{"id":15086,"date":"2018-05-29T22:36:58","date_gmt":"2018-05-29T22:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.roadietuner.com\/?post_type=blog&p=15086"},"modified":"2020-07-08T08:13:11","modified_gmt":"2020-07-08T08:13:11","slug":"top-10-underrated-funk-guitarists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.roadiemusic.com\/blog\/top-10-underrated-funk-guitarists\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Underrated Funk Guitarists"},"content":{"rendered":"

Watching a James Brown<\/a> performance is an experience. The man had so much funk and soul in him that he just couldn\u2019t contain it.<\/p>\n

He had to let out.<\/p>\n

However, would we have been able to escape him if he wasn\u2019t backed a funky band? I think not. He would just have looked like a crazy person who shouldn\u2019t have been given a microphone.<\/p>\n

But with funk as the backdrop, his performance makes complete sense. With such rhythm, such soul, such funk, how could it not?<\/p>\n

We get it James. We understand.<\/p>\n

Yet, funk guitarists are underrated. Too often, they go unnoticed as the long list of shredders<\/a> steal the limelight. But guitarists are just as much part of the backbone of funk as the bass and drums.<\/p>\n

So this one\u2019s for the great guitarists who made funk what it was (and still is).<\/p>\n

Freddie Stone<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As one of the Stone brothers in Sly & the Family Stone<\/a>, Freddie helped shape the pop-funk style that gave birth to classics like \u201cI Want to Take You Higher<\/a>\u201d and \u201cThank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Jimmy Nolan<\/strong><\/h2>\n

James Brown<\/a> was picky when it came to his band members, and Jimmy Nolan not only made the cut – he became a staple. With light chops and quick strumming, Nolan created his unique chicken scratch style. Al McKay, Nile Rodgers and George Clinton are just some of the legends influenced by Nolan. Check out \u201cPapa\u2019s Got a Brand New Bag<\/a>\u201d, \u201cGive It Up Or Turn It A Loose<\/a>\u201d, and \u201cI Got You (I Feel Good)<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Al McKay<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Already with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, Al McKay<\/a> was off to a good start. But then the left-handed guitarist joined Earth Wind & Fire and took it to the next level. Check out songs like \u201cShining Star<\/a>\u201d to see what I mean.<\/p>\n

Eddie Hazel<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Parliament-Funkadelic<\/a> is so incredibly funky that only the very best cut it as their guitarists. Eddie Hazel was the man who tore up \u201cStanding On The Verge Of Getting It On<\/a>\u201d. On \u201cMaggot Brain<\/a>\u201d, he pulled off an amazing ten minute solo on. George Clinton told him to play like his mama just died. And he did, he did.<\/p>\n

Tony Maiden <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Speaking of solos, Tony Maiden is a name that doesn\u2019t get mentioned quite often enough. Playing for Rufus & Chaka Khan, he pulled off some amazing licks on songs like \u201cTell Me Something Good<\/a>,\u201d \u201cSweet Thing<\/a>\u201d and \u201cOnce You Get Started<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Leroy \u201cSugarfoot\u201d Bonner<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cFunk was born the day after the blues \u2026 to take away some of the sadness of the blues. Funk is a sort of happy blues, to me.\u201d Thus spoke Leroy \u201cSugarfoot\u201d Bonner of the Ohio Players. You\u2019ve got to listen to \u201cLove Rollercoaster<\/a>,\u201d \u201cFire<\/a>\u201d and \u201cSkin Tight<\/a>.\u201d to see what he meant by that statement.<\/p>\n

Leo Nocentelli<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re looking to study some of the great guitar pieces in funk, \u201cCissy Strut<\/a>\u201d by Leo Nocentelli is not a bad start. Nocentelli contributed many an imaginative chord and syncopated rhythm to the legendary band The Meters. Hence why he still holds the title of the King of New Orleans Funk.<\/p>\n

Nile Rodgers<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Inspired by Jimmy Nolan and Wes Montgomery, Nile Rodgers became an amazing funk player before turning into a disco star. His CV includes working with the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, David Bowie, and, of course, Chic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Steve Cropper<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A shining example of how incredibly important guitar is to the rhythm in funk, Steve Cropper laid down some amazing riffs for Booker T & the MGs. With that as his base, he would later add the iconic fills you hear in songs like Eddie Floyd\u2019s \u201cKnock on Wood<\/a>,\u201d Sam & Dave\u2019s \u201cSoul Man<\/a>\u201d, Booker T & the MGs \u201cFuquawi<\/a>\u201d and Wilson Pickett\u2019s \u201cIn the Midnight Hour<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Prince\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Having recently celebrated the two year anniversary of his death in a previous blog post<\/a>, Prince deserves another mention here among the greats. The album \u201cDirty Mind<\/a>\u201d comes to\u2026 mind. But you needn’t look any further than \u201cKiss<\/a>\u201d to witness the slickness of Prince\u2019s precision with the axe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":15087,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[224],"tags":[1293,1298,1320,1322,1357],"class_list":["post-15086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting-facts-info","tag-instrument_guitar","tag-level_all","tag-content_topics","tag-topics_famousmusicians","tag-genre_funk"],"yoast_head":"\nTop 10 Underrated Funk Guitarists - Roadie Music Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.roadiemusic.com\/blog\/top-10-underrated-funk-guitarists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Top 10 Underrated Funk Guitarists\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.roadiemusic.com\/blog\/top-10-underrated-funk-guitarists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Roadie Music Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RoadieOfficial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-29T22:36:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-07-08T08:13:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.roadiemusic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/GeorgeClintonFUNK.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"833\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"553\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@roadieofficial\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@roadieofficial\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/top-10-underrated-funk-guitarists\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/top-10-underrated-funk-guitarists\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Top 10 Underrated Funk Guitarists\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-29T22:36:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-08T08:13:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/top-10-underrated-funk-guitarists\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":698,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/top-10-underrated-funk-guitarists\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/GeorgeClintonFUNK.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Instrument_Guitar\",\"Level_ALL\",\"Content_Topics\",\"Topics_FamousMusicians\",\"Genre_Funk\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Curations\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/top-10-underrated-funk-guitarists\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/top-10-underrated-funk-guitarists\\\/\",\"name\":\"Top 10 Underrated Funk Guitarists - 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