Parliament-Funkadelic, often called P-Funk, is a group of American musicians led by George Clinton. It includes two funk bands, Parliament and Funkadelic, which have been active since the 1960s. Their music mixes different styles, including psychedelic sounds, unusual clothing, and funny, imaginative humor. They released popular albums like Maggot Brain (1971), Mothership Connection (1975), and One Nation Under a Groove (1978). Their songs "Tear the Roof Off the Sucker" (1975) and "Flash Light" (1978) became hit songs. Between 1967 and 1983, the group had thirteen top ten songs on the American R&B charts, including six number one songs. Their music influenced many artists in funk, post-punk, hip-hop, and techno in the 1980s and 1990s. Their stories and ideas helped create a movement called Afrofuturism.

The group started with a doo-wop band called the Parliaments, formed by Clinton in the late 1950s in New Jersey. By the late 1960s, Clinton worked as a music producer for Motown Records. Inspired by artists like Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, and Frank Zappa, he moved to Detroit and brought musicians from New Jersey to form two bands: Parliament and Funkadelic. Parliament created a popular style of funk with science-fiction themes, while Funkadelic mixed funk with psychedelic rock. The name Parliament-Funkadelic was used to describe all the musicians in Clinton's group, including female vocal groups like the Brides of Funkenstein and Parlet.

In the 1980s, financial problems and label issues reduced the group's new music. Clinton and others started solo careers

History

The P-Funk story began in 1956 in Newark, New Jersey, with a doo-wop group formed by fifteen-year-old George Clinton. This was The Parliaments, a name inspired by Parliament cigarettes. By the early 1960s, the group had settled into a five-member lineup: Clinton, Ray "Stingray" Davis, Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas. Later, the group practiced in a barbershop in Plainfield, New Jersey, co-owned by Clinton, where they performed for customers. After nearly ten years of performing, The Parliaments added a rhythm section in 1964 for tours and background work. This section included guitarist Frankie Boyce, his brother Richard on bass, and drummer Langston Booth. In 1967, The Parliaments achieved their first hit single, "(I Wanna) Testify," while Clinton began working as a songwriter and producer for Motown Records in Detroit.

The West End of Plainfield, New Jersey, was once home to the Silk Palace, a barbershop at 216 Plainfield Avenue owned in part by Clinton. The barbershop was staffed by members of Parliament-Funkadelic and was known as the "hangout for all the local singers and musicians" during Plainfield's 1950s and 1960s doo-wop, soul, rock, and proto-funk music scene.

By the late 1960s, Clinton had formed a touring band to support The Parliaments. The first stable lineup of this band included Billy Bass Nelson (bass), Eddie Hazel (lead guitarist), Tawl Ross (guitarist), Tiki Fulwood (drums), and Mickey Atkins (keyboards). After a legal dispute in which Clinton temporarily lost the right to use the name "The Parliaments," he brought the backing musicians forward. When the band moved to Detroit, their guitar-based, raw funk sound, influenced by psychedelic rock, inspired Billy Bass Nelson to name the group "Funkadelic." Clinton signed Funkadelic to Westbound Records, and the five Parliaments singers were listed as "guests," while the five musicians were credited as the main group members. The debut album Funkadelic was released in 1970.

Meanwhile, Clinton regained the rights to the name "The Parliaments" and created a new group, now called Parliament, with the same five singers and five musicians. This group had a smoother R&B-based funk style, which Clinton positioned as a contrast to the more rock-oriented Funkadelic. Parliament recorded Osmium for Invictus Records in 1970. After a break, Parliament was signed to Casablanca Records and released its debut album for that label, Up for the Down Stroke, in 1974. The two bands began touring together under the name "Parliament-Funkadelic."

At this time, the original ten-member lineup of Parliament-Funkadelic began to change, but many new members joined for various album releases by either band. This led to a group with a changing and growing membership. Notable members who joined during this period include keyboardist Bernie Worrell, bassist Bootsy Collins, guitarist Garry Shider, bassist Cordell Mosson, and The Horny Horns.

Between 1975 and 1979, both Parliament and Funkadelic achieved high-charting albums and singles on the R&B and Pop charts. Many members of the collective started side bands or solo projects under George Clinton's guidance, including Bootsy's Rubber Band, Parlet, and The Brides of Funkenstein. Longtime members like Eddie Hazel recorded solo albums with help from the collective. Parliament albums from this period became concept albums with themes from science fiction, afro-futurism, political and social ideas, and stories with recurring fictional characters. Parliament-Funkadelic stage shows, especially the P-Funk Earth Tour of 1976, included science fiction imagery and a stage prop called the Mothership. These ideas became known as the P-Funk mythology.

By the late 1970s, several key members left the group due to disagreements with Clinton and his management style. Original Parliaments members Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas left in 1977 after becoming upset with the influx of new members. They later recorded an album under the name Funkadelic. Other members formed new funk bands that separated from P-Funk and even criticized the collective, such as Quazar (formed by guitarist Glenn Goins) and Mutiny (formed by drummer Jerome Brailey). Due to financial issues and the collapse of Casablanca Records (Parliament's label), Clinton dissolved Parliament and Funkadelic as separate entities. Many members continued to work with Clinton, first on his solo albums and later as Parliament-Funkadelic or the P-Funk All Stars.

In the early 1980s, George Clinton continued to record music while dealing with financial problems and publicized drug issues. The remaining members of Parliament-Funkadelic released the 1982 album Computer Games, which was credited to George Clinton as a solo album. This album included the widely sampled hit single "Atomic Dog." The following year, Clinton formed the P-Funk All Stars, who released Urban Dancefloor Guerrillas in 1983. In 1983, the P-Funk All Stars began one of their best tours, the Atomic Dog Tour, which many consider the band's best-sounding period. The P-Funk All Stars included many members from the late-1970s version of Parliament-Funkadelic and was named due to legal issues about using the names Parliament and Funkadelic after 1980. The name P-Funk All Stars is still used today, with a mix of former Parliament-F

Legacy

In May 1997, George Clinton and 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic were honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, becoming the largest group ever inducted. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Parliament-Funkadelic as number 56 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time." In February 2002, Spin magazine placed Parliament-Funkadelic at number 6 on their list of the "50 Greatest Bands of All Time." Their creative contributions to funk music remain influential today, especially in hip-hop music, where their songs are often sampled. The Red Hot Chili Peppers included a tribute to Parliament-Funkadelic in their 2006 music video for "Dani California." The group's musical style has also influenced other genres, including rhythm and blues, soul, electronica, gospel, jazz, and new wave.

In 2013, Parliament-Funkadelic was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. In December 2018, the Recording Academy announced that George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic would receive Lifetime Achievement Awards. These awards were presented on May 11, 2019.

Afrofuturism

Clinton spoke about the album Mothership Connection, saying, "We placed Black people in situations that people didn't think were possible, such as the White House. I thought another place where Black people wouldn't be seen was in outer space. I was a fan of Star Trek, so we created a scene with a pimp sitting in a spaceship shaped like a Cadillac. We used musical styles similar to James Brown but included everyday language from the streets." Like Sun Ra, Clinton aimed to show Black people in space.

Key members

George Clinton (band leader, vocals, songwriter, producer; born July 22, 1941). George Clinton has been the main person behind creating the P-Funk sound since forming The Parliaments as a doo-wop group in the late 1950s. The funk style, songs with messages about society, and P-Funk stories created by Clinton have greatly influenced later R&B, hip hop, and rock music.

Bernie Worrell (keyboards, vocals, songwriter, arranger; producer; April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016). Bernie Worrell officially joined Funkadelic after their first album was released and became an important member of the Parliament-Funkadelic group. His training in classical piano and creative use of synthesizers, especially the Moog synthesizer, had a major impact. He used the Moog instead of the electric bass on songs like "Flash Light" and "Aqua Boogie." Worrell helped create many P-Funk rhythms and, with trombonist Fred Wesley, wrote horn arrangements. He left the band in 1981 but continued to work on P-Funk studio albums and sometimes performed live with Parliament-Funkadelic as a guest.

William "Bootsy" Collins (bass guitar, vocals, drums, songwriter, producer; born October 26, 1951). Bootsy Collins was a key songwriter, rhythm arranger, and bassist for Parliament-Funkadelic during the 1970s and greatly influenced the band's sound. His way of playing the bass became very famous. Later, Collins focused on his own group, Bootsy's Rubber Band, but still contributed to Parliament-Funkadelic studio albums occasionally.

Eddie Hazel (guitar, vocals, songwriter; April 10, 1950 – December 23, 1992). Eddie Hazel was the original lead guitarist for Funkadelic and played a major role in their first few albums. His guitar style, inspired by Jimi Hendrix, became very influential. After the early 1970s, he contributed to Parliament-Funkadelic projects less often. A famous early Funkadelic song that showed the band's sound and Hazel's talent was the ten-minute guitar solo "Maggot Brain" from the 1971 album of the same name.

Maceo Parker (saxophone; born February 14, 1943). Maceo joined James Brown's band with his brother Melvin Parker in 1964. In 1970, Parker, his brother, and some members of Brown's band left to form Maceo & All the King's Men, which toured for two years. In January 1973, Parker returned to James Brown's band. That year, he also released a single called "Parrty – Part I" (No. 71 pop singles) with Maceo & the Macks. In 1975, Parker and some of Brown's band members, including Fred Wesley, joined George Clinton's band Parliament-Funkadelic.

Walter "Junie" Morrison (keyboards, multi-instrumentalist, vocals, songwriter, arranger, producer; born June 28, 1954 – January 21, 2017). Junie Morrison joined P-Funk in early 1978 as musical director after having success in the Ohio Players and as a solo artist. Though mainly a keyboardist, Junie wrote or co-wrote several of the band's popular songs and was a lead singer, producer, and arranger on many songs. Morrison stopped touring with the band after 1981 but contributed to later albums. Some of his work was credited under the name J.S. Theracon during his time with P-Funk.

Garry "Diaperman" Shider (vocals, guitar; July 24, 1953 – June 16, 2010). As a child, Garry Shider visited the barbershop where The Parliaments rehearsed and performed. After playing in his own group, United Soul, he was recruited by George Clinton into Funkadelic in 1972. Shider sang on several Parliament and Funkadelic albums and was known for his "gospel" singing and guitar style. He was also recognized for wearing his trademark hotel-towel "diaper."

Michael "Kidd Funkadelic" Hampton (guitar; born November 15, 1956). Mike Hampton became the lead guitarist for P-Funk in 1973 when he was 17 years old. He was recruited after performing Hazel's famous song "Maggot Brain" on the spot. Hampton is known for using rock and heavy metal guitar styles in Parliament-Funkadelic and later the P-Funk All Stars. He left the collective in 2015.

Glenn Goins (vocals, guitar; January 2, 1954 – July 29, 1978). Glenn Goins joined Parliament-Funkadelic in 1975 and was an important contributor. Like bandmate Garry Shider, he was known for his "gospel" singing and guitar style. In 1978, Goins and bandmate Jerome Brailey left the group in a conflict and began recording and producing a new band, Quazar, with Goins' younger brother Kevin. Shortly after leaving, Goins died from Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 24.

Jerome "Bigfoot" Brailey (drums and percussion; born August 20, 1950). Brailey was the most important drummer in the Parliament-Funkadelic group during their most successful years in the mid-to-late 1970s. Brailey and bandmate Glenn Goins left the group in a conflict and formed their own band, Mutiny, where Brailey criticized George Clinton's management style.

Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood (drums, vocals; May 23, 1944 – October 29, 1979). Tiki Fulwood was the original drummer for Funkadelic. He left the band in 1971 but returned for several Parliament-Funkadelic releases in the 1970s. After briefly working with Miles Davis, Fulwood died of cancer in 1979.

"Billy Bass" Nelson (bass, guitar; January 28, 1951 — January 26, 2026). Billy Nelson was a teenager who worked at the barbershop where The Parliaments rehearsed. He was recruited by George Clinton into Funkadelic in the 1960s. Nelson played bass and guitar and was known for his "gospel" singing style. He left P-Funk in the 1970s. In the 1990s, he formed Original P with other

Notable songs

• "Maggot Brain" (Funkadelic), 1971
• "Up for the Down Stroke" (Parliament), 1974
• "Chocolate City" (Parliament), 1975
• "P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)" (Parliament), 1975
• "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)" (Parliament), 1976
• "Do That Stuff" (Parliament), 1976
• "I'd Rather Be With You" (Bootsy's Rubber Band), 1976
• "Bop Gun (Endangered Species)" (Parliament), 1977
• "Funkentelechy" (Parliament), 1978
• "The Pinocchio Theory" (Bootsy's Rubber Band), 1977
• "Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)" (Parliament), 1978
• "Bootzilla" (Bootsy's Rubber Band), 1978
• "Flash Light"