17 – Osaka, JP @ Big Cat05/18 – Nagoya, JP @ Club Quattro06/04 – Seville, ES @ Estadio Olimpico de la...
Eddie Murphy in Talks to Play George Clinton in Amazon Biopic
Eddie Murphy is giving up the funk. According to a new report by Deadline, the actor is in early talks to topline a biopic about the Parliament–Funkadelic bandleader George Clinton. The film, which is still in its earliest stages, would track the musician from his roots in 1940s-era North Carolina to becoming the bonafide Godfather of Funk, pioneering the genre alongside James Brown and Sly Stone as he formed both Parliament and Funkadelic. In the process, he influenced the rise of modern hip-hop by inspiring the sound of everyone from 2Pac and Wu-Tang Clan to Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, OutKast, Public Enemy, and beyond. The Oscar nominee will also serve as a producer on the project. While a deal isn’t quite set in stone, the film would be part of Murphy’s three-picture deal with Amazon followin...
George Clinton Announces Parliament-Funkadelic 2022 US Tour Dates
Back by popular demand, George Clinton is bringing his iconic Parliament–Funkadelic ensemble on the road. The “One Nation Under a Groove Tour” will continue in Spring and Summer 2022, taking the longtime funk legend across the US. With over 50 years in the game, Clinton announced his retirement from touring in 2018. He brought P-Funk on the first iteration of the “One Nation Under a Groove Tour” the following year with the intent of it being a farewell tour of sorts; apparently, two years in a pandemic provided him with enough time to rest up and get back out there again. This portion of the “One Nation Under a Groove Tour” will begin in New York City on June 15th at Central Park’s Summerstage. After 17 shows, it will then finish in Napa, California on August 21st. The rotating cast of ope...
Morris Day Says Prince’s Estate Blocked Him From Using The Time Band Name
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Emma McIntyre / Getty Few names in music are as ubiquitous to funk and soul music as Morris Day & The Time, but it appears that the band’s name will no longer be in use according to its frontman. Morris Day took to Instagram with claims that the estate of the late Prince, who helped develop the band in the early stages of his career, blocked him from using The Time for performance purposes. Day, 64, shared the statement via Instagram on Thursday and can be read in full below: I’ve given 40 years of my life building up a name and legacy that Prince and I came up with. A name that while he was alive, he had no problem with me using. I literally put my blood, sweat, and tears into bringing value to that name. In fact, he booked me on several tours, and m...
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak Kick Off Silk Sonic Las Vegas Residency: Recap + Setlist
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) began their Las Vegas residency on Friday (February 25th), transforming the Dolby Live theater at Park MGM into a seventies disco. The superduo — whose live appearances have thus far been limited to awards shows — threw what might just be the sexiest dance party Sin City has ever seen. The mood for “An Evening With Silk Sonic” was set from the get-go, as wisps of fog spilled out from under a red velvet curtain while guests settled into their seats. When the venue went dark, signaling the start of the show, the crowd roared in unison. Two screens on opposite sides of the stage flashed images of Silk Sonic sipping cocktails in a tropical setting with flowery button-up shirts, while a giant disco ball hung high above the seats. As the curtain lifted,...
Funk Trailblazer Betty Davis Dead At 77
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Anthony Barboza / Getty Betty Davis exploded onto the music scene in the 1970s, sporting a brash and sultry image that made her an icon to many. The pioneering funk singer and songwriter passed away this week, and we look back at her life. Fans of funk will most likely be familiar with Davis via her stylish album covers that served as precursors for the likes of other sex-positive artists such as Lil’ Kim, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, and even Madonna before them. She was born Betty Mabry in Durham, N.C., and was raised partially in the Pittsburgh suburb of Homestead. At 16, she left home to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and found her footing in the fashion-forward scene of Greenwich Village and New York overall....
Sly and the Family Stone’s Musical Riot Still Rages Through Decades of Sampling
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Radio Public | Pocket Casts | RSS As Season 17 Consequence Podcast Network and Sony’s The Opus, continues, we’re exploring how the legacy of Sly and the Family Stone’s masterpiece There’s a Riot Goin On can still be heard today. Related Video Sly and the Family Stone are one of the most covered and sampled artists in all of soul music. Everyone from Jurassic 5 to Janet Jackson, *NSYNC to members of the Wu-Tang Clan have drawn inspiration from the songs on Riot to make classics of their own. The musical revolution that the band started in 1971 is still going on to this very day. Advertisement In Episode 2 of The Opus: There’s a Riot Goin On, host Jill ...
Win a Sly and the Family Stone and Summer of Soul Vinyl Prize Pack with a Sony Sound System
The Opus podcast returns this month with a new season focusing on Sly and the Family Stones’ classic There’s a Riot Goin On. The series’ January 27th debut on the Consequence Podcast Network coincides with the release of the Summer of Soul documentary soundtrack the following day, so we’re celebrating both by giving you a chance to win a prize pack sure to elevate your soul. We’re including one (1) copy of both There’s a Riot Goin On and the Summer of Soul Official Soundtrack on vinyl, in addition to a brand new Sony sound system so you can really turn up the funk. Included are a PS-LX310BT Bluetooth turntable, a pair of CS5 bookshelf speakers, and the DH190 stereo receiver. There’s no better way to relive some of the biggest musical moments of a gen...
R.I.P. Calvin Simon, Parliament-Funkadelic Vocalist Dead at 79
Calvin Simon, the former vocalist of George Clinton’s pioneering funk collective Parliament–Funkadelic, has died. He was 79. “Rest in peace to my P-Funk brother Mr. Calvin Simon,” Clinton wrote in a post to Facebook. “Fly on Calvin!” “We lost another original member of Parliament/Funkadelic,” bassist Bootsy Collins wrote on Twitter, describing Simon as “a friend, bandmate & a cool classic guy.” Advertisement Related Video Calvin Eugene Simon was born on May 22nd, 1942, in Beckley, West Virginia, where he grew up singing in his local church choir. After relocating to New Jersey, Simon hit it off with Clinton, eventually joining a doo-wop group called The Parliaments in the late 1950s. He sang on many of the band’s early hits like “I Can Feel the Ice Melting,” “Heart Trouble,” and “I Wan...
