Under the direction of mastermind George Clinton, the associated groups Parliament and Funkadelic established funk as an heir to and outgrowth of soul. If James Brown was funk's founding father, Clinton has been its chief architect and tactician. Over the decades, he's presided over a musical empire that's included Parliament and Funkadelic, as well as numerous offshoots. The pioneering work of Parliament and Funkadelic in the Seventies - driven by Clinton's conceptually inventive mind and the band members' tight ensemble playing - prefigured everything from rap and hip-hop to techno and alternative. Clinton's latter-day disciples include Prince and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Between them, Parliament and Funkadelic virtually defined the melting pot known as funk: a free-form melding of rhythm & blues, jazz, gospel and psychedelic rock. Though his musical productions have been typified by danceable grooves and driven by a laser-sharp sociological wit, Clinton's ultimate goal is serious: "I am intent on making the word funk as legitimate as jazz and rock and roll."

SOURCE: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum