An Evening with George Clinton
Written by: Julie Earle
Photos by: Paul Hitz from United Photo Works
Saturday night I sipped on some champagne as I wandered the halls of United Sound Studios taking in the studios history gazing at walls full of photographs. A restored (by American Restoration)1923 Chickering quarter baby grand piano owned by George Clinton himself sat in a corner begging to be played. I overheard some talk that George may be back within' the year to record in this studio again and put the old piano to good use.
Studio employees along with event organizers Nardo Navdo and Lee Majors unpacked copies of George's new book "Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard on You? : A Memoir" to set on display tables next to copies of the new Funkadelic CD 'first ya gotta shake the gate', and unpacked t-shirts and eye catching limited edition posters designed for the event by local artist Ken Campbell. Also on the scene making sure everything was just right, were Monte, George's talented manager, who has been with George for over 20 years, and George's lovely wife Carlon.
As fans entered the building I caught glimpses of homemade fan t-shirts, old records, picture discs and guitars displaying multiple Funkadelic stickers. DJ Mike Jay from Top Flyte started cranking out George's music while some excited fans decided to dance while they waited in line to meet Dr. Funkenstein himself. Other fans chatted with one another while munching on light refreshments.
George spent the next 3 hours meeting fans, signing books and CD's and posing for pictures with everyone who asked, all with a smile on his face. He clearly enjoyed being in Detroit and many old friends were among the 200+ people who showed up, and were warmly greeted with hugs and even a few spontaneous vocal duets
Being in the presence of a music legend who is still looking good and putting out groovy music at age 73 was an inspiring way to spend the evening. The return of George Clinton to United Sound Studios brought great energy, lots of love and plenty of funk!
