Parliament Funkadelic was inspired by Motown. George Clinton, Parliament Funkadelic’s, founder initially began songwriting for Motown. Clinton combined musicians he’d previously worked with to form what we know as Parliament Funkadelic.The initial traditional rock band inspired by James Brown and Sly Stone was named the Parliaments. This band was started in Plainfield, New Jersey. After experiencing problems with the label company, Clinton abandoned the Parliament name and renamed the group Funkadelic. For at least a decade, that’s what the group would release music under. Most of the bands sound was influenced by James Brown, 1960 styles, and out of this world wardrobes. As seen by the gallery above, their stage costumes were not your average.
George Clinton created Parliament Funkadelic as to way to attract those in the African American communities to music similar to rock music. To get a new sound he would combined psychedelic music with funk music. To attract an even bigger audience George Clinton believed that dressing up would be far more interesting than plain clothes. Parliament Funkadelic had become free of expression. Afros, colored hair, costumes, etc were used for each performance.
Parliament Funkadelic is still on tour today. Most of the members consist of the children of the original Parliament Funkadelic crew. As os 2018 George Clinton still keeps up with the shows and performances of Parliament Funkadelic. However, in an interview he mentions that he will be retiring at the age of 77. It is important to note that George Clinton himself inspired younger bands like Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Fishbone, Childish Gambino, and Kendrick Lamar.
