George Clinton, master of funk, hosts book signing in Waldorf
Makes stop to see family, fans at Lefty’s
According to global icon George Clinton, “the funk is still alive,” and his trip to Waldorf was nothing short of funkadelic.
On Feb. 22, funkateers from all over the Washington, D.C., area swarmed Lefty’s BBQ in Waldorf for a chance to meet George Clinton, 76, and have him sign his memoir titled, “Brothers be like, George Ain’t This Funkin Kinda Hard On You?”
Clinton, founder of the band
Parliament-Funkadelic and author of a new tell-all autobiography said the memoir was written with wit, humor and candor. It provides insight into America’s music industry and how Clinton dedicated himself to spreading the gospel of funk music.
“It feels good to see the fans. [Parliament-Funkadelic] are still kicking it and making funky records. The youngsters are into funk now so it’s making a resurgence,” Clinton said.
The book signing was sponsored by Andrews Federal Credit Union in Waldorf and the first five guests who lined up at the book signing received a complimentary copy of the book. The event was one of Clinton’s first stops before his headlining performance at The Howard Theatre on Thursday Feb. 23.
“Everyone in the community is our partner including The Mane Floor Hair Studio owned by George Clinton’s family,” said branch manager Sasha Harding. “He’s in town for the show at Howard Theatre so we wanted members of the community to come out for a book signing at Lefty’s — a local staple in the county — and have some fun. I’m starstruck just being here with the George Clinton and the event had such a great turn out.”
Clinton revolutionized funk and came up with No. 1 singles like “Flash Light” and “One Nation Under a Groove.” His first solo album, “Computer Games,” featured the No. 1 hit single titled “Atomic Dog.” Clinton went on to release new albums such as “500,000 Kilowatts of P-Funk Power” and “George Clinton and His Gang- sters of Love.”
Waldorf resident Candance Bise said her husband Jimmie Bise is a huge fan of George Clinton and he was smiling from ear to ear at the event.
“I have listened to his music my whole life and I didn’t ex- pect him to say come on over, sit down and then he shook my hand,” Jimmie said. “There should be 1,000 people here at this event because he is a leg- end.”
“George Clinton is a musical genius and I’ve been a die hard funkateer for a long time,” said Fort Washington resident Brenda Robinson, a producer of funkateer events. “I find that funk has a spiritual element. Funk connects to all kinds of music — classical, jazz, and country. At concerts funk also unifies people.”
Hughesville resident Don Dorsey is a lifelong fan of Clinton who was left speechless after meeting the icon.
“I’ve seen him at the Capital Center, the Warner Theatre — you name it, I’ve been there — and I always said it would be cool if I got to meet him one day,” Dorsey said. “Meeting him in person today is the ultimate opportunity. The fact that he has new music coming out, I’m in heaven again. It’s par- amount for him to keep funk alive for other generations.”
Clinton was also seen at his family’s new hair salon, The Mane Floor Hair Studio in Wal- dorf. He once owned a barbershop in Plainfield, N.J., during his earlier years so he was proud to see the finished product of his family’s hair salon. Clinton said he enjoyed being with his family in Waldorf because they keep him energized and youthful, but his family believes it’s the other way around.
“He has more energy than most of us but it’s good to see that he is able to do what he loves to do. He has a serious love and passion for music,” said his daughter Barbarella Bishop, a Waldorf resident.
“He doesn’t stop working because his love for music keeps him going. If he can do it, we can do it too,” said his granddaughter Shonda Clinton.
“Right now the fans are shocked that he’s in Waldorf but it’s good motivation to have George here to be closer with his family,” said Jason Drennen.
Clinton announced that Parliament-Funkadelic is releasing a new album this year called “Medicaid Fraud Dog.” The Parliament-Funkadelic tour is bringing a Mardi Gras theme to crowds across the east coast until March.
Clinton said “funk ain’t going nowhere” and he’s sticking around to show the young folks how its done.