The Funky 16 Corners
Encyclopedia
The Funky 16 Corners is a compilation of funk
song
s and instrumental
s recorded by little-known performers in and around Indianapolis
, Indiana
during the late 1960s and the early and mid 1970s. The album is one of many funk compilations released over the years devoted to the recording scene of a major United States city. The album, released on Stones Throw Records
in 2001, pays homage to these forgotten funk bands and musicians.
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s and instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
s recorded by little-known performers in and around Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
during the late 1960s and the early and mid 1970s. The album is one of many funk compilations released over the years devoted to the recording scene of a major United States city. The album, released on Stones Throw Records
Stones Throw Records
Stones Throw Records is an independent hip hop record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was started in 1996 by DJ/Producer Peanut Butter Wolf in part to release the music he made with Charizma who was killed at the age of 20....
in 2001, pays homage to these forgotten funk bands and musicians.
Track listing
- "Intro" - 0:43
- Performed by Ebony Rhythm Band
- "Dap Walk" - 3:05
- Performed by Ernie & The Top Notes
- "Let's Go (It's Summertime)" - 2:45
- Performed by James Reese & The Progressions
- "Trespasser" - 5:49
- Performed by Bad Medicine
- "The Funky 16 Corners" - 5:18
- Performed by The Highlighters Band
- "The Kick" - 6:20
- Performed by The Rhythm Machine
- "What About You (In The World Today)" - 2:51
- Performed by Co Real Artists
- "Interlude" - 0:40
- Performed by Ebony Rhythm Band
- "The Dump" - 2:41
- Performed by Soul Vibrations
- "Jody's Freeze" - 2:55
- Performed by James Reese & The Progressions
- "Kashmere" - 4:57
- Performed by Kashmere Stage BandKashmere Stage BandKashmere Stage Band was an elite performing unit of the student band at Kashmere High School from the late 1960s until 1978.-History:Kashmere High School is located in a predominantly black neighborhood known as Kashmere Gardens in Houston, Texas. Music teacher Conrad O...
- Performed by Kashmere Stage Band
- "Fish Head" - 2:35
- Performed by Slim & The Soulful Saints
- "Tighten Up Tighter" - 2:13
- Performed by Billy Ball & The Upsetters featuring Roosevelt Matthews
- The song is a thinly veiled reworking of, and answer record to, the 1968 hit single "Tighten Up"Tighten Up (Archie Bell & the Drells song)"Tighten Up" was a 1968 song by Houston, Texas based R&B vocal group Archie Bell & the Drells. It reached #1 on both the Billboard R&B and pop charts in the spring of 1968. It is ranked #265 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is one of the earliest funk hits in music...
by Archie Bell & the DrellsArchie Bell & the DrellsArchie Bell & the Drells was a R&B vocal group from Houston, Texas, and one of the main acts on Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records...
.
- "Southside Funk" - 4:12
- Performed by The Soul Seven
- "Can We Rap" - 2:13
- Performed by Carleen & The Groovers
- "Beautiful Day" 2:51
- Performed by Spider Harrison
- "Go To Work [Alternate Version]" 3:43
- Performed by Revolution Compared To What
- "The Phantom" - 2:19
- Performed by Bubbha Thomas & The Lightmen Plus One
- "In The Rain" 4:39
- Performed by The Wooden Glass featuring Billy Wooten
- "Outro" 1:08
- Performed by Ebony Rhythm Band
- This track is actually a coverCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the instrumental intro to the Isaac HayesIsaac HayesIsaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
version of "Walk On By". Unlike "Tighten Up Tighter," in which Archie Bell and Billy Buttier are credited as songwriters, this track is credited to the band members rather than to Hayes or to Burt BacharachBurt BacharachBurt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
and Hal DavidHal DavidHarold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
.
- "Bunky's Pick [Bonus Track]" 7:25
- Performed by Cut ChemistCut ChemistLucas MacFadden , better known as Cut Chemist, is an American DJ and record producer. He is a former member of the funk Latin band Ozomatli, and of hip hop group Jurassic 5...
- Performed by Cut Chemist
- "The Funky Buzzard [Bonus Track]" 2:23
- Performed by James Bell & The Turner Brothers
Credits
- Executive producer: Peanut Butter WolfPeanut Butter WolfChris Manak, aka Peanut Butter Wolf, is a DJ, hip-hop producer and the founder of hip-hop label Stones Throw Records.A native of San Jose, California, He took on the name Peanut Butter Wolf in the late-80s when he realized that a girlfriend’s youngest brother feared the “peanut butter wolf monster”...
- Mastering: Gene Grimaldi, Matt MahaffeyMatt MahaffeyMatt Mahaffey is an American multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and recording engineer best known for his band Self.-Personal:Matt grew up in Kingsport, Tennessee and was involved with music from a young age...
- Engineering: George Day, Harry Deal & the Galaxies, Bob Edwards, Otis Forrest, Joel Johnson
- Editing: Gene Grimaldi
- DrumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s: Ron Anderson, Harold Cardwell, Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, Richard Clarke, Dwayne "Buzzard" Garvin, Willie Hill, Bubbha Thomas, Matthew R. Watson, Cliff Williams, Dino Zimmerman - Tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
: Larry Blake, Joe Hardy, Doug Harris, Teddy Patterson - Alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
: Martin Williams - Soprano saxophoneSoprano saxophoneThe soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
: Doug Harris - SaxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
: Doug Harris, Jim Honeycutt, Jesse Jones Jr., George Miller, David Morton, Clyde Walker - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
: Jamie Brantley, Lee Martin, John Scott, Rob Townsend, Ernest Williams, Dino Zimmerman - TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
: Clarence Butler, Carlos, Ronnie Davis, Freddie Green, Michael "Mike Dee" Johnson, Audrey Jones, William Perry, Soup, John Thomas, Pat Williams - BassBass (instrument)Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
: Tony Davis, Greg Johnson, Lester "Lammy" Johnson, David Stevens - FluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
: Marsha Frazier - PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
: Marsha Frazier - Electric pianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
: Marsha Frazier - TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
: Charles Hunt, Alexander J. Nichols, James Reese, Jimmy Walker - CongaCongaThe conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
: Munyungo Jackson - OrganOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
: James Reese, Emanuel Riggins - VibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
: Billy Wooten