FUNK FEST @ CONSTANT CONVOCATION CENTER

The Ted Constant Convocation Center welcomes Funk Fest as it brings its tour to the seven cities Friday October 2nd at 8:00pm. George Clinton, Con Funk Shun, Sugarfoot’s Ohio Players, Dazz Band, Slave, and Bar-Kays will be performing all the hits of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s Funk era.


George Clinton

George Clinton is an American musician. George Clinton has been a solo funk artist as of 1981. He has been called one of the most important innovators of funk music, along with James Brown and Sly Stone. Clinton is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997.

Con Funk Shun

Con Funk Shun is an American R&B and funk band most popular in the 70’s and 80’s. In 1976, Con Funk Shun signed to Mercury Records, releasing eleven albums over a span of ten years. The group's 1977 LP, “Secrets”, was certified gold in the US, as were 1978's Loveshine, 1979's Candy, and 1980's Spirit of Love. They scored a string of top ten hits on the Billboard black singles chart, including 1977's "Ffun" (#1), 1978's "Shake and Dance with Me" (#5), 1979's "Chase Me" (#4), 1980s "Got to Be Enough" (#8), and "Too Tight" (#8).

Sugarfoot’s Ohio Players

Sugarfoot's Ohio Players are a funky-pop-R&B blend of master musicians surrounding the exuberant and soulful “Sugarfoot”, the signature voice and personification of the original Ohio Players. With virtuoso bassist Trae Pierce, a second generation OP member, now returning to the band again, as Musical Director, Sugarfoot’s Ohio Players perform all the “Sugar” hits everyone expects from an Ohio Players concert. Pierce utilizes a gifted stage band to deliver a monster bottom-heavy and horn-stabbing funk sound to rival the legend of the Ohio Players live show and honor the tradition of their music to support Sugarfoot.

Dazz Band

The Dazz Band is a former American funk music band that was most popular in the early 1980s. Emerging from Cleveland, Ohio, the group's biggest hit songs include the Grammy Award-winning "Let It Whip", "Joystick", and "Let It All Blow". The name of the band is a portmanteau of the description "danceable jazz". The Dazz Band, formed in 1976, grew out of the Cleveland jazz fusion band Bell Telefunk, composed of lead guitarist/songwriter Mike Calhoun, percussionist Kenny Pettus, drummer Isaac "Ike" Wiley, Jr., and his brother bassist Michael Wiley, and the band Mother Braintree.

Slave

Slave is another Ohio funk band that was very popular in the 70’s and 80’s. Trombonist Floyd Miller teamed with Tom Lockett Jr. (sax, keyboards), Carter Bradley (keyboards), Mark Adams (bass), Mark Hicks (lead and rhythm guitar, lead and background vocals), Danny Webster (rhythm guitar, lead and background vocals), Wayne Foote (guitar and lead vocals), Orion Wilhoite (sax), and Tim Dozier (drums). Vocalists Steve Arrington, Starleana Young, then Curt Jones came aboard in 1978, with Arrington ultimately becoming lead vocalist. Their first big hit was the single “Slide” in 1977 for Cotillion Records, where they remained until 1984.

Bar-Kays

The Bar-Kays are a popular soul, R&B, and funk group who began performing in 1966 and continue to perform today, although with only one original member. The group had dozens of charting singles from the 1960s to the 1980s, including "Soul Finger" in 1967 and "Son of Shaft" in 1972. The reformed band consisted of Cauley; Alexander; Harvey Henderson, saxophone; Michael Toles, guitar; Ronnie Gorden, organ; Willie Hall, drums and later Larry Dodson, lead vocals.