Funkadelic: A guide to the career of the pioneering funk group
They were led by George Clinton
Last updated 29th Jun 2020
Often associated with its sister act Parliament, Funkadelic was a pioneering funk group led by George Clinton, inspired by the likes of Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix.
When did Funkadelic form?
The Detroit-based psychedelic-funk group began life as a doo wop group in 1964 named The Parliaments, before evolving into Funkadelic in 1968, which was a name suggested by bassist Billy Nelson to reflect the growing psychedelic culture.
What was Funkadelic's first album?
Releasing their eponymous 1970 debut and 'Free Your Mind...and Your Ass Will Follow' album with Westbound Records, the group's released their most famous and critically revered work Maggot Brain the following year, whose title track includes a legendary extended guitar solo by Eddie Hazel.
The addition of Bootsy Collins
Their first - more psychedelic-funk releases - evolved into the 'P-Funk' style, which coincided with the additional bass of Bootsy Collins (who had featured in James Browns' group The J.B.'s in 1972. With the addition of Bootsy to the group, Funkadelic went on to release America Eats Its Young (1972), Cosmic Slop (1973) and Standing on the Verge of Getting It On (1974).
Following a string of releases with Westbound and Warner Bros. Records, they released their most commercially successful album One Nation Under a Groove in 1978, which is regarded as one of the greatest funk albums of all time.
When did Funkadelic officially split?
Three more albums followed before their dissolution in the early 1970s, due to the legal problems Clinton faced for using various names for various releases, which led him to officially disband both Parliament and Funkadelic. However, variants of the group under George Clinton's leadership still exist today.