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African American
Related: About this forumDamn. Bernie Worrell just died.
Mr. PFunk and Talking Heads.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/25/arts/music/bernie-worrell-whose-keyboards-left-an-imprint-on-funk-and-hip-hop-dies-at-72.html?_r=0
Bernie Worrell, the keyboardist whose anarchic solos and Moog synthesizer bass lines with Parliament-Funkadelic indelibly changed the sound of funk and hip-hop, died on Friday at his home in Everson, Wash. He was 72.
His wife, Judie Worrell, confirmed his death. He was told in January that he had late-stage lung cancer.
Mr. Worrell was the kind of sideman who is as influential as some bandleaders. A broadly grounded musician, he grew up playing classical piano and was adept at jazz, rock and R&B.
..................................
His stint in the 1970s as keyboardist and music director in groups led by George Clinton Parliament, Funkadelic and their eventual merged identity of Parliament-Funkadelic, or P-Funk taught generations of musicians and listeners that synthetic sounds could be earthy and untamed.
Mr. Worrell reached a new audience in the early 1980s as a member of the expanded Talking Heads, whose 1983 tour was documented in Jonathan Demmes film Stop Making Sense. In the 1990s, Mr. Worrells synthesizer lines for P-Funk songs were widely recycled as hip-hop tracks, becoming the foundation for the West Coast rap sometimes called G-Funk of Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre.
Mr. Worrell was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Parliament-Funkadelic in 1997.
One of his most famous bass lines in songs, and probably my favorite funk tune:
Edit to add: A relatively recent performance
Edit to add:
Listen to the synth lines in this Talking Heads performance. Bernie.
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Damn. Bernie Worrell just died. (Original Post)
kwassa
Jun 2016
OP
A great musician--Saw him last with Jon Baptiste on Colbert a couple of weeks ago
librechik
Jun 2016
#5
missingthebigdog
(1,233 posts)1. This year is really taking its toll on music.
Response to kwassa (Original post)
rjsquirrel This message was self-deleted by its author.
Person 2713
(3,263 posts)3. Wizard of Woo RIP
Been listening To old PFunk tonight
librechik
(30,790 posts)5. A great musician--Saw him last with Jon Baptiste on Colbert a couple of weeks ago
He didn't look well at all--RIP, beautiful one!
JustAnotherGen
(33,780 posts)6. He was in my town
Just last September playing at our little Jazz Festival. Nice guy.
betsuni
(27,300 posts)7. "Flashlight" has been one of my favorites since I heard it in a jazz dance class in 1978
as a teenager. Love!
lovemydog
(11,833 posts)8. rip Mr. Worrell
He made every song better.
The Polack MSgt
(13,449 posts)9. RIP Mr Worrell
&index=2&list=PLXI5JqpDsc_7eAtFtGxKohQzn6xEVkQ1X
progressoid
(50,786 posts)10. Damn.
He was a master on the keyboards.
Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)11. STOP IT, 2016!!! THIS IS TOO MUCH!!!