Another genre of music that was said to begin in New Orleans
is Funk. Funk music was given its name
from a “slang expression with sexual connotations. In musical terms, it originally meant
anything that was off the traditional path or something that was funky,
especially in the sense of being syncopated” (A Very Brief History). New Orleans natives, Fats Domino and piano
player Henry Roeland “Roy” Byrd, were credited with some of the first funk
sounds. This is because their sounds
combined New Orleans second lines with rock n’ roll and blues. Around the 1950’s soul music was formed from
funk music with Ray Charles being the first prominent performer. Other driving forces of funk and soul music
include the likes of James Brown, who later became the “Godfather of Soul.” In the 1960’s, Motown Records in Detroit was
founded by Berry Gordy. This is where
the famous Funk Brothers recorder and played hundreds of recording by other
artists without credit such as the Beatles and Beach Boys. By the end of the 1960’s funk music had
become mainstream with several of bands using the style of music. Funk music began to diminish globally in the
1980’s even though some of the funk rhythm section had made their way into
popular pop music through artists like Michael Jackson and Prince. Some popular rock n’ roll groups, such as Red
Hot Chili Peppers and Dave Matthews Band, still use the funk sound into their
music (A Very Brief History).
Works Cited
"A
Very Brief History of Funk Music." Sharp and Pointed. N.p., 28 Apr.
2014. Web. 2 Jan. 2016.
<https://seesharppress.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/
a-very-brief-history-of-funk-music-from-a-bassists-viewpoint/>.
Red Hot Chili Peppers: a band who have used the bass sound that is found in funk in some of their tracks
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