Anderson .Paak 1986 (Oxnard, California) Singer, songwriter, drummer, multiinstrumentalist, rapper, producer Associated Styles Hip hop, funk, soul, r&b, rock Influences & Project Connections Stevie Wonder, Frankie Beverley, Curtis Mayfield, 2Pac, Snoop dogg, Dr Dre, Pee Wee Ellis, Fred Wesley, George Clinton, Steve Arrington, Bilal, Shirley Jones, The Roots, Thundercat, Robert Glasper, Talib Kweli, Lalah Hathaway, Rapsody, Hiatus Kaiyote
Bill ‘Fatback’ Curtis 1932 (Fayetteville, North Carolina)
Pee Wee Ellis 1941 Bradenton, Florida
Bill Curtis and his street-funk group The Fatback Band, merged jazz with West Indie & Caribbean rhythms. Their 1979 single King Tim III (Personality Jock) is considered to be the first commercially released rap record.
Saxophonist and funk pioneer co-wrote 26 tracks with Brown including Say it Loud- I’m Black and I’m proud and Cold Sweat in 1967, widely considered to be the first funk track.
Bandleader, drummer, percussionist, composer, producer
Saxophonist, composer, arranger, producer, musical director for James Brown 1965-1969
Associated Styles Funk, street funk, jazz, r&b, rap, disco
Associated Styles Jazz, funk, r&b, soul, blues
Influences & Project Connections Jackie Wilson, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Marlena Shaw, The Roots, Public Enemy, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Kool G Rap, Jungle Brothers, T3, Flavor Flav
Influences & Project Connections Charlie Parker, BB King, Lloyd Price Sonny Rollins, Fred Wesley, George Clinton, Redman, EPMD, KRS-One, Cypress Hill, IAM, Pete Rock, Public Enemy, T3, DJ Premier, Anderson .Paak
Fred Wesley 1943. Columbus, Georgia Legendary trombonist Fred Wesley was musical director for James Brown & The J.B.’s (1968-75) and a pivotal figure in funk. He joined George Clinton and ParliamentFunkadelic for several years after leaving Brown and continues to perform today with his band, The New J.B.’s Trombonist, multiinstrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer Associated Styles Jazz, funk, soul, r&b, blues Influences & Project Connections JJ Johnson, Mack Johnson, Count Basie, Cannonball Adderley, Ray Charles, James Brown, Pee Wee Ellis, Carleen Anderson, Melle Mel, DJ Premier, Public Enemy, Amp Fiddler, Redman, EPMD, IAM, Money-B, Cypress Hill, Jungle Brothers Dudley Perkins, Anderson .Paak
Jazzie B (Soul ll Soul) 1963 (London, UK) DJ, producer, songwriter Associated Styles Soul, r&b, hip hop, reggae Influences & Project Connections Lord Kitchener, Lou Rawls, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Larry Graham, Bob James, Fred Wesley, Bill Withers, EPMD, Jungle Brothers, Phife Dawg, KRS-One, Cheryl Lynn, DJ Premier, Bluey Maunick, Shirley Jones