In the 1960s, African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic and danceable form of music. This new genre was called Funk. Although, the adjective “funky” was applied to gospel-influenced jazz in the 1950s and started appearing in song titles in 1967, it didn’t become widespread as a term for a specific genre until the mid 1970s. The use of the term increased in the late 1960s, which coincided with a change in African-American politics from the integrationist stance of the Civil Rights, associated to the rise of Soul Music, to the more radical attitude of the Black Power Movement. A sign of this change is James Brown’s recording Say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud (1968).
James Brown is one of the icons that developed what became known as funk. However, elements of it can be found in recordings of the 50s: Professor Longhair’s Tipitina (1953) and the Hawkettes’ Mardi Gras Mambo (1954) blended Latin rhythms with the texture and harmonic patterns of rhythm and blues, while Ray Charles presented an innovative synthesis of Latin rhythms, blues-based harmonic progressions and gospel vocal techniques in What’d I say (1959).
Brown brought rapid tempos and aggressive cross rhythms into his music, intensifying the polyrhythmic implications of the earlier funk recordings. By the mid 1960s, Brown had developed his signature groove that emphasized the downbeat, with heavy emphasis on the first beat of every bar. He often cued his band with the command “On the one!”. As mentioned in The Funkmasters-the Great James Brown Rhythm Sections, Brown changed the percussion emphasis from the one-two-three-four backbeat of traditional soul music to the one-two-three-four downbeat, with an even-note syncopated guitar rhythm (on quarter notes two and four), featuring a hard-driving, repetitive brassy swing. This change in Brown’s style started with the single Out of Sight (1964) and Papa’s got a brand new bag (1965). Brown’s innovations have pushed the Funk music style further and led him and his band to the forefront with releases such as Cold Sweat (1967), Mother Popcorn (1969) and Get Up (I Feel like Being A) Sex Machine (1970).
Other bands created their own forms of funky soul music. The first ones to absorb Brown’s rhythmic approach and extend it was Sly and the Family Stone, who added a fragmented doo-wop vocal style featuring rapidly alternating voices as well as aspects of psychedelic rock. This fusion with Brown’s rhythmic innovations was evident in their first successful single, Dance to the Music (1967). The psychedelic influence, particularly that of Jimi Hendrix, was felt by other bands, most notably Funkadelic and the Isley Brothers.
The early 1970s witnessed a further spread, refinement and diversification of Funk. The role of the bass expanded with Brown’s new bass player, William ‘Bootsy’ Collins, in songs recorded in songs such as Sex Machine and Superbad. Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone created an innovative thumb-popping bass guitar technique particularly evident in, Thank you falettinme be mice elf agin. The band War added a prominent Latin element to the funk sound (Slippin’ into Darkness, 1971), while Tower of Power brought syncopated horn lines to a new level of complexity.
A good way to analyze Funk’s vocal style is by analyzing Brown’s music. His vocal style was overlaid with catchy, anthemic vocals based on extensive vamps. He also used his voice as "a percussive instrument with frequent rhythmic grunts and with rhythm-section patterns that resemble West African polyrhythms – a tradition evident in African American work songs and chants. The vocal parts in Funk are quite diverse and are always related to the mood and feel of the song. There are quite a lot of backing vocals, performed sometimes by female singers.
I wish I was Stealing Watermelons
Chambers Brothers’ Stealing Watermelons and I wish by Stevie Wonder were the two songs we decided to play in this genre. In Stealing Watermelons we changed the instrumentation. We replaced the harmonica with the trumpet and introduced piano. There are a lot of vocal parts in this song and it was hard to do them like in the original song. In I wish I was doing backing vocals while Leslie was singing the main part. We always had the songs with us in the rehearsal room so that we could listen to them and pick the elements of this genre.
James Brown is one of the icons that developed what became known as funk. However, elements of it can be found in recordings of the 50s: Professor Longhair’s Tipitina (1953) and the Hawkettes’ Mardi Gras Mambo (1954) blended Latin rhythms with the texture and harmonic patterns of rhythm and blues, while Ray Charles presented an innovative synthesis of Latin rhythms, blues-based harmonic progressions and gospel vocal techniques in What’d I say (1959).
Brown brought rapid tempos and aggressive cross rhythms into his music, intensifying the polyrhythmic implications of the earlier funk recordings. By the mid 1960s, Brown had developed his signature groove that emphasized the downbeat, with heavy emphasis on the first beat of every bar. He often cued his band with the command “On the one!”. As mentioned in The Funkmasters-the Great James Brown Rhythm Sections, Brown changed the percussion emphasis from the one-two-three-four backbeat of traditional soul music to the one-two-three-four downbeat, with an even-note syncopated guitar rhythm (on quarter notes two and four), featuring a hard-driving, repetitive brassy swing. This change in Brown’s style started with the single Out of Sight (1964) and Papa’s got a brand new bag (1965). Brown’s innovations have pushed the Funk music style further and led him and his band to the forefront with releases such as Cold Sweat (1967), Mother Popcorn (1969) and Get Up (I Feel like Being A) Sex Machine (1970).
Other bands created their own forms of funky soul music. The first ones to absorb Brown’s rhythmic approach and extend it was Sly and the Family Stone, who added a fragmented doo-wop vocal style featuring rapidly alternating voices as well as aspects of psychedelic rock. This fusion with Brown’s rhythmic innovations was evident in their first successful single, Dance to the Music (1967). The psychedelic influence, particularly that of Jimi Hendrix, was felt by other bands, most notably Funkadelic and the Isley Brothers.
The early 1970s witnessed a further spread, refinement and diversification of Funk. The role of the bass expanded with Brown’s new bass player, William ‘Bootsy’ Collins, in songs recorded in songs such as Sex Machine and Superbad. Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone created an innovative thumb-popping bass guitar technique particularly evident in, Thank you falettinme be mice elf agin. The band War added a prominent Latin element to the funk sound (Slippin’ into Darkness, 1971), while Tower of Power brought syncopated horn lines to a new level of complexity.
A good way to analyze Funk’s vocal style is by analyzing Brown’s music. His vocal style was overlaid with catchy, anthemic vocals based on extensive vamps. He also used his voice as "a percussive instrument with frequent rhythmic grunts and with rhythm-section patterns that resemble West African polyrhythms – a tradition evident in African American work songs and chants. The vocal parts in Funk are quite diverse and are always related to the mood and feel of the song. There are quite a lot of backing vocals, performed sometimes by female singers.
I wish I was Stealing Watermelons
Chambers Brothers’ Stealing Watermelons and I wish by Stevie Wonder were the two songs we decided to play in this genre. In Stealing Watermelons we changed the instrumentation. We replaced the harmonica with the trumpet and introduced piano. There are a lot of vocal parts in this song and it was hard to do them like in the original song. In I wish I was doing backing vocals while Leslie was singing the main part. We always had the songs with us in the rehearsal room so that we could listen to them and pick the elements of this genre.