Born on July 22: George Clinton, the slightly eccentric genius of American funk

The indomitable granddad of American funk, from Kannapolis, North Carolina, is celebrating his 85th birthday and taking on the multinational corporation Universal in court.

Along with Sly Stone and James Brown, he is rightly considered one of the founding fathers of funk—with a serious dash of madness to boot! Parliament and Funkadelic, the two bands he firmly led in the ’70s and the following decade, regularly soared into psychedelic flights of fancy bordering on science fiction. So much so that George Clinton’s body of work earned its own label. P-Funk is him, and him alone, along with a few of his closest disciples.

After gradually bringing the Parliament and Funkadelic chapters to a close, Clinton continued to keep the P-Funk flame alive, first with albums featuring titles that were clearly inspired by psychedelics (such as “You Shouldn’t Nuf Big Fish” in 1983 or “Hey Man, Smell My Finger” ten years later). Starting in the late ’90s, the great George limited himself to compilations, remixes, or live versions of his devastating anthems.

If you’re not familiar with this eccentric genius, start by listening to his “Atomic Dog.” You’ll be mesmerized… or not!

In May 2026, George Clinton filed a lawsuit against the record label Universal Music Group (UMG) for breach of contract and non-payment of royalties. For reasons that remain somewhat unclear, UMG is currently withholding 100% of the revenue generated by his solo albums, as well as those of his bands Parliament and Funkadelic, and even his collaborations with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Clinton is not at all pleased to be put on a bread-and-water diet by the all-powerful hydra that is the music industry!

Photo: George Clinton at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels (Belgium) in January 1990