George Clinton (funk musician)

:This article is about the American musician. For other persons of that name see George Clinton.

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George Clinton (born July 22, 1942) is an American musician, considered one of the fathers of funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and was a solo funk artist as of 1981.

Related Topics:
July 22 - 1942 - American - Musician - Funk - Band - Parliament - Funkadelic - 1970s - 1980s - 1981

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He was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina, and grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey. In Plainfield, he ran a barber salon, where he straightened hair, and soon formed a doo wop group, inspired by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, called The Parliaments. Despite initial failures, the Parliaments eventually found success under the names Parliament and Funkadelic in the seventies (see also P-Funk). This article will focus on his solo efforts after 1981. For information on The Parliaments, Parliament or Funkadelic, see their respective articles, or P-Funk.

Related Topics:
Kannapolis, North Carolina - Plainfield, New Jersey - Doo wop - Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers - The Parliaments - Parliament - Funkadelic - P-Funk - 1981

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Usually recording under the name George Clinton & the P.Funk All-Stars, Clinton recorded several solo albums. The primary reason was legal difficulties, due to the complex copyright and trademark issues surrounding the name "Parliament" (primarily) and Polygram's purchase of his former label (as part of Parliament), Casablanca. In 1982, Clinton signed to Capitol Records as a solo artist and as the P.Funk All-Stars, releasing Computer Games that same year. "Loopzilla" hit the Top 20 R&B charts, followed by "Atomic Dog," which reached #1 R&B but peaked at #101 on the pop chart. In the next three years, Clinton released three more studio albums (You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish, Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends and R&B Skeletons in the Closet) as well as a live album, Mothership Connection (Live from the Summit, Houston, Texas) and charting three singles in the R&B Top 30, "Nubian Nut," "Last Dance," and "Do Fries Go with that Shake." This period included multiple legal problems (resulting in financial difficulties) due to complex royalty and copyright issues. His popularity waned in the mid 1980s, but was revived by the rise of rap music (particularly, in the 1990s, G Funk), as many rappers cited him as an influence and began sampling him. Alongside James Brown, George Clinton is considered to be one of the most sampled musicians ever.

Related Topics:
George Clinton & the P.Funk All-Stars - Album - Polygram - Casablanca - 1982 - Capitol Records - Computer Games - Loopzilla - R&B - Atomic Dog - Pop - You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish - Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends - R&B Skeletons in the Closet - Mothership Connection (Live from the Summit, Houston, Texas) - Nubian Nut - Last Dance - Do Fries Go with that Shake - Rap music - G Funk - James Brown

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In 1989, Clinton released The Cinderella Theory on Paisley Park, Prince's record label. This was followed by Hey Man, Smell My Finger. Clinton then signed with Sony 550 and released T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. (The Awesome Power Of A Fully Operational Mothership) in 1996, having reunited with several old members of Parliament and Funkadelic.

Related Topics:
1989 - The Cinderella Theory - Paisley Park - Prince's - Hey Man, Smell My Finger - Sony 550 - T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. - 1996

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Albums released under the name "George Clinton:"

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In the 1990s, Clinton appeared in films such as Graffiti Bridge (1990), Good Burger (1997) and PCU (1994).

Related Topics:
1990s - Graffiti Bridge - 1990 - Good Burger - 1997 - PCU - 1994

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Most recently he appears as the voice of The Funktipus, the DJ of the Bounce FM station in the 2004 video game, .

Related Topics:
2004 - Video game

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George Clinton is not to be confused with film composer George S. Clinton (all three Austin Powers movies, The Astronaut's Wife, Red Shoe Diaries).

Related Topics:
George S. Clinton - Austin Powers - The Astronaut's Wife - Red Shoe Diaries

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