Parliament

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.

Parliament mostly recorded for Casablanca, and while Funkadelic had a rockier sound, Parliament went all-out deep funk, with horns, keyboards and the bass guitar featuring prominently. Their most acclaimed album is Mothership Connection (1975), but Clones of Dr. Funkenstein (1976), Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome (1977) and Motor Booty Affair (1978) are also regarded as classic funk albums.