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Overview

This lesson focuses on African American dance music styles following the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Many of these music styles had signature dances as well. These styles include but are not limited to funk, go-go, and disco, while popular dances were the funky chicken, mashed potato, camel walk, hustle, James Brown, and others. We will look at all of them in this lesson. On the social front, during the 1970s, more tangible steps towards proper racial integration and gender equality were happening than before. Besides the style of music itself, because of these steps toward equality, this lesson categorizes this music as contemporary. However, we will also see that the music industry often coopted popular Black dance music and dances to varying degrees of economic success during this era.

Be ready to:

Discuss the significance of rhythm and terms such as riff, groove, syncopation, and four-on-the-floor.

Identify dances that occurred during the late 1960s through the 1970s and venues that aided in disseminating them to the general American population.

Identify instruments such as synthesizer, slap bass, and scratch guitar and their use within funk, go-go, and disco.

Explain the role of music in raising people's level of social consciousness.

Discuss how the demographics among Black Washingtonians influenced the development of go-go.

Articulate the role of the DJ in the development and dissemination of disco music.

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Funk 7

In addition, the rise of Black action films that celebrated Black styles and archetypal urban Black characters also promoted the "funky" style. Film soundtracks such as Curtis Mayfield's Super Fly (1972), Isaac Hayes's Shaft (1971), and James Brown's Black Caesar (1973) became vehicles for a combination of relevant social commentary and funk groove.

A further strand in the development of funk occurred when George Clinton returned with a reconstituted Parliament band in 1974 and began to create a philosophical foundation for the funk experience through his two bands, Parliament and Funkadelic. Clinton expanded on urban street values with songs like " Chocolate City♫ " (1975), with its references to Blacks "taking over" large American cities with their innate funkiness. Through concepts such as the Mothership Connection SIDE NOTEThis is the title of Parliament's 1975 album, but it is also a futuristic metaphoric event about reclaiming the Egyptian pyramids. and One Nation Under a Groove SIDE NOTEThis is the title of Funkadelic's 1978 album, and also a futuristic event of hope and freedom, and brotherhood for all mankind. Clinton's P-Funk (Parliament-Funkadelic) expounded funkas a means of self-development and personal liberation.

George Clinton

Bootsy Collins

The concepts worked because P-Funk generated some of the most compelling dance music of the time and utilized some of the best players in the industry. It brought together crucial musicians such as keyboardist Bernie Worrell and Bootsy Collins on bass and horn players Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker . As a result, Parliament recorded the dance hits " Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)♫ " in 1975 and " Flash Light♫ " in 1977, while Funkadelic scored with the edgy songs " Cosmic Slop♫ " (1973) and " Get Off Your Ass and Jam♫ " (1975) and later with the dance hits " One Nation Under a Groove♫ " (1978) and " (Not Just) Knee Deep♫ " (1979).

The heyday of P-Funk was the late 1970s, a time when big, glittery productions in large arenas were popular with disco groups. Many bands thrived during this time and produced spectacular shows such as Clinton's P-Funk Mothership Landing Tour, where Dr. Frankenstein arrives from planet funk and brings the funk to planet earth.

P-Funk's Mothership Landing Live

In closing the topic of funk, we have learned how it was a positive musical genre and social movement for Black performers, as well the African American community in general. Its musical characteristics and performance practices reveals a sense of assertiveness and a genuine feeling of being proud to be a Black person in America.

Don Cornelius

As always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul!

Don Cornelius

You can bet your last money, it's all gonna be a stone gas, honey.