On to the Lower Layers of Funk

When the top layers of Funk are pulled back, other layers of music are there. The more layers of Funk that we peel back, the more we find. Different forms of music are at those lower layers, and we must make sure to dig deep and reveal their existence.  Upon first inspection, we see the necessity to proceed on to the lower layers of Funk. In order to reach the core, look far beneath the surface and dig deeper.

In John Broven’s book, Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans,  Broven writes how, “Most of the R&B musicians were young men, a third generation of New Orleans musicians who were sympathetic and adaptable in their approach as their fathers and grandfathers before them.”  Those musicians dug toward the lower layers and made significant discoveries.  New Orleans definitely has direct ties to Funk music. Let’s look and see if something else can be found.  

Peel back a layer of Funk and Jazz music will be there. Sun Ra is a legendary Jazz musician who pioneered the aural universe. Two books explaining that journey are,  Space Is The Place: The Lives And Times Of Sun Ra, by John F. Szwed, and A Pure Solar World: Sun Ra and the Birth of  Afrofuturism, by Paul Youngquist.  Sun Ra represents a layer where Afrofuturism and space-influenced Funk originate.

Do you need another example of what the lower layers of Funk represent?  Rock music. Because of Chappelle’s Show, everyone knows who the late Funk musician Rick James is.  For those that do not know, the book, Super Freak: The Life of Rick James, by Peter Benjaminson tells Rick’s story. Rick James lived in Toronto for a while, before becoming a  Funk music star signed to Motown by the late 1970s.  He had previously been signed as a Rock act before he left for Canada. The Toronto music scene  was rich with musical groups and great musicians.  Groups like The Hawks (Bob Dylan’s back up band), Nick St. Nicholas (later of Steppenwolf), Neil Merryweather, and a whole Rock and Roll Hall of Fame assortment of musicians were there.

By the 1960s, names of artists like Ike Turner, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry were synonymous with Rock music. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Rick James to be in musical groups with Neil Young and Neil Merryweather. The Mynah Birds was the name of that band and its many incarnations featured many legendary musicians. As a singer, Rick James covered Mick Jagger’s songs so much that he was called ‘Rick Jagger.’ Benjaminson stated how, “It may be disconcerting to some that Rick, a black American, spent much of the first half of his career imitating a white English vocalist who imitated black soul singers.”  Rock music and Rhythm and Blues music may have been classified differently,  but their origins were the same: Negro Spirituals, Gospel, and Blues. 

Specifically, Benjaminson said, “One of the reasons Rick imitated Jagger as opposed to, say, Gordon Lightfoot, was that he was absolutely determined to become a rock star, not a folksinger.”  In the end, Rick James was never considered a rock star in the eyes of the recording industry. Commercial radio stations were always predominantly segregated, and most record labels followed that same protocol. The deeper layers  of Rick James’ life reveal the scabs of urban blight, segregation, and disenfranchisement.  If he wasn’t cast from the mold of a little boy that grew up in the projects in Buffalo, New York, more audiences might have been exposed to his music.  No need for sympathy though. Rick James’ music stands on its own and United States history tells the full story.

In John Broven’s book, Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans,  Broven writes how, “Most of the R&B musicians were young men, a third generation of New Orleans musicians who were sympathetic and adaptable in their approach as their fathers and grandfathers before them.”  Those musicians dug for the lower layers and arrived there.  Which aspects of Funk are clearly connected to deeper layer of music? The answer is Sun Ra, the legendary jazz musician who sonically explored the universe like never before. The books for that story are,  Space Is The Place: The Lives And Times Of Sun Ra, by John F. Szwed, and A Pure Solar World: Sun Ra and the Birth of  Afrofuturism, by Paul Youngquist.  Sun Ra is the place where space-influenced Funk came from.

Do you need another example of what the lower layers of Funk represent?  Everyone knows who the late Funk musician Rick James is.  For those that do not know, the book, Super Freak: The Life of Rick James, by Peter Benjaminson tells Rick’s story.  Rick James spent time in Canada, before he became a Funk music superstar in the late 1970s.  The Toronto music scene included various individuals, musical groups, and musical styles, and many of those musicians would be classified as rock musicians.  Groups like The Hawks (Bob Dylan’s back up band), Nick St. Nicholas (later of Steppenwolf), Neil Merryweather, and a whole Rock and Roll Hall of Fame assortment of musicians were there.

As a singer, Rick James covered Mick Jagger’s songs so much that he was called ‘Rick Jagger’ in Canada. Benjaminson stated how, “It may be disconcerting to some that Rick, a black American, spent much of the first half of his career imitating a white English vocalist who imitated black soul singers.”  The lower layers of Funk actually demonstrate that Rock and Soul music’s origins come from the same source: the blues.  When Rick James began his solo career, he could have easily been included on Rock  music, radio station playlists.  Because of race (and after signing a solo recording contract with Motown Records), he was categorized as a Rhythm & Blues musician. Why? Music industry politics is why.

Specifically, Benjaminson said, “One of the reasons Rick imitated Jagger as opposed to, say, Gordon Lightfoot, was that he was absolutely determined to become a rock star, not a folksinger.”  In the end, Rick James was never a rock star in the eyes of the music industry. The layers  of Rick James’ music,  when peeled, revealed the scabs of urban blight, segregation, and disenfranchisement.  If he wasn’t cast from the mold of a little boy that grew up in the projects in Buffalo, New York, he might have been allowed to play music for audiences on a different stage. 

The lower layers of Funk often go untouched. In the event someone discovers what the lower layers look like, they might still miss the  point, because few music industry executives want to acknowledge the inequities and exploitation involved. Peel back a few centuries of race and ask others to look at the United States closely.  We’d see field songs, chain gangs, work chants, spirituals, and gospel music. Include the blues, jazz, soul, and then Funk.  Whenever layers of Funk are peeled back, people are afraid to look closely, because they may see blood stains and pain.  Those broken bodies represent the broken voices  that sing the songs of departed souls.  The surface-sounds that we hear are Funk.  To make sure of what it is, always look at the lower layers of the Funk.