“ConFunkShunizeYa” was written by Con Funk Shun’s lead singer and guitarist, Michael Cooper. The song had a respectable showing on the charts, peaking at #31 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. It has been sampled on three songs, including Will Smith’s 1997 track “Ya’ll Know.”
Con Funk Shun was formed in Vallejo, California, in 1969 by high school classmates Michael Cooper and drummer Louis A. McCall Sr. They were influenced by funk pioneers such as James Brown and Sly & the Family Stone. At the time, the band was called Project Soul. By 1971, bassist Cedric Martin, trumpeter Karl Fuller, keyboardist Danny “Sweet Man” Thomas, and woodwinds player Paul “Maceo” Harrell had joined the band. That same year, Project Soul changed its name to “Con-Funk-Shun,” which was inspired by the title of an instrumental by soul/funk/jazz ensemble the Nite-Liters, led by Harvey Fuqua. (They later dropped the hyphens from the name to Confunkshun in 1974 and in ‘75 stylized it to Con Funk Shun for marketing purposes.) Multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Felton Pilate joined Con-Funk-Shun in late 1971 following the dissolution of his band. The septet quickly earned a reputation as a fantastic backing band in the West Coast funk scene.
The talented groove outfit relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1973, where they were hired as the backing band for Stax Records' vocal group the Soul Children. The band also worked with various Stax staff writers during this period. They were soon recruited as the backing band for Memphis soul legend Rufus Thomas at the historic 1972 Wattstax benefit concert. (The concert footage was made into a 1973 documentary titled Wattstax, which was nominated for a Golden Globe.)
The band eventually caught the attention of record executive and Stax Records co-founder Estelle Axton, who signed them to her independent label Fretone Records in 1973. They recorded their debut album, Organized Con Funk Shun, that same year, but the collection wasn’t released until 1978 on Pickwick Records. Produced by Ted Sturges, the seven-song album offers a cool mix of aggressive funk, smooth ballads, and extended jazz-soul jams. In 1973, the band recorded a collection of tracks during their Memphis sessions, which was eventually released in 1980 under the album title The Memphis Sessions (on the label 51 West Records & Tapes).
Con Funk Shun released two singles with Fretone. In May of 1974, they released the exquisite soul ballad “Now and Forever” (Pilate/Cooper-penned) backed by the sizzling funk instrumental “Clique,” written by Harrell and Cooper. In October of that year, Fretone issued Con Funk Shun’s second single, a cover of the '60s folk rock classic “Mr. Tambourine Man,” and the B-side was “Bumpsumbody” a band-credited original.
In 1976, Con Funk Shun signed with Mercury Records, where they remained for 10 years and released 11 albums during that time. The band enjoyed a hugely successful run with Mercury, landing four gold albums and a string of top ten hits on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. The band broke up in 1986 due to ongoing internal disputes over songwriting credits and royalty payments. They reunited in the ‘90s and began performing at festivals and concerts worldwide.
Con Funk Shun’s legacy is that of an exciting, highly talented band that excelled in both the studio and onstage, leaving behind a wealth of great music and incredible live performances. And their music has been sampled on 186 songs, per Whosampled.com. On September 21, 2014, Con Funk Shun was honored by the National R&B Lifetime Achievement Award at a black-tie dinner and award ceremony in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The band still tours regularly with three of the original members, Felton Pilate, Michael Cooper, and Karl Fuller, in the lineup.
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