George Clinton of Parliment + Funkadelic at the Regency Ballroom San Francisco

George Clinton of Parliment/Funkadelic at the Regency Ballroom San Francisco

I recently had the pleasure of photographing funk and soul great, George Clinton, at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. Clinton is best known for his lead role in the groups Parliment and Funkadelic, and played a major role ind developing the musical style that has since been dubbed P-Funk.

Collectively, the group has existed under various names since the 1960s and has been known for top-notch musicianship, politically charged lyrics, outlandish concept albums and memorable live performances. The two bands combined the elements of musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, Cream and James Brown while exploring different sounds, technology, and lyricism.

Clinton and his musical crew has influenced numerous musical groups in diverse genres including R&B, hip hop and rock. Alongside James Brown, George Clinton is considered to be one of the most sampled musicians ever. In addition to being sampled, Clinton has also worked alongside many of the major names in music over the past 3 decades, including: Red Hot Chili Peppers (produced their album Freaky Styley), Primal Scream (contributed to several tracks on the album Give Out But Don’t Give Up), Tupac Shakur (on the song “Can’t C Me” from the album All Eyez on Me), Ice Cube (on the song and video for “Bop Gun (One Nation)” on the Lethal Injection album); Outkast (on the song “Synthesizer” from the album Aquemini), Redman (on the song “J.U.M.P.” from the album Malpractice), Souls of Mischief (on “Mama Knows Best” from the album Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution), Killah Priest (on “Come With me” from the album Priesthood), and the Wu Tang Clan (on “Wolves” from the album “8 Diagrams”).

In addition to his musical talent, George Clinton has also appeared in films such as Graffiti Bridge (1990), House Party (1990), PCU (1994), Good Burger (1997) and The Breaks (1999). In 1997 he appeared as himself in the Cartoon Network show Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Clinton also appeared as the voice of The Funktipus, the DJ of the Funk radio station Bounce FM in the 2004 video game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, in which his song “Loopzilla” also appeared. (Source: Wikipedia)

Clinton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.

The Regency Ballroom
1290 Sutter St
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 673-5716