Goodbye Clyde Stubblefield

So much of today’s music was influenced one way or another by Funk music of the 60s and 70s. Of course, James Brown could be credited as the inventor of Funk, but the man behind the feel was drummer Clyde Stubblefield, who passed away last week at age 73. He was the backbeat behind such Brown hits as “Cold Sweat,” “I got The Feelin’, “Mother Popcorn,” “Sex Machine,” and many more.

Stubblefield laid down one of the most sampled beats in hip-hop ever on the Brown’s extended jam “Funky Drummer.” The beat can be found on tracks from the likes of Run DMC, Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys, L.L. Cool J and others. The snare pop is instantly recognizable in songs such as “Run’s House,” “Fight The Power,” “Shadrach,” “F*** Tha Police,” “Freedom! ’90,” “Mama Said Knock You Out” and hundreds more.

Here it is below, but you have to go to 5:22 to hear the drum break. Below that is a Stubblefield solo from the Boston Garden concert from the 70s.

One thing’s for sure, we’ve lost another funk master.