Funk legend George Clinton brings P-Funk farewell tour to Napa's Blue Note
George Clinton and his Parliament-Funkadelic crew brings the funk maestro's ongoing farewell tour to the Blue Note in Napa Sunday for an outdoor show.
Though he came after originators James Brown and Sly Stone, George Clinton has undoubtedly earned the title "Godfather of Funk." Colorful, subversive and groundbreaking, Clinton fused rock and R&B in the '60s, set the dance floor on fire with funk classics in the '70s, helped usher in computer-driven new wave and was a cornerstone of hip-hop since the '80s.
He started in the '50s as a vocalist in New Jersey soul group the Parliaments, but Clinton soon relocated to Detroit to try to jump aboard the Motown gravy train. Though he did some songwriting work for the soul label, his sensibilities were far grittier than what Berry Gordy was aiming for to remain "the sound of young America." The vocal group put out several one-off tracks for a variety of labels before eventually released a string of 7-inch singles for the Revilot Records in 1967 before a disagreement with the label led to the band splitting off and shortening its name to Parliament.
The group issued one wide-ranging soul album entitled Osmium for Invictus Records in 1970 that embraced elements of country, funk and psychedelia, but would go dormant for several years as Clinton and company focused their attention on the other outfit he'd started with the same musicians and vocalists called Funkadelic.
For that group, Clinton took cues from high volume acid-rock era giants Jimi Hendrix and Cream (not to mention the influence of Detroit rockers the MC5 and the Stooges) to bring together soul grooves, psychedelic guitar and an outrageous stage show. But despite the crew's outlandish theatrics, Clinton also proved to be an astute sociopolitical commentator, addressing serious subject matter on the seminal albums Maggot Brain and the sprawling double LP America Eats Its Young.
By the mid '70s, Clinton was leading both Parliament and Funkadelic from underground status to chart success and extravagant arena productions that put the group on the same strata as Earth Wind and Fire. Clinton's excellent ear for talent also brought some of the best players in the business to his outfits including the late psychedelic guitar giant Eddie Hazel, keyboard scientist Bernie Worrell, and former James Brown sidement like Bootsy Collins, Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley. The subversive ringmaster and self-proclaimed Maggot Overlord shepherded his Parliament Funkadelic disciples to create classic hits like "P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)" "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)" "Flashlight" and "Not Just (Knee Deep)," which would some of the most influential and heavily sampled music of the decade.
Combining humorous, satirical lyrics and space-age concepts with ferocious grooves, Clinton has remained an influential original throughout his career. Even as his solo star waned after early '80s hits "Atomic Dog" and "Do Fries Go With That Shake?" Clinton's songs were soon being sampled relentlessly by hip hop's new guard (Dr. Dre and N.W.A, Digital Underground, De La Soul and Tupac to name just a few).
Though his live performances during the 2000s added loose-limbed improvisational element that took away from the bite of his funk, Clinton has returned to performing and recording with a vengeance since breaking a longtime addiction to crack cocaine. The funk maestro detailed his triumphs and tragedies in the revealing memoir Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard on You? that came out in 2014 to glowing reviews. More importantly, Clinton and his collaborators issued the first new Funkadelic album in over three decades two years later.
A sprawling three-disc release that touches on the classic Funkadelic sound (soaring corrosive guitar solos, tongue-twisting vocals and scatological humor), First Ya Gotta Shake The Gate finds Clinton adding modern elements of hip-hop production and Auto-Tuned vocals to the mix. In 2018, Clinton announced he would retire from touring after continuing his modern renaissance with the first album under the Parliament banner in nearly four decades -- Medicaid Fraud Dogg -- a sprawling 100-minute opus that tackles the nation's struggle with pharmaceuticals and social media while still indulging in the funk overlord's habit of "sayin' somethin' nasty."
The funk icon was also featured prominently in the latest season of Mike Judge's animated Cinemax show Tales from the Tour Bus, which featured the twisted escapades Clinton and his band got caught up in during the '70s (the band leader also served as a consulting producer and provided this season's revamped theme song). Clinton has suggested that P-Funk will continue on without him when he finally retires from the road, continuing to bring his music to audiences live.
The timeline of his retirement has changed since his original announcement. Clinton and company appeared at what was thought to be the band's final Bay Area appearance at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga in the summer of 2019, but since the pandemic derailed more touring plans, he has since returned to the region with the band several times despite passing his 82nd birthday. The current "Just For the Funk of It! Final Tour?!?" brings P-Funk back to the Bay Area for this outdoor show at the Blue Note in Napa.
George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic
Sunday, June 9, doors 5:30 p.m., show 7 p.m. $49-$99
The Blue Note Napa