Don’t let Tuesday, July 17th turn into just another Tuesday- grab your dancing shoes and get down to The Varsity Theater for a beautiful night of music and dancing with George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic.
Recording both as Parliament and Funkadelic, George Clinton revolutionized R&B during the ’70s, twisting soul music into funk by adding influences from several late-’60s acid heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and Sly Stone. The Parliament/Funkadelic machine ruled black music during the ’70s, capturing over 40 R&B hit singles (including three number ones) and recording three platinum albums.
Born in Kannapolis, NC, on July 22, 1941, Clinton became interested in doo wop while living in New Jersey during the early ’50s. . Basing his group on Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, Clinton formed The Parliaments in 1955, rehearsing in the back room of a Plainfield barbershop where he straightened hair. The Parliaments released only two singles during the next ten years, but frequent trips to Detroit during the mid-’60s – where Clinton began working as a songwriter and producer – eventually paid off their investment.
The Parliaments finally had a hit with the 1967 single “(I Wanna) Testify” for the Detroit-based Revilot Records, but the label ran into trouble and Clinton refused to record any new material. Instead of waiting for a settlement, Clinton decided to record the same band under a new name: Funkadelic. Founded in 1968, the group began life as a smoke screen, claiming as its only members the Parliaments’ backing but in truth including Clinton and the rest of the former Parliaments lineup. Revilot folded not long after, with the label’s existing contracts sold to Atlantic; Clinton, however, decided to abandon the Parliaments name rather than record for the major label.
With an announcement of retirement in 2019, this could be George Clinton’s last visit to The Twin Cities so make sure to get tickets here before they run out!
Remaining Tour Dates:
07/12 – Fort Wayne, IN @ The Clyde Theatre
07/13 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe
07/17 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
07/21 – Warren, OH @ Packard Music Hall
08/01 – Ardmore, PA @ Ardmore Music Hall
08/04 – Beverly, MA @ The Cabot
08/10 – Jacksonville, NC @ The Tarheel
