Greatest Funk Artists

List editor: J.B. Trance

Criteria: - Artists are based on popularity, impact, and influence, with an emphasis on the world of funk music. Though not all of these artists are strictly funk, if any artist had a significant amount of important funk songs, they are factored here into the rankings.

1. James Brown
2. Sly & The Family Stone
3. George Clinton /Parliament-Funkadelic
4. Earth, Wind, & Fire
5. Curtis Mayfield
6. Stevie Wonder
7. Isley Brothers
8. Kool & The Gang
9. Rick James
10. Isaac Hayes
11. Zapp & Roger
12. War
13. Ohio Players
14. Meters
15. Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band
16. Temptations
17. Prince
18. Gap Band
19. Cameo
20. Average White Band
21. Fred Wesley/The JBs
22. Dyke & The Blazers
23. Bloodstone
24. Marvin Gaye
25. Rufus/Chaka Khan
26. Blackbyrds
27. Gil Scott-Heron
28. B.T. Express
29. Slave
30. Tower of Power
31. Con Funk Shun
32. Brass Construction
33. Bar-Kays
34. Brick
35. Brothers Johnson
36. Bootsy Collins/Bootsy's Rubber Band
37. Booker T. & The MG's
38. Rufus Thomas
39. Joe Tex
40. Bill Withers
41. Billy Preston
42. Cymande
43. Fela Kuti
44. Lyn Collins
45. Bobby Byrd
46. Commodores
47. Fatback/Fatback Band
48. Mandrill
49. Graham Central Station
50. Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers
51. The Time
52. Maze feat. Frankie Beverly
53. Eddie Kendricks
54. Jimmy Castor Bunch
55. Jackson 5/Jacksons/Michael Jackson
56. Willie Hutch
57. Emotions
58. Johnny "Guitar" Watson
59. Betty Davis
60. Trouble Funk
61. Rose Royce
62. Teena Marie
63. Midnight Star
64. S.O.S. Band
65. Gwen McCrae
66. Dazz Band
67. Klymaxx
68. Mary Jane Girls
69. Ready For the World
70. Lakeside
71. Hot Chocolate
72. New Birth
73. Mtume
74. Bohannon/Hamilton Bohannon
75. Yarbrough & Peoples
76. Jones Girls
77. Neville Brothers
78. Marva Whitney
79. Shalamar
80. Skyy
81. Mass Production
82. Lafayette Afro Rock Band
83. Funk Inc.
84. Tony! Toni! Tone!
85. L.T.D.
86. Shuggie Otis
87. Aretha Franklin
88. Al Green
89. Undisputed Truth
90. T-Connection
91. Instant Funk
92. People's Choice
93. Chocolate Milk
94. Dennis Coffey & The Detroit Guitar Band
95. Brecker Brothers
96. Melvin Van Peebles
97. Material
98. Jean Knight
99. Bobby Womack
100. Heatwave

Booker T and the MG's should be way higher on this list. Since they were the Stax house band and played on EVERY Stax recording until the late 60s, their impact and influence is huge to say the least. Steve Cropper was playing mean funky riffs when the word funk wasn't even used yet. Just listen to that swinging funky rhythm in Soul Man. Motown artists of during that time didn't have that sound yet.

The word "funk" predates the rock and roll era. It is part of old African American vernacular.

"Funk" music dates back farther than Booker T and his group. Some Latin music and jazz music prior to the 1950s had "mean funky riffs."

In addition, Booker T. & The M.G.'s are not what you would really call "funk," hence their placement. If anything, I may have placed them too high.

Yes but funk had a different meaning back then. I was referring to what funk came to be in the late 60s/early 70s. It would be stupid to talk about funk artists while not talking about the genre funk. And if you think Booker T and the MG's you probably don't know too much about their discography.

No, it did not. It's always meant the same thing.

Steve Cropper was playing mean funky riffs when the word funk wasn't even used yet.

The word "funk" has been used in decades prior to Steve Cropper ever picking up a guitar.



Funk as a musical genre was already created by the mid-1960s.



They're on this list in the Top 40, how is that not knowing "too much about their discography."? They're more pure soul and straight R&B than they are "funk" in the sense of James Brown and Dyke & the Blazers.

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Considering you have the jazz based Brecker Brothers on this list, don't you think it would be practical if Herbie Hancock got a spot on this list? I mean his funk stuff in the eighties is worthy for a spot on this list, right? One of the very few artists to make albums with a lot of instrumental funk as well. He also won the Grammy for best R&B instrumental performance for Rockit in 1984. I definitely believe he deserves a spot on this lost for his work in jazz-funk/funk/electro-funk.

Actually, Herbie Hancock is at a sidebar list. This list was last updated in 2009:

http://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_rb-funk-art.html

Curious why Donald Byrd isn't standing on this list?

He's on the sidebar list. Follow the link of the post above you.

Good list. However, why didn’t you include Hendrix? Band of Gypsys have some great funk songs and Hendrix influenced funk artist like Bootsy Collins.

Also, what about RHCP?

RHCP is at a sidebar list; check the link I posted. Additionally, Hendrix is no significant funk artist.