George Clinton, the Godfather of funk music, received a testimonial resolution at his Chene Park concert last Friday from Detroit’s City Council, presented by Council President Brenda Jones. Surprisingly, considering the length of his career and the widely acknowledged musical impact of funk music worldwide, this is the first time Clinton has received such an honor from the city where it all began for him. Earlier in the day, Jones released this statement: “George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic is one of Detroit’s most iconic musicians … He has changed the game of music as we know it, and the sound of the ‘Mothership’ was created right here in our city.”
“It means a lot to be honored in Detroit,” Clinton said in a statement. “We came to Detroit back in the ’60s to be a part of the Motown music that was going on. We stayed in Detroit during the Funkadelic era, and we garnered several hits after Motown. I’m proud to be a part of Detroit.” The honor “makes me feel a lot better,” Clinton said. “(Jones) couldn’t have picked a better time to acknowledge me because I’m going through something with the copyrights of the music we’ve made.”
And then there was this from the Detroit City Council Facebook page:
“On Friday, Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones stepped into the world of funk music to pay tribute to acclaimed funk pioneer George Clinton known as ‘Dr. Funkenstein.’ She presented him with a Testimonial Resolution from the City of Detroit Council Members.
‘George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic is one of Detroit’s most iconic musicians of our time that has sold millions of records worldwide. He and his band has changed the game of music as we know it, and the sound of the “Mothership” was created right here in our city. Detroit is the home of many gifted musicians and artists, and we recognized excellence and wanted to honor Mr. George Clinton with a ‘Testimonial Resolution’ from our great city.”
It’s always great to see Detroit honoring its musical legacy.
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