Funk Soul
tagStarted 1969Peak 1973-1979Last big hit 1981
Located in 1 route
Soul singing welded to hard live-band funk: a drummer locking 'on the one,' a fat fingered or slapped bassline, scratchy wah-wah guitar and punchy horn riffs, with lead and call-and-response vocals riding the pocket. Tighter and more song-shaped than jam funk, built for radio and the dancefloor at once.
History
Grew out of late-'60s soul as bands followed James Brown's rhythmic blueprint into self-contained funk units. Detroit's Ohio Players, Scotland's Average White Band and New Jersey's Kool & the Gang turned funk into tight, hook-driven soul records across the mid-'70s, charting on both R&B and pop lists before disco and synths reshaped the sound.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- Fire — Ohio PlayersSpotifyYouTube
- Pick Up the Pieces — Average White BandSpotifyYouTube
- Jungle Boogie — Kool & the GangSpotifyYouTube
- Tell Me Something Good — Rufus featuring Chaka KhanSpotifyYouTube
- That Lady (Part 1 & 2) — The Isley BrothersSpotifyYouTube
- Play That Funky Music — Wild CherrySpotifyYouTube
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funk
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/funk-ma0000002590
- https://timeline.carnegiehall.org/genres/funk