UB Spotlight: George Clinton ‘Spinning Gold’ | In Theaters Now

What do Donna Summer, Parliament, Gladys Knight, The Isley Brothers, The Village People, and Bill Withers all have in common with the rock band KISS?

They all rose to their musical heights under the watchful ear of the music industry’s most colorful and brilliant music executive, Neil Bogart, founder of Casablanca Records, the most successful independent record company of all time. Along with a ragtag team of young music lovers, Neil and Casablanca Records would rewrite history and change the music industry forever. Their mix of creative insanity, a total belief in each other, and the music they were creating, shaped our culture and ultimately defined a generation.

“Spinning Gold” is in theaters today!

“Spinning Gold is the story of an unsung hero,” states Oscar-nominated producer Laurence Mark. “People haven’t heard of Neil Bogart, and yet he was responsible for defining the soundtrack of a decade. This movie is going to be a lovely revelation for people.”

Some of today’s hottest music stars are playing the icons who inspired them and singing their most popular songs including Jason Derulo as Ron Isley of the Isley Brothers, Pink Sweat$ as Bill Withers, Grammy Award nominee Tayla Parx as Donna Summer and multi-Grammy winner Ledisi as Gladys Knight.

Acclaimed rapper Wiz Khalifa steps into the role of the legendary George Clinton. “Parliament is the DNA of funk – the band, the thought process, the way they mix genres. With the live experience from Parliament, they were beyond their years… Their music was and still is futuristic, and I hella respect them for that. You see everybody on stage like it was a real groove – that and the music go hand in hand because you’re bringing the music to life. ” commented Khalifa.

“Wiz was right on it,” stated George Clinton. “I thought I heard me in there! I thought they sampled my voice! He did some homework.”

“I met Neil and Cecil in 1974, right after we signed the deal to join Casablanca,” George Clinton said. “Cecil was this smooth, quiet dude most of the time. He was a singer—he was in a group called the Solitaires in the ‘50s.

Recording both as Parliament and Funkadelic, George Clinton revolutionized R&B during the ’70s, twisting soul music into funk by adding influences from several late-’60s acid heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and Sly Stone. The Parliament/Funkadelic machine ruled black music during the ’70s, capturing over 40 R&B hit singles (including three #1’s) and recording three platinum albums.

Born in Kannapolis, NC, on July 22, 1941, George Clinton became interested in Doo-wop while living in New Jersey during the early ’50s. Basing his group on Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, Clinton formed The Parliaments in 1955, rehearsing in the back room of a Plainfield barbershop where he straightened hair. The Parliaments released only two singles during the next ten years, but frequent trips to Detroit during the mid-’60s – where he began working as a songwriter and producer – eventually paid off their investment.

UB Spotlight: George Clinton Talks ‘Spinning Gold’ + Performance Clips!