Funkadelic

George Clinton was the leader of a collective of funk musicians in the 70s who mostly recorded under two names: Parliament and Funkadelic. Together they were known as the P-funk collective, or Parliament-Funkadelic. The collective included several defectors from James Brown's backing bands - including Bootsy Collins, Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker - who would go on to successful solo careers. They were also well-known for their theatrical live shows, which involved spaceships, light-shows and outrageous costumes. The P-Funk musicians would become a huge influence on hip-hop, and artists like Prince and Rick James.

Funkadelic recorded for Westbound and Warner Bros. and were sometimes said to be "too white for black folks", because they often sounded like a rock band. In fact they combined funk, psychedelic rock and disco to produce several highly acclaimed and influential albums in the 70s.

The best example of their rock-guitar sound comes in the title track to perhaps their most revered album Maggot Brain (1971). Guitarist Eddie Hazel was told to "play like your momma just died" and produced one of the most famous guitar solos ever. That was uncharacteristically morose for Funkadelic though, as most of their material was upbeat party music. Particular highlights include their psychedelic debut Funkadelic; 1978's One Nation Under a Groove (and the title track, which was a huge R&B hit); and 1981's The Electric Spanking of War-Babies.