American Roots: Funk Music

     Funk music is a genre that was prevalent in America during the 1960s and 1970s. To track its evolution, you have to start back in the colonial era of America. When slaves were brought over, they brought their music traditions from Sub-Saharan Africa, which became work songs that they sang daily. Work songs later evolved into gospel, which turned into blues music, the first popularized genre of purely American music. Blues later inspired what became jazz and soul. These, in turn, inspired what became known as funk music. Funk music utilizes characteristics of these earlier genres and roots.    

     The term “funk” was generally used to describe gross smells prior to the music genre. However, there were positive connotations to the word for some people. IN African American communities, “funk” could refer to the smell of sweat, but that was associated with genuine hard work being done as a musician. Whether that be working on stage or from a performance, it was a term with good connotations to it. Eventually, the terms “funk” and “funky” began being used to describe jazz, but they were not always taken well. When the style began to change into what we know today as funk, the term found good use. “Funk” could then be used to describe the new elements that the music brought to the table. 

Funk music has some notable characteristics. One is that it is very heavy on syncopation, which is when notes are played on the offbeat rather than on the beat. The first beat of each measure, however, is played very strongly and/or accented. Seventh chord variants are also commonly used. Those are used because they have a dense sound that adds to the funkiness. It is known to have a dance-like quality to the music, which is driven primarily by bass guitar. 

While bass guitar is a key part of funk music, there is a large variety of other instruments that are used as well. Electric guitars are often used, with two guitarists playing in a call-and-response manner, another element from its Sub-Saharan roots. Pianos and synthesizers are used, and synthesizers help add to the funk of it. There is a variety of brass instruments used, including trumpets, trombones, and saxophones. The polyrhythmic beats are played by drums. 

The vocals for funk tend to have very similar qualities to other genres with African American roots, such as jazz and blues. However, funk music has much more energy and has an almost staccato, or short, sound to it. Funk is all about keeping up the energy and having something to dance and vibe to. The call-and-response element stays intact though, typically between backing vocals and a lead singer. It also includes a good amount of improvisation, as does its predecessors, such as blues and jazz.  The lyrics generally revolved around issues that black people faced, from politics to discrimination. However some songs were not as heavy in material. In the later evolution of funk music, singers, such as Prince, embraced the more sexual expression in their lyrics and popularized the songs with these sorts of themes. 

Funk specifically was inspired in New Orleans. New Orleans blues began to mix with Afro-Cuban styles of music. This created what became known as New Orleans rhythm and blues, or New Orleans R&B. This had more elements of polyrhythms and swing, specifically from Cuban music. Musicians outside of New Orleans began utilizing these characteristics and adding their own elements to it. James Brown is credited with using this to create some of the first songs to be classified as funk music. 

In the 1960s, James Brown was the first popularizer of funk music. He had several hits, probably the most well known one being “I Got You (I Feel Good).” He was the one to bring the main elements of funk together. From the first beat emphasis, to the polyrhythmic qualities, to the general quality of the vocals. His music was made to recreate the “ecstatic ambience of the black church,” just minus the religious aspect of it. Other hits of his included “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag Pt. 1,” “It’s A Man’s Man’s World,” and “Get Up Offa That Thing.” 

Later, funk had a subgenre emerge called funk rock. It was a mix of funk music and psychedelic rock. A big popularizer of this specific subgenre was George Clinton, along with the two bands he was in, Parliament and Funkadelic, also referred to as “P-Funk” as the bands’ popularity grew. 

Though funk influenced other genres during the 60s, the 70s was when funk began to take the main stage. Bands and artists such as Sly and the Family Stone, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Con Funk Shun, Kool and the Gang, and Stevie Wonder, began to become more popular and got radio hits. Popular disco hits from the time, including “Le Freak” by Chic, included funk elements in them. Funk music was everywhere, even in songs that were not considered to be funk music. 

Chaka Khan was a very popular artist, and has in fact been nicknamed the “Queen of Funk.” She has won ten Grammys, and worldwide she has sold approximately 70 million records. She started out working with another band called Rufus, but eventually went solo and was very successful in doing so. She sang the hit song “I Feel For You,” which was actually written for her by Prince. She is still active in music today. 

Another version of funk came to be in the 1980s called synth-funk. Synth-funk was known to use more electronic instruments and synthesizers while still keeping the elements of original funk. A major player in the popularization of synth-funk was Prince. He was known to be just as influential and impactful on funk music as James Brown was. Prince changed funk to include more sexual content though, and did not play on the improvisation element as much. Though funk began to fade out of the spotlight more after this era, funk elements were still very present in music, and still are in some music today. 

Works Cited:

MasterClass. “Funk Music Guide: Understanding Funk Music - 2021.” MasterClass, MasterClass, 5 Mar. 2021, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/funk-music-guide#what-is-funk-music. 

“Funk.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Oct. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funk#History. 

“Chaka Khan.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Oct. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaka_Khan. 

“Music History of the United States.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Oct. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_history_of_the_United_States#Soul_and_funk. 

“Funk.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/art/funk.