I’ll never forget the feeling I had as a 6-year-old kid listening to this song. The drum fill on the intro of this tune scared the daylights out of me. The James Brown groove, the horn blasts, the rhythm guitar playing, and at the end, the chanting and screaming just blew my little mind. I was mesmerized from the beginning to the end. 

For some strange reason, I thought it was the A-side. I saw the record in my father’s collection, and I just played it without looking for which side I was supposed to play first. Sometimes the B-side is better than the A. One great example of this phenomenon is the song “She’s Always In My Hair” by Prince. I still love “Raspberry Beret,” but “She’s Always In My Hair” is still my favorite Prince tune. If you haven’t heard it, listen HERE.

“Funk Power” is the B-side to a song called “Ready Made Family” by Creative Funk. From what I’ve read, most of the band were from Jamaica, Queens, except lead singer Diane Jenkins who grew up in Brooklyn. The group consisted of bassist Gary Deberry, vocalists Diane Jenkins and Veedett Williams, guitarist Walter Etheridge, organist and trombonist Denzil Miller, bad-ass drummer Richard Currence, Andre Johnson on brass, and Michael Johnson on alto and tenor saxophone.

The members of the group were all between the ages of 17-21 when they released this song. It was initially a self-released project on their label. They sold around 25,000 copies in the NYC area. Bell Records came along and picked up the label to sell the single nationally.

That’s probably how my father found it. He had a beautiful collection of LPs, 45s, and 8-tracks. I have most of those 45’s at my place now. I often dust off some of these classics from time to time and play them on my turntable. 

This song is a non-stop funk workout. It probably baptized me into the church of funk. When I was a kid, I didn’t know James Brown was already making music like this for at least five years prior to Creative Funk releasing this single. It’s clear where they got their funk from.

I still think this track is incredible. I need to find a pair of drumsticks somewhere in my apartment today and attempt this drum intro. It’s been almost five months since I’ve played on an actual drumset. I might need someone to slide some oil to me and lubricate my joints. They might be a little rusty. 

On second thought, let me warm up with some rudiments first.

 

Clayton Craddock hosts the Broadway Drumming 101 Podcast and Newsletter. He has held the drum chair in several hit broadway and off-broadway musicals, including Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill and Ain’t Too Proud.

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