Funk: It s the only musical genre ever to have transformed the nation into a throbbing army of bell-bottomed hoop-earringed rainbow-Afro d warriors on the dance floor. Its rhythms and lyrics turned bleak urban realties inside out with distinctive danceable downright irresistable music. Funk hasn t received the critical attention that rock jazz and the blues have-until now. Colorful intelligent and in-you-face Rickey Vincent s Funk celebrates the songs the musicians the philosophy and the meaning of funk. The book spans from the early work of James Brown (the Godfather of Funk) through today covering funky soul (Stevie Wonder the Temptations) so-called black rock (Jimi Hendrix Sly and the Family Stone the Isely Brothers) jazz-funk (Miles Davis Herbie Hancock) monster funk (Parliament Funkadelic Bootsy s Rubber Band) naked funk (Rick James Gap Band) disco-funk (Chic K.C. and the Sunshine Band) funky pop (Kook & the Gang Chaka Khan) P-Funk Hip Hop (Digital Underground De La Soul) funk-sampling rap (Ice Cube Dr. Dre) funk rock (Red Hot Chili Peppers Primus) and more. Funk tells a vital vibrant history-the history of a uniquely American music born out of tradition and community filled with energy attitude anger hope and an irrepressible spirit.