George Clinton to release new effort in October

GEORGE CLINTON, ringmaster of the longest running funk circus since James Brown’s golden age, had a dream – a dream of taking his favorite R&B, doo wop and slow jams to re-create the sexy-steamy vibe of an ol’ school “blue lights in da basement” session. So he sent out invites to his rainbow coalition of musical friends. Before long, rock icons Sly Stone, Carlos Santana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, soul crooner El DeBarge, hip hop producer The RZA, gospel star Kim Burrell, and Shavo from the alternative band System of a Down were ALL laying down grooves “on the 1!”

Members of the P-Funk All-Stars also came to the party, including Gary Shider, Belita Woods and others. The result: GEORGE CLINTON AND SOME GANGSTERS OF LOVE, a mash note to richly righteous and soulful courtship of days gone by, slated for release on Shanachie Records – October 7, 2008.

“I’ve been waiting for years to do this record,” George proclaims. “I knew that funk would come back. I knew that Motown would come back. And I knew, eventually, doo-wop would come back. I just felt I should be the one to usher it back in!”

Those who know George Clinton – the funk master who actually came up during the vocal group era – know that long before the funk mob known as Parliament-Funkadelic, he fronted a stand-up vocal group known simply as The Parliaments in 1955, which later morphed into a soul group of the same name that scored a minor hit in 1967 with “I Wanna Testify.”

At the core of George’s latter days funk there was always a lot of heart, so no one should be surprised by the top choice classics he hand-picked for his sacred detour back through music’s soul music’s tunnel of love.

Just a few of the songs near and dear to Grandpa Funk’s heart are the late, great Johnny Ace’s “Pledging My Love” from the `50s (the original of which was recorded shortly before the singer killed himself playing Russian Roulette), Motown master Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t That Peculiar” from the `60s, and dearly departed Maestro of Love Barry White’s “Never, Never Gonna Give You Up” from the `70s. In addition to these decades-spanning gems, GEORGE CLINTON AND SOME GANGSTERS OF LOVE also features two original Clinton compositions: an early Parliaments tune entitled “Heart Trouble” as well as the brand new “Mathematics of Love.”

George Clinton has a way of not only crossing musical boundaries but also generational boundaries. As a result, the musicians on GEORGE CLINTON AND SOME GANGSTERS OF LOVE came of age in different eras and come from different worlds.

“I want to get all the young musicians together with all the old school musicians,” George notes. “We need to come together! There shouldn’t be any division in music. Soon as we got Sly and Santana, everyone wanted to get on the bandwagon.”

Some might question how the hip-hop generation relates to romantic old school R&B, but George isn’t one of them. “Rappers have been flirting with it all along, “he says. “Even Snoop Dogg is singing! They just call it R&B now. This is only one step back from what they are doing. The simplicity of it is the connection. Anything simple is funk.”

It’s all part of George’s program to re-insert more humanistic and musical values into the contemporary landscape of today’s pop-soul music. So - once again - do not attempt to adjust your radio. There is nothing wrong. George Clinton has taken control to bring you a special show – a reminder of finer and funkier things, most righteously dubbed GEORGE CLINTON AND SOME GANGSTERS OF LOVE.