George Clinton | |
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Clinton performing in Auckland, New Zealand in 2015
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Background information | |
Born |
Kannapolis, North Carolina, U.S. |
July 22, 1941
Origin | Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
Genres | Funk, soul, psychedelic funk,rhythm and blues, disco, rock |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, producer |
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 1955–present |
Labels | Westbound, Revilot, Capitol/EMI, Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 550 Music/Epic/SME, Shanachie |
Associated acts | Parliament, Funkadelic, Bootsy's Rubber Band, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kendrick Lamar |
Website | www |
George Clinton (born July 22, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer. He was the principal architect of P-Funk and the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s. He launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost innovators of funk music along with James Brown and Sly Stone. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, alongside 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.
Clinton was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina, grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey, and currently resides in Tallahassee, Florida. During his teen years Clinton formed a doo wop group inspired by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers called The Parliaments, while straightening hair at a barber salon in Plainfield.
For a period in the 1960s Clinton was a staff songwriter for Motown. Despite initial commercial failure and one major hit single, ("(I Wanna) Testify" in 1967), as well as arranging and producing scores of singles on many of the independent Detroit soul music labels, The Parliaments eventually found success under the names Parliament and Funkadelic in the 1970s (see also P-Funk). These two bands combined the elements of musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, Cream, and James Brown while exploring various sounds, technology, and lyricism. Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic dominated diverse music during the 1970s with over 40 R&B hit singles (including three number ones) and three platinum albums.