George Clinton Biography

George Clinton stands as one of the most influential figures in funk history. He is the mastermind behind two funk behemoths Parliament and Funkadelic.

George Clinton started his career in junior high, founding a barbershop doo-wop ensemble called The Parliaments. In 1967, they scored a major hit with "I Wanna Testify."

By the early 1970's, the group's dropped the "S" from the band name and Parliament was born. Around the same time, Clinton spawned Funkadelic, a rock group which fused psychedelic guitar distortion, bizarre sound effects, danceable beats and booming bass lines.. Funkadelic made a string of concept albums, focusing the politics facing the planet, with titles like Chocolate City, Maggot Brain, and America Eats It's Young.

Parliament & Funkadelic are responsible for four #1 hits: "Flashlight," "One Nation Under a Groove," "Aqua Boogie" and "(Not Just) Knee Deep." George Clinton has long employed the best of the best in his bands (many stolen from James Brown's Funky JBs) - Bernie Worrel, Eddie Hazel, Bootsy Collins, Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley.

In the 1980's, George Clinton emerged as a successful solo artist. He released Computer Games and the #1 hit single "Atomic Dog," George Clinton produced The Red Hot Chili Peppers Freaky Styley, and signed onto Prince's Paisley Park label.

By 1990, George Clinton had become recognized as the godfather of modern urban music. Beats, loops and samples of P-Funk appeared on albums by OutKast, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot, De La Soul, Fishbone, and many, many others. As Clinton has said, "Funk is the DNA of hip-hop and rap." Clinton also teamed up to create new recordings with artists like Too $hort, Digital Underground, Ice Cube, Q-Tip, Coolio and Redman. In 1996, Clinton released T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. (The Awesome Power of a Fully Operational Mothership,) which reunited him with Bernie Worrel and Bootsy Collins back in the band.

Three years later, the reunited George Clinton and Parliament- Funkadelic played an astounding set at the Woodstock '99 festival.

In 1997, George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and earned a Lifetime Achievement Award at the NAACP Image Awards. In 2002, SPIN magazine voted Parliament/ Funkadelic #6 of the 50 Greatest Band of All Time.  In 2007, George Clinton appeared on Snoop Dogg's Tha Blue Carpet Treatment.