| Con Funk Shun |
Article Index for Con |
Website Links For Con |
Information AboutCon Funk Shun |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CON FUNK SHUN | |
| funk musical groups | |
| 1970s music groups | |
| 1980s music groups | |
| california musical groups | |
|
THE EARLY YEARS Con Funk Shun was formed in Vallejo, California by high-school classmates Louis A. McCall and Michael V. Cooper. With Louis on drums and percussion and Michael providing lead vocals and lead guitar, the group included Karl "Deacon" Fuller (trumpet), Paul "Maceo" Harrell (saxophone/flute) Cedric Martin (bass Guitar), Danny "Sweet Man" Thomas (keyboards), and Felton "Slyde Clyde" Pilate (trombone/lead vocals). Originally named Project Soul, the group became a backup band for the Stax Records artists The Soul Children in the early 1970s Renaming themselves Confunkshun, the group moved to Memphis, Tennessee and became one of the label's most sought-after studio bands. They supported themselves by performing throughout the mid-South and Japan at clubs and colleges. They came to the attention of Estelle Axton and recorded an album and several singles on her Fretone Records label. THE MERCURY RECORDS YEARS By 1976, Con Funk Shun, was one of the most popular groups in the South but still had not secured a major recording deal. That all changed in July 1976 when Mercury Records A&R man Jud Phillips finally signed the group to a major recording contract. By that time, drummer Louis McCall's wife, publicist/songwriter Linda Lou McCall , had "tweaked" the spelling of the band's name (originally "Confunkshun"), and their first album, "Con Funk Shun", was released later that year. The band's second album ''Secrets'' was released in 1977 to critical and commercial success. Their first hit single was "Ffun", written by Michael Cooper rose swiftly up the charts and landed at "#1 With A Bullet" on Billboard magazine's Top Soul Singles chart in July 1977. Over the course of 10 years, Con Funk Shun recorded 11 albums with Mercury, with five of them achieving " Gold Album " status (selling in excess of 500,000 units). The band performed to sold-out coliseums all over the country. They had numerous Top 40 hits including "Chase Me", "Love's Train", " Bad Lady ", "Straight From The Heart", and "Shake & Dance With Me". THE LATER YEARS ''Burning Love'', Con Funk Shun's last album with Mercury, was recorded without lead singer/songwriter, Felton Pilate, who left the group in 1986 to become a successful producer and musical director for rap phenom, MC Hammer . He was later nominated for a Grammy for co-producing Hammer 's hit record " U Can't Touch This ". Melvin Carter, a frequent collaborator of Con Funk Shun, replaced Felton. The same year Michael Cooper left for a solo career. Louis McCall also left to become a consultant and event producer with clients such as MC Hammer , Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte , and to join his wife in marketing such contemporary artists as Eminem , Puff Daddy (now "Diddy"), Mya , and the Black-Eyed Peas . Con Funk Shun disbanded after their last album with Mercury in late 1986. However, in the 1990s, lead singers Michael Cooper and Felton Pilate began performing under the group's name with sidemen in place of their former bandmates. Although missing the tightness of its legendary rhythm section, the reconstituted group still performs at "old school' concerts and festivals throughout the country. The original band's music can still be heard in such recent films as '' Gone In 60 Seconds '', '' Next Friday '', and '' An American Pimp ''. Tragically, co-founder/drummer Louis A. McCall was murdered on June 25 , 1997 in Stone Mountain, Georgia in a home invasion robbery. The case is still unsolved. With the exception of Felton, all of the other members of Con Funk Shun still reside in the San Francisco Bay Area . DISCOGRAPHY (ALBUMS) ''Organized Con Funk Shun'' (1973) ''Con Funk Shun'' (1976) ''Secrets'' (1977) ''Loveshine'' (1978) ''Candy'' (1979) ''Spirit of Love'' (1980) ''Touch'' (1980) ''7'' (1981) ''To The Max'' (1982) ''Fever'' (1983) ''Electric Lady'' (1985) ''Burning Love'' (1988) ''The Best of Con Funk Shun'' (1993) ''Ffun'' (1994) ''Live for Ya Ass'' (1996) ''The Best of Con Funk Shun, Vol. 2'' - (1996) ''Con Funk Shun - Greatest Hits'' (1998) ''Con Funk Shun - The Ballads Collection'' (1998) ''The Best Of Con Funk Shun - The Millennium Collection'' (2002) ''Con Funk Shun - The Collection'' (2002) |
|
|