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Bernie Worrell R.I.P.

#62
I saw this very sad news late… Bernie's passing wasn't widely publicised in the UK.

What an influential & talented musician.
His seminal work with George, Bootsy, Eddie & the whole Parliament-Funkadelic crew form some of my favourite recordings ever.
I last saw him live with Bootsy at indigo at the O2 in London in 2011 - Flashlight was of course a highlight.

R.I.P. Bernie
 
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#64
Not good. I heard he was really sick and knew it was 'Coming Round the Mountain'.

George Clinton was once called 'black music's John Lennon'.
Then that would make Bernie 'black music's' George Harrison.
The world is indeed a little less funky.

On the subject of $$, of course we outsiders will never know what exactly happened and it's easy to say 'George did this, George did that.'
In his defense, many p-funk players fat-mouth him in public, and yet when the bus rolls into town, there they are, right on stage with him.
Grady Thomas, Ray Davis, Fuzzy Haskins, Bernie Worrell, Billy Bass Nelson, Peanut Johnson, Jerome Bigfoot Brailey and even Michael Hampton who actually defected with Glenn Goins, Bigfoot and Darrel Dixon, have all taken very public shots at him. Yet, when they surface, he finds them a spot on the stage, right next to him even.
I remember at one time George and Bernie, not even on speaking terms would be on the same stage, not even looking in each other's direction.
How many bosses would tolerate that?
The only ones to really speak up for him were Garry Shider (who's medical bills George reportedly helped out with) who called him 'generous to his own detriment' and Bootsy who remains loyal.
My question has always been, "Has he ever actually fired anyone?"
I would not doubt that he did snooker some people out of writing credits, who of us has not gotten got before? That's the biz that Chaka Khan called 'demonic'.
But, at 74 he should be at home enjoying the fruits of his theivery, if it really were as grand as many claim.
I remember he said the only reason he stays on the road in his 70s is because there is no money and too many people are now depending on him.
Now you have children and grand-children on the P-funk tour bus (Garret Shider, Sativa etc).
IDK, BUT I do know that where George is not, neither is there a PFUNK show.
So, get it now peeps, cuz when HE'S gone, so is the ride.
 
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#65
George's recent autobiography (Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin Kind of Hard On you?) is a really good and insightful read (very funny at times too). George claims he's not exactly rolling in it either and is owed lots in unpaid royalties. His Crack addiction at the time didn't exactly help. I suspect that the greedy record execs are the real bad guys here, as many of the P-Funkers didn't get paid their dues. George gives his bandmates including Bernie, lots of props in the book.
 
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#66
Bo0tsy said:
George's recent autobiography (Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin Kind of Hard On you?) is a really good and insightful read (very funny at times too). George claims he's not exactly rolling in it either and is owed lots in unpaid royalties. His Crack addiction at the time didn't exactly help. I suspect that the greedy record execs are the real bad guys here, as many of the P-Funkers didn't get paid their dues. George gives his bandmates including Bernie, lots of props in the book.
Click to expand...

i jsut got it, can't wait to read it.
 
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#74
One credit that is rarely, if ever, mentioned is Woo's tenure on the then new CBS Orchestra when closet Maggot Brain Paul Shafer hand picked him to be a part of the group when David Letterman inaugrated the new show on CBS in '92 (93?).
His stint was short but the music coming in and out of the breaks was tasty, from PFunk to Talking Heads. After he left, Paul continued to play those songs at least weekly. I wonder if it was his idea or Dave's?
Either way, it was always a kick to hear "Do that Stuff" end up regularly featured on network television!
Mad, mad, mad props go to David Letterman and Paul Shafer for always being friends to the Funk and giving us a smattering of the One!!!!
 
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#75
Guys, did Bernie play the bass lines with his moog on top of the bass player in song like Flashlight, One Nation Under a groove, etc? I know Parliament and Funkadelic had bass players and I see on some of those songs in the videos they seem to be playing, but I hear what sounds like a synth. Just curious, it still was rocking.
 
#76
Fire-Starter said:
Guys, did Bernie play the bass lines with his moog on top of the bass player in song like Flashlight, One Nation Under a groove, etc? I know Parliament and Funkadelic had bass players and I see on some of those songs in the videos they seem to be playing, but I hear what sounds like a synth. Just curious, it still was rocking.
Click to expand...
In Flashlight there is nothing but synth on the album track. There are several posts in this thread that give the details on that.

the motherpage says One Nation has Worrell on bass synth. I just listened to it now and I don't hear bass guitar on that track.

in concert from what I've seen its bass and synth together on those tracks.

Knee Deep is another that sounds like just synth (I hear some low piano too, but not much bass guitar.)

Smokey:


I realize you asked about whether Bernie doubles the bass guitar on songs like flashlight etc.

I've read that he does this, but in most of the Funkadelic songs with prominent synth bass lines, I don't hear any bass guitar at all.

That may not be the case for Parliament, I don't know Parliament quite as well.
 

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