Posted on 06/25/2016 9:04:13 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Keyboardist and composer Bernie Worrell, who helped shape the sound of the band Parliament-Funkadelic and influenced countless artists across a wide range of genres, died Friday at 72.
Worrell announced earlier this year that he had been diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer.
His musical life began early — according to his official biography, he started studying piano at age 3, wrote his first concerto at age 8 and performed with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., at 10.
The classically trained keyboardist (he studied at Juilliard and the New England Conservatory of Music) made his name — and an indelible mark on music — in the world of P-Funk.
Worrell, aka "The Wizard of Woo," was an early member of Parliament-Funkadelic, George Clinton's sprawling, theatrical and wildly influential funk collective.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame notes that Parliament and Funkadelic "prefigured everything from rap and hip-hop to techno and alternative," with latter-day disciples including Prince and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Worrell was one of the key collaborators shaping the sounds of the collective.
He was particularly famous for his innovative embrace of the sounds of synthesizers.
In the 1980s, Worrell helped reshape the sound of the Talking Heads and became a regular member of their expanded lineup.
P-Funk veteran Bernie Worrell performs songs from his latest album, Standards.
Even if you don't know Worrell, you've probably heard his work. As a studio musician he contributed to scores of albums, and P-Funk songs are frequently sampled on hip-hop tracks.
In 1991, when his second solo album came out, Worrell spoke to reporter Andy Lyman for Morning Edition. Worrell said his mastery of musical fundamentals was central to his genre-mashing work.
"The art of creating is not just pushing a button," he said. "We're going to lose the art of creating — composing — because they won't even know how to make a chord. The chords are already just on a button. What is the root? What's the third? What's the fifth of the chord?
"I feel that a lot of artists and parents who are interested in music should get music back into the mainstream in school systems," he said. "That's being lost also."
You can hear that whole piece, which also explores the social awareness of Parliament/Funkadelic as well as Worrell's lasting influence on the Talking Heads, here:
In January, Worrell announced that he had been diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer. An online fundraiser and star-studded benefit concert helped cover his medical expenses — and gave many in the music community a chance to honor his life while he was still there to hear it.
George Clinton and Bootsy Collins of P-Funk, David Byrne and Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads, Fred Schneider of the B-52s, Buckethead, Living Colour and Questlove, among others, performed at the "All The WOO In The World" benefit concert in April. And Worrell played too, of course.
The crowd shouted "We love you, Bernie!" as he struggled for words, holding a proclamation from the mayor of Newark, N.J., in his honor. "I don't know what to —" Worrell said.
"Thank you," he finally said. "I love you, too."
Most people don’t know his name, but as a sessions player,he was very much in demand during that time. This was back when most of the R&B music was both fun and well done. We were all just learning what a Moog synthesizer could do.
He was one funky dude.
He was great and ubiquitous while staying in the shadows.
RIP Bernie
RIP.
Parliament Chocolate City “Let Me Be”
Bernie Worrel on piano and synthesizer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kVvumRW1Bw
Up to the mothership
Oh no.
What a tremendous loss.
Rest in peace, Bernie.
The man behind the curtain.
I loved his work with the Talking Heads.
He also did some very interesting stuff with “Colonel Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brains” (a band with no time taken for a name: Les Claypool, Buckethead, Bernie, and Brain.)
Mark
I must have 24 lps with this guy on keys.
My brother just said he never heard of parliament funk.
I said what planet were you living on?
Damm, it, Funk this!
I saw him play in a small club in the Philly burbs with Jerry Harrison’s side project Casual Gods. GREAT show.
George is a trip
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