In 1970, a new strand of Rhythm and Blues (R&B) was hitting the airwaves, funk music. Rhythm and Blues artists like Little Richard, James Brown, Parliament Funkadelic, and the Meters helped to pave the way to R&B Funk topping record charts and filling nightclubs with a funky new beat.
Psychedelic soul hit the music industry in the late 60's giving the R&Bs a blend of rock and soul with that had an upbeat tempo that one could move their feet to on the dance floor. It was the crack that led to the opening to funk and disco a few years later.
Funk music could be classified as a mixture of soul music with a dash of jazz, and R&B, with a strong rhythmic groove built from the electric bass, drums, and the electric guitar. They often have a strong horn section as well where the sax added the soul and the trumpets and trombone accented the rhythmic beats.
When taking a trip down funk music memory lane you can't help think back to the 70's artists such as Rufus feat, Chaka Khan, Earth, Wind & Fire, Eric Burdon & War, Tower of Power, Average White Band, The Commodores, and Kool & the Gang. The thing with funk music back in the 70's and still today is that no one band or artists was bound to just that one style of music. These same artist and many more also played other genres of music such as disco and rare soul music. Funk just opened the doors to new venues as well as new genres of music such as disco beats, hip hop, and go-go and punk music.
By the early 80's funk took on a bit more of a spin and became more sultry and sexual in content with the help of artists such as Prince. After all, the initial oncoming of funk was based off the idea of getting your groove on or sexual intercourse to be more direct. A song would start with a slow rhythmic groove working up to a harder, pounding, and more insistent and demanding rhythm.
The 80's also brought musical instrument changes to the traditional funk sounds with the exchange from live horn sections to synth keyboards, organs and pianos were replaced with electronic machines and synthesizers as well. Even the drums were replaced by electronics taking a good part of the show out of funk today.
The late 80's and early 90's brought funk into yet another light as rock bands started incorporating funk sounds to their venue calling it funk rock or funk metal. However through all the changes of Funk R&B influences that earlier performs such as James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, Curtis Mayfield, The Meters, The Funk Brothers, and Bootsy Collins still remain.
Friday, 22 April 2011
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Secondary R&B labels
- Check-Mate Records: Short-lived (1961–1962) R&B/soul subsidiary, purchased from Chess Records. Notable artists included David Ruffin and The Del-Phis (later Martha and the Vandellas).
- Miracle Records: Short-lived (1961) R&B/soul subsidiary that lasted less than a year. Some pressings featured the infamous tagline, "If it's a hit, it's a Miracle." Shut down and reorganized as Gordy Records in 1962. Notable releases included early recordings by Jimmy Ruffin and The Temptations).
- MoWest Records: MoWest was a short-lived (1971–1973) subsidiary for R&B/soul artists based on the West Coast. Shut down when the main Motown office moved to Los Angeles. Notable artists included G. C. Cameron, Syreeta Wright, The Four Seasons, Commodores (their first two singles in 1972 and 1973), and Los Angeles DJ Tom Clay.
- Motown Yesteryear: a label created in late 1970s and used through the 1980s for the reissues of 7-inch singles from all eras of the company's history, after printing in the initial label has ceased.[8] One Motown Yesteryear single made Billboard's Top 40 - The Contours' "Do You Love Me", in 1988, when its inclusion in the film Dirty Dancing revived interest.
- Soul Records: Established 1964, Soul was a R&B/soul subsidiary for releases with less of a pop feel and/or more of a traditional soul/blues feel. Notable Soul artists included Jr. Walker & the All-Stars, Shorty Long, Gladys Knight & the Pips and Jimmy Ruffin. The label was dissolved in 1978.
- V.I.P. Records: Established 1964, V.I.P. was a R&B/soul subsidiary. Notable artists included The Velvelettes, The Spinners, The Monitors, The Elgins and Chris Clark. The label was dissolved in 1974.
- Weed Records: A very short-lived subsidiary. Only one release, Chris Clark's 1969 CC Rides AgainWeed." The name "Weed Records" is now owned by the Tokyo-New York based Weed Records. album, was issued. This release featured the tongue-in-cheek tagline, "Your Favorite Artists Are On
Monday, 18 April 2011
Major divisions
- Motown Records: Established 1960, Motown was and remains the company's main label for mainstream R&B/soul music (and, today, hip hop music as well). The label's numbering system was combined with those of Tamla and Gordy in 1982, and the label (and company) was purchased by MCA in 1988. Notable Motown artists have included Mary Wells, The Supremes, Four Tops, The Jackson 5, Boyz II Men, Commodores, and Erykah Badu. Motown Records slogan: "The Sound of Young America."
- Tamla Records: Established 1959, Tamla was a primary subsidiary for mainstream R&B/soul music. Tamla is actually the company's original label: Gordy incorporated Tamla Records several months before establishing the Motown Record Corporation. The label's numbering system was combined with those of Motown and Gordy in 1982, and the label was merged with Motown in 1988. Notable Tamla artists included Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and The Marvelettes. Tamla Records slogan: "The Sound that Makes the World Go 'Round."
- Gordy Records: Established 1962, Gordy was also a primary subsidiary for mainstream R&B/soul music. Originally known as Miracle Records (slogan: "If It's a Hit, It's a Miracle"), the name was changed in 1962 to avoid confusion with the Miracles singing group. The label's numbering system was combined with those of Motown and Tamla in 1982, and the label was merged with Motown in 1988. Notable Gordy artists included The Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, The Contours, Edwin Starr, Rick James, Teena Marie, The Mary Jane Girls, and DeBarge. Gordy Records slogan: "It's What's in the Grooves that Counts"
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