“Our band is made up of frustrated Jazz musicians, frustrated Rock musicians, frustrated Classical musicians, and frustrated Blues musicians. The only way for them to work out their frustrations is through the Funk.”-George Clinton.
Parliament-Funkadelic has operated as a musical “college” for most of its storied existence. Phenomenal musicians that utilize the organization’s revolving door policy, while still being faithful to the overarching concept that is P-Funk. The result has been industrial-strength Funk grooves that go in multiple directions at once. And in the end, it’s always on THE ONE!
In this four-part series, we’re going to examine four basic ingredients that make the well-oiled P-Funk machine the untouchable thang of its day (hell, any day). We’ll be putting the bassists, guitarists, drummers, and keyboardists under some careful examination while attempting to make sense of how their efforts helped to guide the path of the music from the 1970s into the present. And there’s no better place to start than those who were in charge of locking down the beat. To be clear, this analysis focuses on drummers who were featured prominently on both the P-Funk studio and live tours in concurrent fashion. So, without further delay, we bring you...
THE DRUMMERS OF PARLIAMENT-FUNKADELIC
Ramon “Tiki” Fulwood (May 23rd, 1944-October 29th, 1979)
Hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Tiki Fulwood is best known for his hellified drumming on the self-titled debut Funkadelic album, Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow, and Maggot Brain as well as the very first Parliament album Osmium. Tiki’s percussive approach can be described as “primal tribal”. Tiki would come back to the P-Funk fold numerous times up until 1975. He was the drummer for P-Funk in the first half of that year and he would also appear on Parliament’s first platinum-selling album Mothership Connection.
Tyrone Lampkin (August 19th, 1944-June 1987)
Tyrone Lampkin entered the P-Funk Army in 1972. Just in time for Funkadelic’s first double album America Eats Its Young. He takes center stage on the following release, Cosmic Slop. He is the lone drummer on that particular album. P-Funk keyboardist Bernie Worrell praised Lampkin’s exceptional drumming on the album’s title track. Tyrone Lampkin served as the drummer for both the One Nation and Motor Booty Affair tours.
Frankie “Kash” Waddy (November 30th 1948)
Due to the transitional nature of the America Eats Its Young album, that particular project also introduced Cincinnati-born and bred Frankie “Kash” Waddy to the Funkadelic fold. His previous position as drummer for the Bootsy Collins-led House Guests which also included guitarist Phelps “Catfish” Collins. “Kash” went on to serve as the drummer for the most successful P-Funk spin-off act: Bootsy’s Rubber Band. “Kash” returned to the band in August of 1993 and stayed until the mid-2010s.
Jerome “Big Foot” Brailey (August 20th, 1950)
Fresh off of a stint with the Chambers Brothers and the Five Stairsteps, Jerome Brailey debuts with the Funk Mob on the platinum-selling Parliament release Mothership Connection. He is one of the few drummers to earn a writer’s credit on a bonafide hit “Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)”. He became the central drummer of the historic Mothership Connection/P-Funk Earth Tour in 1976-77. He would depart in 1978 and then start his own Funk unit, “Mutiny” while assisting in the making of the debut album Quazar, led by fellow Parliament member Glenn Goins.
Dennis Chambers (May 9th, 1959)
Originating as the drummer for the P-Funk spin-off act the Brides Of Funkenstein at the age of 18, Baltimore-born Dennis Chambers ultimately became a prime figure in the 1983 “I Break For Atomic Dogs” tour. His high-powered drumming helped to create one of the tightest P-Funk tour lineups in the band’s history.
Dennis’ drumming can be found on the Parliament album Gloryhallastoopid, Never Buy Texas From A Cowboy by the Brides Of Funkenstein, and Live at the Beverly Theater in Hollywood by the P-Funk All-Stars. He then went on to work with Carlos Santana, John Scofield, and Steely Dan among others. Dennis Chambers was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2001.
Benzel Cowan (August 12th, 1983)
Recognizing that the Funk doesn’t fall far from the tree, Benzel Cowan, the son of P-Funk trumpeter Benny Cowan, took over drum duties in 2010 and still holds that position today. He was featured on the latest Parliament album Medicaid Fraud Dogg, as well as the 2018 P-Funk side project Detroit Rising: A Cosmic Jazz Funk Adventure.
Obviously, there has been an army of backbeat masters and percussion playas that rode the Mothership into intergalactic glory. A tip of the hat goes out to P-Funk’s African Telephone Operators: Gary Bronson, Ron Wright, Rico Lewis, Guy Curtis, Lonnie Greene, Larry Fratangelo, Kenny Colton, Carl “Butch” Small, Nate Jones, Gary “Mud Bone” Cooper, Bootsy Collins, and Tony Thomas.
