Funk Music
James Gadson is among the most recorded drummers in history! His career began as a member of the Charles Wright band in the late 1960s and soon expanded to studio work. James can be heard on thousands of hit recordings with artists ranging from Paul McCartney to Rose Royce. His Hal Leonard DVD...
Larry Dodson Sr. was asked to become the first singer in the Bar-Kays back in 1970. The band started out as an instrumental group in the 1960s and gained world-wide fame as Otis Redding band. When Otis and four members of the band died in a 1967 plane crash, two surviving band members decided to...
Ernie Vincent played a key role in expanding the role New Orleans played in music on a national and international level. As a songwriter he wrote the funk based songs "Dap Walk" as well as many others based on the blues and zydeco. "Dap Walk" proved that New Orleans was not just about jazz and the...
George Porter Jr. has proven himself to be one of the bedrocks that make up the foundation of the New Orleans music scene. While starting out briefly on guitar, George quickly transitioned to bass where he really hit his stride. After some prompting from Art Neville, George became an integral part...
Walter “Wolfman” Washington has been a staple on the New Orleans music scene since first picking up a guitar in the 1950s. After some minor correction on technique and tuning, Wolfman hit the ground running by joining Lee Dorsey’s band after which Wolfman went on to form and front a number of his...
Allen Toussaint represented one of the quintessential New Orleans sounds. Toussaint’s compositions and songs seamlessly blend blues, jazz, ragtime, R&B, and funk to create an amalgam that is unique and readily identifiable to New Orleans. Starting on piano in the 1940s and initially influenced...
Lester Abrams is the songwriter who teamed up with Michael McDonald to pen the Doobie Brothers hit "Minute by Minute." As a teenager and playing drums, Lester's first band was the El Doradoe. He later switched to keyboard and after playing with a few other bands landed in the innovative band...
Freddie Washington is proud of the connections he has made in the music world as a bass player and that his passion for music has led to so many opportunities to make music with other passionate musicians! His first professional gig was with Herbie Hancock when Freddie was 19 years old. He later...
Larry Graham fondly recalls stepping out onto stage to perform at Woodstock! He remembers the sea of people and the energy in the air as he performed as a member of Sly & the Family Stone. Larry recorded many of the band’s big hits in the 1960s and early 70s before he formed his own funk band...
Larry "Moogstar" Clemon gained his nickname playing synthesizers for several funk and R&B bands such as the Zapp Band and Cameo. While working with Roger Troutman with the Zapp Band, Moogstar helped design a wireless vocoder to make it possible for Roger to walk into the crowds while...