George Clinton To Speak At Pollstar Live!

(William Thornton/Courtesty of George Clinton) –
George Clinton, who will appear at the Pollstar Live! conference on Feb. 12, 2019

George Clinton, the legendary leader and prime mover of Parliament-Funkadelic – one of the greatest live acts of all time – will appear Feb. 12th in conversation at the 2019 Pollstar Live! conference.

The announcement comes just as the Grammy-winning visionary, Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee has been announced for a Grammy Lifetime Achievement for the class of 2019. As for the future, Clinton says, “My career’s not ending. I’m just going to lay back and domusic, cartoons, movies and other things,” Clinton told Pollstar. “The band is still kicking. For the last three years my family’s been up there with the band doing all the old songs, the funk, the brand new funk like Kendrick Lamar and Flying Lotus and stuff like that.”

Clinton joins an impressive slate of artists, industry executives and thought leaders scheduled to speak at the 2019 Pollstar Live! conference Feb 11-13 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Last week, 4x platinum recording artist Khalid was announced for the keynote case study Q&A, titled “How To Build A Superstar” with manager and Right Hand Music Group founder Courtney Stewart. The news comes shortly after Jim James was announced for the “Voting In Concert: How Promoters, Artists, and You Can Make Political & Social Change” panel and industry icons Louis Messina and Arthur Fogel were tapped for a conversation entitled “So These Two Guys Walk Into a Stadium.”

Other Pollstar Live! speakers include William Morris Endeavor’s Greg Oswald, Ticketmaster’s Kathryn Frederick, Paradigm’s Marty Diamond, Nederlander’s Alex Hodges, Live Nation’s Bob Roux, KLG’s Kevin Lyman, Steve Ferrone of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Endeavor’s Bozoma Saint John, Gupta Media’s Gogi Gupta, WME’s Michele Bernstein, Live Nation’s John Reid, C3 Presents’ Leca Guimarães, Global Music Marketing/iHeartMedia’s Alissa Pollack, Carroll, Guido, Groffman Cohen Bar & Karalian’s Elliot Groffman, UTA’s David Zedeck, ILMC’s Greg Parmley, musician David Lindley and Wacken Open Air’s Jan Quiel among many others (full schedule and list speakers here).

Marcy Guiragossian –
George Clinton in Richmond, Calif.

George Clinton, recording both as Parliament and Funkadelic, revolutionized R&B by forging a mix of soul music, funk and acid rock as influenced by heroes Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone. This unique hybrid resulted in over 40 R&B hit singles, three No. 1s and three platinum albums. Inspired by Motown‘s assembly line of sound, Clinton put together a collective of over 50 musicians and recorded the ensemble during the ’70s both as Parliament and Funkadelic. 1978-79 Parliament hit the charts first with “Flash Light,” P-Funk’s first R&B No. 1. “Aqua Boogie” would follow to the top of the charts but it was Funkadelic‘s title track to One Nation Under a Groove which spent six weeks at the top spot on the R&B charts. The album became the first Funkadelic LP to reach platinum (the same year that Parliament‘s Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome did the same). Funkadelic‘s “(Not Just) Knee Deep” also hit number one as well, and its album Uncle Jam Wants You also reached platinum status.

Clinton began his solo career with 1982′s “Computer Games.” Several months later, Clinton’s “Atomic Dog” hit number one on the R&B charts; it stayed at the top spot for four weeks.

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Dr. Funkenstein’s illustrious career also extends beyond music. He appeared in a number of films, including “The Night Before”, “House Party”, “PCU”, and “Good Burger.” He hosted the HBO original series “Cosmic Slop” and has appeared commercials for Apple, Nike, and Rio Mp3 players. He also composed the theme songs for “The Tracey Ulman Show” and “The PJs.” In addition to winning a Grammy, Clinton’s also received a Dove Award and an MTV VMA and has been recognized by BMI, the NAACP Image Awards, and Motown Alumni Association for lifetime achievement. Clinton’s Partliament/Funkadelic was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

His finaltour Galactic, Dumpstaphunk, and Fishbone is the latest package tour created by Universal Attractions Agency, where resident agent Nick Szatmari, has been working with the band since his arrival at UAA in 2008.

“It has been a decade of grinding it out on the road, 100, 120, 150 dates a year in clubs re-proving his value in the box office,” Szatmari said in a statement. “The man is an absolute road warrior, and his health and stamina have increased over this time.”

AP Photo / Keystone –
George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic at AVO Session, Basel, Switzerland

While P-Funk’s collective’s lineup has always been somewhat fluid, it is notable for having been the musical launch pad of funk masters including Bernie Worrell and Bootsy Collins, as well as the forebear of offshoot bands like Bootsy’s Rubber Band, Bride Of Funkenstein, and George Clinton’s P-Funk All Stars.

Known for outlandish concerts, featuring a flying stage prop “Mothership” and wild costuming, landmark albums including Mothership Connection, One Nation Under A Groove, and Maggot Brain. One of the motherships now sits in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Parliament Funkadelic most recent album called Medicaid Fraud Dog was released in May 2018 on C Kunspyruhzy Records Inc.

The first day of the three-day Pollstar Live! is dedicated to Production Live!, which this year features programming led by production legend Jake Berry (who worked on tours by U2, Rolling Stones and Beyoncé to AC/DC, Madonna and Motley Crue among others).

For more information about this year’s Pollstar Live! conference and to register for the event, click here.