Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Play Free Show in Kent Sunday

owner Mike Beder knew that if he was going to do anything to mark the 10th anniversary of his establishment, he wanted it to be “over the top.” With the surprise for a free show this Sunday, he certainly achieved his goal.

George Clinton and his bands Parliament and Funkadelic are recognized as the architects of what we now know as “funk.” The theatrical party band, which often features more than a dozen members, will play a free show Sunday at the Water Street Tavern. Doors open at 8 p.m.

“We get a good community crowd and we also have a great student crowd, and I think George Clinton bridges the gap between the two audiences,” Beder said. “Their song catalog is legendary, and they have a universal appeal to all ages.”

Clinton and 15 other members of Parliament and Funkadelic were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. The rock hall website credits Parliament and Funkadelic as having “virtually defined the melting pot known as funk: a melding of rhythm and blues, jazz, gospel and psychedelic rock.”

As a teenager in New Jersey, George Clinton had a love of doo wop music. He started a group called the Parliaments, whose tune I Wanna Testify was a minor hit on the R&B and pop charts in 1967. It was around that time that Clinton started listening to bands such as Sly and the Family Stone, Vanilla Fudge and Cream, and their groundbreaking approaches to soul and rock music led to the creation of Funkadelic.

By the 1970s, Clinton was splitting his time between Parliament (dropping the “s”) and Funkadelic. Parliament was a horn-based outfit, while Funkadelic had more of a rock influence, but they were both based on a foundation of funk.

Eventually, the term Parliament-Funkadelic became the name used to describe the bands and their numerous offshoots. As the mastermind of the collective, Clinton revolutionized funk music and — with his ambitious theatrical stage shows featuring the large “Mothership” prop — live music in general.

Parliament-Funkadelic reigned supreme during the 1970s, garnering more than 40 R&B hit singles and releasing three platinum albums. The group called it quits in 1980, but Clinton continued having hits as a solo artist.

Parliament-Funkadelic’s keyboardist Bernie Worrell and bassist William “Bootsy” Collins went on to significant careers in their own right. Clinton reconvened much of the original P-Funk group in the ‘90s, and has been touring in various configurations ever since.

By the late 1990s, Clinton was recognized as the heir to James Brown as one of the fathers of funk, and he was credited as having a huge influence on the emergence of hip hop. Rolling Stone ranked Parliament-Funkadelic as number 56 on their “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.”

“I read that Parliament-Funkadelic music has been sampled more than 1,100 times,” Beder said.

DJ Mike Levicky, who has a massive collection of funk music, will warm up the crowd before Clinton and company take the stage on Sunday. And just how will such a large group fit on the small stage at the Water Street Tavern?

“We are going to be extending the stage, and building it out a bit,” Beder said. “Their normal show does fill a large stage but they play a lot of private gigs and they are able to make smaller venues work.”

Beder secured sponsorship assistance from KentApartments.com and Miller Lite to help put on the big show. “The group’s current tour was slated to end on Saturday, but they were able to squeeze in one more show for us,” Beder said.

The Water Street Tavern (then called "Glory Days") opened in January 2001 and moved down Water Street to its current location two years later. In 2008 the popular nightspot expanded into an adjacent property and added restaurant Cajun Dave's, a stage for live music and a rooftop patio.

Beder is committed to presenting live music at his business. The Water Street Tavern presents live bands and solo artists each week during its Wednesday Night Blues schedule as well as during its Friday Community Concert Series.

Folks hoping to dance to tunes such as Atomic Dog and One Nation Under a Groove better get there early Sunday.

“I’m expecting a packed house and one of the best parties that downtown Kent has ever seen,” Beder said.