Funkadelic

A hugely flamboyant figure with multi-coloured hair and an eccentric persona, George Clinton helped create some of the most infectious, psychedelic funk of the 1970s. Raised in Plainfield, New Jersey, he moved to Detroit to become a staff songwriter for Motown in the mid-1960s, before finding success with his doo-wop group The Parliaments and their hit single (I Wanna) Testify. When a legal wrangle with Revilot Records threatened the future of the group in 1969, Clinton took off with his backing band and adopted the name Funkadelic. However, the legal issues were soon resolved and Clinton found himself with two groups, Parliament and Funkadelic, both consisting of the same members. Under the guise of Parliament, the band continued with a more soulful, funk pop style, but really let loose when they became Funkadelic, a wild, spirited funk-rock act inspired by the likes of Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix and James Brown. The P-Funk sound built a cult following with the brilliantly bizarre early albums Free Your Mind...And Your Ass Will Follow (1970), Maggot Brain (1971) and the politically charged America Eats Its Young (1972), but it wasn't until the group released One Nation Under A Groove (1978) and reached Number 16 in the US charts that they achieved real mainstream success. Uncle Jam Wants You (1979) also fared well and the band's groundbreaking sound went on to influence the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Prince and Public Enemy. The band dissolved in 1981 after more legal difficulties, but were inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and Clinton continues to perform with his P-Funk Orchestra.