Legendary George Clinton to Receive ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame’ Star

Performer George Clinton will be honored with the 2,769th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, January 19th at 11:30 am PT at 6752 Hollywood Boulevard.

The event will be streamed live exclusively at walkoffame.com

George Clinton will receive his star in the category of Recording. Joining emcee Sibley Scoles as speakers are Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ben Crump, and Janie Bradford.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce administers the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame for the City of Los Angeles and has proudly hosted the globally iconic star ceremonies for decades. Millions of people from here and around the world have visited this cultural landmark since 1960.

“George Clinton is a highly influential song writer, record producer, and performer known for his contributions to Funk music. He has been instrumental in shaping the sound of Funk and pushing musical boundaries. His distinctive style, flamboyant persona, and psychedelic stage presence have made him a beloved figure and a pioneer of the genre,” stated Ana Martinez, Producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “We are thrilled that he’s going to be bringing the Funk to the Hollywood Walk of Fame!” added Martinez.

George Clinton is an American treasure. As one of the foremost innovators of Funk, Clinton is the mastermind behind the legendary Parliament/Funkadelic (P-Funk), creating a uniquely identifiable and timeless art that has lifted Funk to an internationally recognized and respected form of music. His ingenuity has earned Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic a prominent seat in music history. Clinton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

Clinton started his career with The Parliaments, a barbershop doo-wop ensemble, which scored a major hit in 1967 with “(I Wanna) Testify.” Clinton developed a sound that merged the polish of Motown acts, the rawness of James Brown, the bohemian style of Sly Stone, and the pop sensibility of the Beatles. He has forever set himself apart from the Motown era. By the early ’70s, the group’s songs evolved into sprawling jams drenched in funky rhythms. Around the same time, Clinton spawned Funkadelic, a rock group that fused acid-rock guitar, bizarre sound effects, and cosmological rants with danceable beats and booming bass lines. Funkadelic had several influential concept albums, including Free Your Mind… and Your Ass Will Follow, Maggot Brain and America Eats Its Young. Rolling Stone and Spin recently named Parliament/Funkadelic as one of the top bands of all time.

Some of Clinton’s most popular songs include: “P-Funk (Wants to get Funked Up),” “Mothership Connection (Star Child),” the group’s first gold single “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker),” “Flash Light,” “One Nation Under a Groove,” “(Not Just) Knee Deep,” and “Aqua Boogie,” eventually culminating with the 1982 solo release of “Atomic Dog,” which has been featured in numerous movies including 102 Dalmatians, Trolls World Tour, Menace II Society and more. It has been sampled countless times, most notably by Snoop Dogg on his smash-hit “Snoop Dogg (What’s My Name Pt. 2).” These releases became instant dance floor anthems and sparked Funk’s biggest movement to date. The live performances were equally otherworldly, as Clinton would emerge from a giant spaceship, “The Mothership,” at center stage as “Dr. Funkenstein” to transport listeners into a different dimension.

Indeed, Clinton’s P-Funk, with its infectious groove and irresistible beats, became a go-to source for countless early Rap recordings. As Clinton has said, “Funk is the DNA of Hip-Hop and Rap.” Being one of the most sampled artists, Clinton has become recognized as the godfather of modern urban music. Beats, loops, and samples of P-Funk have appeared on albums by 2Pac, OutKast, Dr. Dre, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, De La Soul, Ice Cube, Public Enemy, and Childish Gambino to name but a few. Clinton has collaborated with Kendrick Lamar on the influential rapper’s Grammy-winning album To Pimp a Butterfly and just appeared on Travis Scott’s latest track “HYAENA” from his critically acclaimed album UTOPIA.

Through it all, Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic have maintained a rigorous touring schedule that would test artists 50 years his junior. Considered by many to be one of the original jam bands, Parliament/Funkadelic’s hours-long performances attract many of the same fans that populate concerts by the Grateful Dead, Phish, and the Dave Matthews Band.

Approaching his 83rd birthday this summer, Clinton is as busy as ever. In addition to touring, he is working on three recording projects that feature collaborations with a “who’s who” of top artists from the last four decades.

Recently, Clinton has ventured into a prosperous career as a fine artist. His body of work reflects the same adventurous and diverse spirit found in his music, gaining prominence through a solo exhibition at the Jeffrey Deitch gallery titled The Rhythm of Vision. Additionally, he received acclaim at Art Basel in Miami.

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