George Clinton (funk musician)
George Clinton (b. July 22, 1940) was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina, and grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey. In Plainfield, he ran a barber salon, where he straightened hair, and soon formed a barbershop quintet, inspired by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, called The Parliaments. Despite initial failures, the Parliaments eventually found success under the names Parliament and Funkadelic in the seventies (see also P Funk). This article will focus on his solo efforts after 1981. For information on The Parliaments, Parliament or Funkadelic, see their respective articles, or P Funk.
Usually recording under the name George Clinton & the P.Funk All-Stars[?], Clinton recorded several solo albums. The primary reason was legal difficulties, due to the complex copyright and trademark issues surrounding the name "Parliament" (primarily) and Polygram[?]'s purchase of his former label (as part of Parliament), Casablanca. In 1982, Clinton signed to Capitol Records as a solo artist and as the P.Funk All-Stars, releasing Computer Games[?] that same year. "Loopzilla[?]" hit the Top 20 R&B charts, followed by "Atomic Dog[?]," which reached #1 R&B but peaked at #101 on the pop chart. In the next three years, Clinton released three more studio albums (You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish[?], Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends[?] and R&B Skeletons in the Closet[?]) as well as a live album, Mothership Connection (Live from the Summit, Houston, Texas)[?] and charting three singles in the R&B Top 30, "Nubian Nut[?]," "Last Dance[?]," and "Do Fries Go with that Shake[?]." This period included multiple legal problems (resulting in financial difficulties) due to complex royalty and copyright issues. His popularity waned in the mid 1980s, but was revived by the rise of rap music (particularly, in the 1990s, G Funk), as many rappers cited him as an influence and began sampling him.
In 1989, Clinton released The Cinderella Theory[?] on Paisley Park[?], Prince's record label. This was followed by Hey Man, Smell My Finger[?]. Clinton then signed with Sony 550[?] and released T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M.[?] (the awesome power of a fully operational mothership) in 1996, having reunited with several old members of Parliament and Funkadelic.
Albums released under the name "George Clinton:"
See also: George Clinton & the P.Funk All-Stars[?], George Clinton & Parliament[?], George Clinton & the Parliament-Funkadelic[?], P Funk
Year
Title
Label
1982
Computer Games
Capitol Records
1983
You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish
Warner Brothers
1985
Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends
Capitol Records
1986
R&B Skeletons in the Closet
Capitol Records
1986
The Cinderella Theory
Paisley Park
1993
Hey Man, Smell My Finger
Paisley Park
1993
Sample Some of Disc - Sample Some of D.A.T.[?]
AEM[?]
1996
Testing Positive[?]
AEM