Editing George Clinton (funk musician) (section)

==Career==
===Beginnings===
George Edward Clinton was born in [[Kannapolis, North Carolina]],<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=274}}</ref> grew up in [[Plainfield, New Jersey]], and as of 2024<ref name="KeyTallahassee">{{cite web | last=Jordan | first=Gina | title=Funk pioneer George Clinton gets a key to the City of Tallahassee | website=WFSU News | date=22 February 2024 | url=https://news.wfsu.org/wfsu-local-news/2024-02-22/funk-pioneer-george-clinton-gets-a-key-to-the-city-of-tallahassee | access-date=18 August 2024}}</ref> has lived in [[Tallahassee, Florida]] for thirty years. During his teen years, Clinton formed a [[doo-wop]] group inspired by [[The Teenagers|Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers]] called [[the Parliaments]], while straightening hair at a barbershop in [[Plainfield, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/people/george-clinton-537674 |title=George Clinton - Singer, Songwriter - Biography |access-date=June 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181027215946/https://www.biography.com/people/george-clinton-537674 |archive-date=October 27, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The West End of Plainfield was once home to a barbershop on 216 Plainfield Avenue known as "Silk Palace". Owned in part by Clinton, it was staffed by various members of Parliament-Funkadelic, and known as the "hangout for all the local singers and musicians" in Plainfield's 1950s and 1960s doo-wop, [[Soul music|soul]], [[Rock music|rock]], and proto-[[funk]] music scene.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/04/20/524701804/george-clinton-and-killer-mike-talking-barber-shop|title=George Clinton And Killer Mike: Talking (Barber) Shop|website=Npr.org|access-date=October 15, 2019}}</ref><ref>Sammy Campbell and the Del Larks - Classic Urban Harmony. classicurbanharmony.net/wp-content/uploads/.../Sammy-Campbell-The-Del-Larks.pdf by T Ashley. The story of the Del Larks revolves around the extensive music careers of two individuals; Sammy. Campbell and Ron Taylor.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rocknrollspotlight.com/?p=467|title=George Clinton and the Parliaments – (Part One of Two) – Rock 'n' Roll Spotlight|website=Rocknrollspotlight.com|access-date=October 15, 2019}}</ref>

===1960s and 1970s===
For a period in the 1960s Clinton was a staff songwriter for [[Motown]]{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}. Despite initial commercial failure and one major hit single ("[[(I Wanna) Testify]]" in 1967), as well as arranging and producing scores of singles on many of the independent Detroit soul music labels, the Parliaments eventually found success under the names [[Parliament (band)|Parliament]] and [[Funkadelic]] in the 1970s (see also [[P-Funk]]). These two bands combined the elements of musicians such as [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[Sly and the Family Stone]], [[Frank Zappa]], and [[James Brown]] while exploring various sounds, technology, and lyricism. Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic dominated Black music during the 1970s, with over 40 R&B hit singles (including three number ones) and three [[platinum album]]s.

From 1971 to late 1973, Clinton and several other members of the band settled in [[Toronto]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/when-george-clinton-funked-up-to/article4462396/|title=When George Clinton funked up T.O.|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=August 3, 2012}}</ref> During their years in Toronto, they honed their live show and recorded the album ''[[America Eats Its Young]]'', which was their first to feature [[Bootsy Collins]].

=== 1980s ===
In the 1980s, Clinton began to encounter legal difficulties arising from [[PolyGram]]'s acquisition of Parliament's label, [[Casablanca Records]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://georgeclinton.com/bio/|title=Biography|website=Georgeclinton.com|access-date=October 15, 2019}}</ref> He recorded several solo albums, although all of these records featured contributions from P-Funk's core musicians. This period of Clinton's career was marred by multiple legal problems resulting in financial difficulties due to royalty and copyright issues, notably with [[Bridgeport Music]], who Clinton claims fraudulently obtained the copyrights to many of his recordings.<ref>Mike Masnick, [https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110614/23544414704/george-clinton-explains-how-bridgeport-allegedly-faked-documents-to-get-his-music-rights.shtml "George Clinton Explains How Bridgeport Allegedly Faked Documents To Get His Music Rights"], Techdirt, June 17, 2011.</ref>

In 1982, Clinton was signed to [[Capitol Records]] under two names: his own as a solo artist, and as the P-Funk All-Stars, releasing ''[[Computer Games (album)|Computer Games]]'' under his own name that same year.<ref name="allmusic.com">{{cite web|last=Bush |first=John |url={{AllMusic|class=artist |id=p65136 |pure_url=yes}} |title=George Clinton - Music Biography, Credits and Discography |website=[[AllMusic]] |date=July 22, 1940 |access-date=September 25, 2012}}</ref> The single "[[Loopzilla]]" hit the Top 20 on the [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] charts, followed by "[[Atomic Dog]]", which reached #1 R&B and #101 on the pop chart.<ref name="allmusic.com"/> In the next four years, Clinton released three more studio albums ''([[You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish]]'', ''[[Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends]]'', and ''[[R&B Skeletons in the Closet]]'') as well as a live album, ''[[Mothership Connection]] (Live from the Summit, Houston, Texas)'' and charting three singles in the R&B Top 30, "Nubian Nut", "Last Dance", and "[[Do Fries Go with That Shake?]]"

He is also a notable music producer who works on almost all the albums he performs on, and has produced albums for [[Bootsy Collins]] and [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]], among others. In 1985, he was recruited by the Chili Peppers to produce their album ''[[Freaky Styley]]'', because the band members were huge fans of his and of funk in general. Clinton wrote the vocals and lyrics to the title track, which was originally intended by the band to be left as an instrumental piece. The album was not a commercial success at the time. In 1987, Clinton was recruited to write the theme song for ''[[The Tracey Ullman Show]]'', "You're Thinking Right".

During the mid to late 1980s, many hip-hop and rap artists cited Clinton's earlier music as an influence. Along with [[James Brown]], Clinton's songs with Parliament-Funkadelic were often [[sampling (music)|sampled]] by rap producers.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Funky George Clinton and Crew Are Back|url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-16-ca-284-story.html|newspaper = Los Angeles Times|date = September 16, 1989|access-date = October 4, 2015|issn = 0458-3035|language = en|first = Jonathan|last = Gold}}</ref> "Sure, sample my stuff…" he remarked in 1996; "Ain't a better time to get paid than when you're my age. You know what to do with money. You don't buy as much pussy or drugs with it – you just buy ''some''."<ref>''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'', 1996, precise date unknown.</ref>

In 1989, Clinton released ''[[The Cinderella Theory]]'' on [[Paisley Park Records|Paisley Park]], [[Prince (musician)|Prince's]] record label.

=== 1990s to 2000s ===
[[File:George Clinton at Pori Jazz 2014.jpg|thumb|right|George Clinton performing with Parliament-Funkadelic at [[Pori Jazz]] 2014 in Finland]]

Clinton continued his work with Paisley Park with ''[[Hey, Man, Smell My Finger]]'' in 1993. The year 1994 saw Clinton contribute to several tracks on [[Primal Scream]]'s studio album ''[[Give Out But Don't Give Up]]''. In 1995, Clinton sang "Mind Games" on the [[John Lennon]] tribute ''[[Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon|Working Class Hero]]''.  Clinton then signed with [[550 Music|Sony 550]] and released ''[[T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M.]]'' ''(The Awesome Power of a Fully Operational Mothership)'' in 1996.

Clinton appeared in films such as ''[[Graffiti Bridge (film)|Graffiti Bridge]]'' (1990), ''[[House Party (film)|House Party]]'' (1990), ''[[PCU (film)|PCU]]'' (1994), ''[[Good Burger]]'' (1997), and ''[[The Breaks (1999 film)|The Breaks]]'' (1999). In 1994, he appeared as the host of the [[Anthology film|anthology]] television film ''[[Cosmic Slop (film)|Cosmic Slop]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Duffy|first=Mike|date=November 8, 1994|title=HBO's 'Cosmic Slop' is pleasantly weird|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106345480/detroit-free-press/|work=[[Detroit Free Press]]|location=Detroit, Michigan|access-date=July 26, 2022}}</ref> In 1997, he appeared as himself in the [[Cartoon Network]] show ''[[Space Ghost Coast to Coast]]''. Clinton also appeared as the voice of the Funktipus, the DJ of the [[funk]] radio station Bounce FM in the 2004 video game ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]'', in which his song "Loopzilla" also appeared.

Rapper [[Dr. Dre]] often sampled Clinton's music, helping to bring about the [[G-funk]] era. In 1999, Clinton collaborated with [[Lil' Kim]] and [[Fred Durst]] for rap metal group [[Methods of Mayhem]]'s single "[[Get Naked]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theorientaltheater.com/event/153396/george-clinton-and-parliament-funkadelic|title=George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic|website=Theorientaltheater.com|access-date=October 15, 2019}}</ref>

Displaying his influence on rap and hip hop, Clinton also worked with [[Tupac Shakur]] on the song "Can't C Me" from the album ''[[All Eyez on Me]]''; [[Ice Cube]] on the song and video for "[[Bop Gun (One Nation)]]" on the ''[[Lethal Injection (album)|Lethal Injection]]'' album (which sampled Funkadelic's earlier hit "[[One Nation Under a Groove]]"); [[Outkast]] on the song "Synthesizer" from the album ''[[Aquemini]]''; [[Redman (rapper)|Redman]] on the song "J.U.M.P." from the album ''[[Malpractice (Redman album)|Malpractice]]''; [[Souls of Mischief]] on "Mama Knows Best" from the album ''[[Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution]]''; [[Killah Priest]] on "Come With me" from the album ''[[Clergy|Priesthood]]''; the [[Wu-Tang Clan]] on "Wolves" from the album ''[[8 Diagrams]]''.

Clinton founded a record label called The C Kunspyruhzy in 2003. He had a cameo appearance in "[[Where Were We? (How I Met Your Mother)|Where Were We?]]", the season two premiere of the [[CBS]] television sitcom ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'', on September 18, 2006.

He appeared on the intro to [[Snoop Dogg]]'s ''[[Tha Blue Carpet Treatment]]'' album, released in 2007. Clinton was also a judge for the 5th annual Independent Music Awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/pastjudges.asp |title=Past Judges |publisher=Independent Music Awards |access-date=September 25, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713024722/http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/pastjudges.asp |archive-date=July 13, 2011 }}</ref>

On September 16, 2008, Clinton released a solo album, ''[[George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love]]'', on [[Shanachie Records]]. Largely a covers album, ''Gangsters'' features guest appearances from [[Sly Stone]], [[El DeBarge]], [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]], [[RZA]], [[Carlos Santana]], gospel singer [[Kim Burrell]] and more.<ref name="gangster">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1044956/george-clinton-goes-gangster-on-new-album |title=George Clinton Goes 'Gangster' On New Album |date=June 27, 2008| magazine=Billboard.com| last=Graff| first=Gary}}</ref>

On September 10, 2009, Clinton was awarded the Urban Icon Award from [[Broadcast Music Incorporated]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/539591 |title=BMI Honors George Clinton, T-Pain, Lil Wayne and Many More at Urban Awards in New York |work=[[Broadcast Music Incorporated]] |date=September 10, 2009 |access-date=September 7, 2010 }}</ref> The ceremony featured [[P-Funk]] associate [[Bootsy Collins]], as well contemporary performers such as [[Big Boi]] from [[Outkast]] and [[Cee-Lo Green]] from [[Goodie Mob]].

Also in 2009, Clinton was inducted into the [[North Carolina Music Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|title=2009 Inductees|url=http://northcarolinamusichalloffame.org/category/inductees/2009-inductees/|publisher=North Carolina Music Hall of Fame|access-date=September 10, 2012}}</ref>

=== 2010s to 2020s===
On March 7, 2010, Clinton voiced a colorful blob alien version of himself in [[T-Pain]]'s [[Adult Swim]] television movie ''[[Freaknik: The Musical]]''.

In May 2012, Clinton was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from [[Berklee College of Music]]. During the commencement concert, Clinton joined the college's P-Funk Ensemble to perform hits like "Testify," "Give Up the Funk," and "One Nation Under a Groove". He was accompanied by longtime horn players Bennie Cowan and Greg Thomas.<ref>[http://www.jambands.com/news/2012/02/17/george-clinton-accepts-honorary-doctor-of-music-degree-at-berklee "George Clinton Accepts Honorary Doctor of Music Degree at Berklee"], Jambands.com, February 17, 2017.</ref>

Clinton was a guest star in [[Odd Future]]'s television show ''[[Loiter Squad]]'' on [[Adult Swim]] in 2013.

On June 27, 2015, Clinton joined [[Mark Ronson]], [[Mary J. Blige]] and [[Grandmaster Flash]] on stage at the [[Glastonbury Festival]] to perform Ronson's hit "[[Uptown Funk]]".<ref>{{cite news|title=Mark Ronson at Glastonbury 2015 review – saving the best for last|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jun/26/mark-ronson-at-glastonbury-2015-review-mary-j-blige-kevin-parker-daniel-merriweather-kyle-falconer|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=June 28, 2015}}</ref> Clinton also appears with [[Kendrick Lamar]] on the song "Wesley's Theory" from the album ''[[To Pimp a Butterfly]].''

In March 2017, Clinton appeared on the [[Adult Swim]] television series ''[[FishCenter Live]]''. ''[[The Outline (website)|The Outline]]''{{'}}s Samuel Argyle described it as "[t]he episode that makes the most cohesive narrative sense."<ref name="Argyle 2019">{{cite web|last=Argyle|first=Samuel|title=A fantasy getaway in a fish tank|url=https://theoutline.com/post/7254/fishcenter-live-appreciation|work=[[The Outline (website)|The Outline]]|publisher=theoutline.com|date=March 29, 2019|access-date=March 30, 2019}}</ref>

Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic were slated to headline the seventh annual [[Treefort Music Fest]] in [[Boise, Idaho]] in 2018.<ref name="Treefort Music Fest 2018 initial lineup">{{cite web |url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/treefort-music-fest-2018-initial-lineup/ |title=Treefort Music Fest 2018 initial lineup |last=Sacher |first=Andrew |date=December 7, 2017 |website=Brooklyn Vegan |access-date=December 7, 2017}}</ref> The release of a new [[Parliament (band)|Parliament]] album, ''[[Medicaid Fraud Dogg]]'', was announced in March 2018. It was released May 22, 2018.

In April 2018, Clinton announced that he would retire from touring in May 2019. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' reported that Clinton had recently undergone [[Artificial cardiac pacemaker|pacemaker]] surgery, but he said that was not a factor in his decision.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/george-clinton-retires-from-touring-8395791 |title=Funk Icon George Clinton to Retire from Touring: Exclusive |first=Gail |last=Mitchell |date=April 27, 2018 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=May 13, 2018 }}</ref> He indicated that he expected Parliament-Funkadelic would continue to tour without him, saying "Truth be told, it's never really been about me. It's always been about the music and the band. That's the real P-Funk legacy. They'll still be funkin' long after I stop." Earlier in 2018, he told ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' that he had made a [[Holography|hologram]], suggesting that the band could "have it start performing in Vegas".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/george-clinton-to-retire-from-touring-in-2019-w519656 |title=George Clinton to Retire From Touring in 2019 |first=Daniel |last=Kreps |date=April 27, 2018 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=May 13, 2018 }}</ref> Clinton would un-retire a few years later.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/george-clinton-parliament-funkadelic-tour-2022-1324586/|title=George Clinton Returns from Retirement for Parliament-Funkadelic Tour|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=March 21, 2022}}</ref>

In December 2018, [[the Recording Academy]] announced that Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic would be given [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award|Lifetime Achievement Award]]s. The awards were presented on May 11, 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/recording-academy/news/dionne-warwick-donny-hathaway-more-receive-special-merit-awards |title=Dionne Warwick, Donny Hathaway & More To Receive Special Merit Awards |first=Nate |last=Hertweck |date=December 19, 2018 |publisher=[[The Recording Academy]] |access-date=January 6, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/grammys/8491078/black-sabbath-george-clinton-parliament-funkadelic-lifetime-achievement-grammys |title=Black Sabbath, George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic Among Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients |first=Rania |last=Aniftos |date=December 19, 2018 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=January 6, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/black-sabbath-george-clinton-to-get-lifetime-achievement-grammys-771365/ |title=Black Sabbath, George Clinton to Get Lifetime Achievement Grammys |first=Kory |last=Grow |date=December 19, 2018 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=January 6, 2019 }}</ref>

Clinton collaborated with [[Flying Lotus]] on his new album ''Flamagra'' released on May 24, 2019. The track "Burning Down the House" was co-written by Clinton.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.okayplayer.com/music/george-clinton-reddit-ama-flying-lotus-kendrick-lamar-funk.html|title=George Clinton Calls Flying Lotus, Thundercat & Kendrick Lamar "The New Generation Of Funk Musicians"|date=November 5, 2018|website=Okayplayer.com|access-date=October 15, 2019}}</ref>

On June 26, 2019, Clinton was named as a honoree by the [[National Museum of African American Music]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/george-clinton-gloria-gaynor-doug-e-fresh-national-museum-of-african-american-music-gala-8517825/|title=George Clinton, Gloria Gaynor & Doug E. Fresh Named National Museum of African American Music Honorees|magazine=Billboard|date=June 26, 2019}}</ref>

Clinton also provided the voice of King Quincy, leader of the funk trolls, in the 2020 animated film, ''[[Trolls World Tour]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2020/04/13/trolls-world-tour-how-george-clinton-p-funk-helped-make-hit-movie-funky/2983336001/|title=Trolls World Tour: How George Clinton of P-Funk helped make the hit movie funky|date=April 13, 2020|website=app.com|access-date=October 28, 2020}}</ref>

In 2022, Clinton competed in [[The Masked Singer (American TV series) season 8|season eight]] of ''[[The Masked Singer (American TV series)|The Masked Singer]]'' as "Gopher". After being eliminated on "Hall of Fame Night" alongside [[George Foreman]] as "Venus Fly Trap", Clinton did a performance of "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)" while backed up by [[Sheila E.]], [[Nick Cannon]], and [[Robin Thicke]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/the-masked-singer-season-8-episode-7-recap-george-foreman-clinton-leslie-jordan-1235428603/ | title='The Masked Singer' Reveals Identities of Gopher and Venus Flytrap: Here's Who They Are | date=November 10, 2022 |first1=Michael|last1=Schneider|website=Variety|publisher=Penske Media Corporation}}</ref> He also exhibited paintings and sculptures in a solo show at [[Jeffrey Deitch]] Gallery in Los Angeles with artist [[Lauren Halsey]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Amadour |title=15 Minutes with George Clinton |url=https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/15-minutes-with-george-clinton/ |website=Los Angeles Magazine|date=December 16, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/10/t-magazine/george-clinton-art.html|title=George Clinton on Painting, P-Funk and His Artistic Legacy|newspaper=New York Times|date=March 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-pictures/george-clinton-paintings-1234663249/|title=The Psychedelic Visions of George Clinton|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=January 28, 2023}}</ref>

On January 19, 2024, Clinton received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/george-clinton-receives-hollywood-walk-fame-star-1235585930/|title=George Clinton Pilots the Mothership to the Hollywood Walk of Fame|magazine=Billboard|date=January 21, 2024}}</ref>

On March 11, 2025, Clinton filed a $100 million lawsuit against [[Armen Boladian]], [[Bridgeport Music]], [[Westbound Records]], Nine Records, Southfield Music and Eastbound Records.