Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner (Ohio

Players)
Ohio Player Sugarfoot not only
introduced the nasal "aw garl" style
of singing to funk music, he also
played a mean guitar. His single
note wah-wah work on tunes like
Skin Tight is great, as is his
scratchy rhythm on the likes of
Love Rollercoaster and Fire.
Bonner is also one of those
annoying funkateers (Leo
Nocentelli is antother) who
effortlessly peels off a complicated,
swinging jazz solo every now and
then - as on Sweet Sticky Thing.
James Brown's funky axemen
If one player invented funk rhythm
playing, it was probably James
Brown's trusty sideman Jimmy
Nolen. Jimmy's inventions were
elaborated on by his successor
(and eventually also predecessor
as Nolen returned when he
left) Phelps "Catfish" Collins.
Catfish is an incredibly underrated
player, behind many of James
Brown's, The JB's, Bootsy Collins'
and some of Parliament's funkiest
recordings. Meanwhile, it is a little
known fact that Nolen's
partner "Country" Kellum often
played the trademark scratchy
rhythm parts, with Nolen
contributing repeating single note
figures (a two guitar approach later
mirrored by the Average White
Band). Check out James Brown's
Love Power Peace and Sex
Machine albums to hear Catfish on
fine form. Nolen and Kellum are all
over The 20th Aniversary
Collection, latter-day classic The
Payback and The JB's Anthology.
Steve Cropper (Booker T and the
MG's)
Steve "The Colonel" Cropper is a
member of Booker T and the MG's
and his impeccable Telecaster
playing can be heard on many of
soul's greatest hits (Knock On
From the late
seventies to
this day,
Hampton is
joined
by Dewayne
"Blackbyrd"
McKnight,
formerly of
the
Headhunters
and Herbie
Hancock, another true funk
virtuoso. Most of the above also
feature on Bootsy Collins' albums,
but the most impressive rhythm
duties on these are handled by his
brother Catfish (check the
Oklahoma live 1976 album), who
also contributed the insanely funky
rhythm part to Parliament's smash
Flash Light. Though Eddie Hazel
sometimes crops up near the
bottom of "Greatest Guitarists
Ever" lists, he, Hampton and
Blackbyrd are criminally
underrated. Part of this may be
due to racism in the music industry
(a black guy playing heavy rock
solos in the seventies didn't and
doesn't fit some people's
preconceptions). But is also
doesn't help that the credits on
classic mid-period Funkadelic
albums rarely clarify who played
what, making it hard to single out
one or two guitar heroes.
Prince
The last of the great funk
guitarists? Whatever your feelings
about the purple squiggly midget
Jehova's witness, no-one with
even a passing interest in funk
guitar can miss tracks like
Controversy, Kiss, Alphabet Street
and Sign "O" the Times. Prince's
perfectly timed chucking often
provides the only organic groove in
an electronic arrangement, usually
with great tone, too. And he's
fabulous at
Hendrix/Funkadelic/Santana style
Wood, Soul Man, Sitting On The
Dock Of The Bay). Time is Tight,
the title of one of his best-loved
songs just about says it all. The
MG's were one hell of a tight unit.
Check out Melting Pot for some
minority complex-inducing rhythm
playing.
Jesse Johnson (The Time)
These days, most people know
that the guitar player on the first
two Time albums was actually
Prince. Their third, Ice Cream
Castle, however not only features
their biggest hit (Jungle Love), but
also some of the best guitar
playing in the groups history. The
underrated successor
Pandemonium is also full of tasty
guitar playing. Johnson later went
on to solo semi-fame.
Jimi Hendrix
Many funk guitarists owe their
careers at least in part to the
innovations of James Marshall
Hendrix, very likely the greatest
guitarist this world will ever see.
Check Band of Gypsies for Jimi at
his funkiest and dream about what
might have happened had he lived.
Or listen to Axis: Bold as Love to
hear how much can be said with a
clean sound and partial chords. A
final tip: the intro to Killing Floor
(Live at Monterey) features what
must be the most exciting
lead/rhythm hybrid playing ever.
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield's unorthodox tuning
and partial chords revolutionised
rhythm playing before there was
funk. Check his inventive
lead/rhythm lines on Curtis Live
and find out where Hendrix got that
bit from.
Leo Nocentelli (Meters)
If anyone could be called the
ultimate funk guitarist, Nocentelli
psychedelic blues soloing too. His
leads on Purple Rain and Let's Go
Crazy are well known, but for
something a little more obscure
and funky, check out his 80's
twelve-inches, the instrumental
album N.E.W.S or the One Night
Alone Live box set.
Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson"
Raglin
Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Raglin
played THAT guitar part on the
Temptations' Papa Was A Rolling
Stone. What else do you need to
know? Well, maybe that he also
played great parts on most other
stuff they recorder with producer
Norman Whitfield. Oh, and be sure
to check his fantastic playing on
Marvin Gaye's Let's Get it On and
Herbie Hancock's Man-Child. (This
album's Hang up your Hang-ups is
a certified and much sampled
classic).
Nile Rodgers
On the edge of disco and funk, Nile
Rodgers brought incredible rhythm
playing to music that may not suit
the tastes of every funkateer. Make
up your own mind. I personally feel
that his playing deserves better
music, but also that no funk
guitarist can live without Le Freak,
Good Times and I Want Your Love.
If you can't get yourself to buy a
Chic record, at least get David
Bowie's Let's Dance and hear him
playing with Stevie Ray Vaughan -
an unusual but inspired
combination (Rogers later
produced SRV's own album with
his brother Jimmy).
Freddie Stone (Sly and the
Family Stone)
Sly's Tele-toting brother Freddie's
playing set the standards in terms
of locking in with the bass. His
choppy licks perfectly fit in with
Larry Graham's groundbreaking
slapping on tracks like Thank You
would be a natural choice. Tight-
yet-loose rhythm, precise,
aggressive lead, incredible riffs, the
guy can do it all. Check all their
early albums, but especially The
Meters (funky instrumentals) and
Rejuvenation. You could learn all
you need to know about funk guitar
from these two albums.
The P-Funk Guitar Army
George Clinton's Parliament-
Funkadelic has featured an
impressive series of lead guitarists
through the years. First off was the
late Eddie Hazel, probably the
truest heir to Jimi Hendrix' crown.
His solo on Funkadelic's Maggot
Brain, though very "delic" and not
really funky, is a bona fide classic.
But Hazel consistently delivered
brilliant leads and riffs throughout
the first half of the seventies. While
the P-Funk guitar army consisted
of many fine players like Gary
"Starchild" Shider and the sadly
missed Glenn Goins, the one to
really fill Hazel's shoes was and
is Michael "Kidd Funkadelic"
Hampton.
(Falettin' Me Be Mice Elf Agin).
Also, with Sing a Simple Song,
Freddie delivered funk's
Satisfaction - the ultimate riff.
Roger Troutman (Zapp)
Zapp's Roger Troutman was
probably THE funk guitarist of the
early eighties. Similar in style to
Prince, Troutman's rhythm playing
was as tight as it was funky. He
was also a mean jazz/blues soloist.
But Roger Troutman is probably
best remembered as the absolute
master of the Talk box. Check out
More Bounce To The Ounce, So
Ruff So Tuff or Heartbreaker to
hear the man's sadly missed,
devastating chops.
And also...
Many more players contributed to
the history of funk guitar. Few
remember the guitarists who
played the legendary riffs on Kool
and The Gang's Funky Stuff,
Fatback's Yum Yum (Gimme
Some), The Bar Kay's Son of
Shaft, Funk Inc's Kool is Back and
other classic funk jams. Even
Charles "Skip" Pitts, who played
the legendary wah-wah intro to
Isaac Hayes' Shaft is hardly a
household name. So be it. Funk,
as George Clinton puts it, is its own
reward. The best way to say "thank
you" to these great guitarists is to
join or start a funk band and help
keep funk music alive!