Musician George Clinton is the man who invented funk

American George Clinton can be called a living classic of modern music. For millions of fans from different countries of the world, he is a figure no less significant than John Lennon. He is a singer, composer, lyricist and producer, working with many musical genres from R&B and rock to psychedelia and soul. Clinton is the leader of the popular 70-80s bands Parliament and Funkadelic. He is also considered one of the founders of such a musical trend as funk.

George Edward Clinton was born on July 22, 1941, in Kannapolis, North Carolina. The family loved music, especially African-American music, and the boy absorbed rhythms and tunes like a sponge. In 1968, Clinton and his friends formed their first band, called The Parliaments. The guys played doo wop, which is somewhat similar to today's R&B, with an emphasis on vocals and brass instruments.

The first experience was not very successful. Clinton and his comrades tried their best, but popularity did not come. However, the musicians did not despair and their hour of glory came! The composition I Wanna Testify "shot", which became a hit in the late 60s. In the early 70s, the already famous team broke up into two: Parliament and Funkadelic. George Clinton was a member of both.

The bands were constantly experimenting. The music they recorded combined different rhythms, sounds, technologies and lyrics. Their work had elements of the style of Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Sly, Family Stone. In the 80s, Clinton was full of energy and felt cramped in two teams. Remaining their leader, the musician also began a solo career.

In 1982, George Clinton signed a contract with Capitol Records. That same year, his first solo album, Computer Games, was released. It immediately became incredibly popular. The song Loopzilla' entered the top 20 R&B songs of all time, and Atomic Dog became the number 1 R&B hit of the year. Since then, he has recorded several albums, both solo and in the company of other musicians.

George Clinton spent several years basking in the glory. However, his life was somewhat marred by legal problems caused by copyright infringements. Due to constant litigation, the mega-successful musician was constantly in need of money. In the second half of the 80s, the popularity of the funk and R&B star began to steadily decline.

In 1985, the Red Hot Chili Peppers invited Clinton to record their album Freaky Styley. The musician wrote the music and lyrics for the title track. But the album was considered mediocre and did not bring the expected effect. It was remembered only a few years later, when the Peppers became superstars. At that time, the circulation of Freaky Styley was half a million copies.

For several years, George Clinton was out of demand and had already come to terms with it. But in the 90s, when hip-hop flourished, his popularity began to creep up again. The reason was the statement of several performers that Clinton had a great influence on their work. To this day, the musician, along with James Brown, is considered the inspiration for modern rap. The patriarch of funk music recorded the composition Can't C Me with Tupac Shakur (2Pac), and also collaborated with Snoop Dogg.

Having already crossed the half-century mark, Clinton became a star again. He continued to record albums, and also starred in several films. In the 2000s, he was invited to participate in the development of the computer game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. His voice is used by the DJ of the funk radio Bounce FM. Clinton's composition Loopzilla was also included in the game's soundtrack.

In 2008, the musician recorded his latest album, George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love. He was helped by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Santana and several other musicians. Clinton is now a producer and helps young talents develop. His fans still hope that their idol will come to his senses and, despite his advanced age, will still release another album.