The Parliaments

The Parliaments
The Parliaments in 1969
Background information
Genres	Rhythm and blues, doo-wop
Occupation(s)	Lead and background singers,
Years active	1955–1969
Labels	APT Records, Flipp Records, Golden World Records, Revilot Records, Atco Records
Associated acts	Parliament-Funkadelic,
Past members	George Clinton Ray Davis Fuzzy Haskins Calvin Simon Grady Thomas Frankie Boyce Richard Boyce Langston Booth Billy Bass Nelson Eddie Hazel Tawl Ross Tiki Fulwood Mickey Atkins

The Parliaments were a doo-wop quintet from Plainfield, New Jersey, formed in the back room of a barbershop in the late 1950s and named after the cigarette brand. After some early personnel changes their lineup solidified with George Clinton, Ray Davis, Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas. Clinton was group leader and manager, and part owner of the barbershop where the group convened to entertain customers. The group later evolved into the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, which found success in the 1970s.

The group was originally based on Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, but by the 1960s had developed a unique sound based on emerging styles of soul and funk music, with a notable penchant for bizarre lyrics. The group struggled for hits during most of the 1960s, recording singles on a variety of small record labels. They switched labels many times, and released several double-sided singles without success, including "Poor Willie" (on Apt Records), "Lonely Island" (on Flipp) and "Heart Trouble" (on Golden World Records). Eventually, Clinton gained employment at Motown Records as a songwriter and producer, making weekly trips to Detroit to produce for The Pets, Roy Handy, and other acts. In 1967 the Parliaments released "(I Wanna) Testify" on Revilot and finally achieved a hit single, with the song reaching #3 R&B and #20 Pop on the Billboard charts. In reality, Clinton was the only member of the Parliaments to appear in the song, as the other members were unable to travel to Detroit for the recording session (session singers and musicians rounded out the recording). To capitalize on the single's success, Clinton put together a backing band for a tour, expanding the Parliaments to the five singers plus five backing musicians.