Shanachie Entertainment is proud to announce the signing of
classic R & B/funk band ConFunkShun and will release the band’s first new
studio album since their initial break up in 1986. Con Funk Shun was formed by
high-school classmates Michael Cooper and Louis "Tony" McCall, along
with Karl Fuller, Paul "Maceo" Harrell, Dennis Johnson, Cedric
Martin, and Danny "Sweet Man" Thomas. All of them had been playing
together since their high-school days in Vallejo, CA. Felton Pilate, also from
Vallejo, joined the group after his band, a local rival, disbanded. ConFunkShun
initially broke through in the "golden age" of self-contained R &
B bands in the 1970's, joining such ground-breaking ensembles as Earth, Wind
& Fire, War, The Meters, Kool & The Gang and many others as innovative
hit-makers. They are, unquestionably,
among the heroes of Funk with romantic ballads and dance-party hits galore.
Memorable melodies, inventive horn arrangements and clav-guitar woven grooves,
make the group absolutely essential to the evolution of funk. They charted four
consecutive Gold's and one Platinum album. ConFunkShun had 25 chart singles
from 1977 – 1986, including 5 Top Ten hits and sold millions of albums. The band broke up when Michael Cooper went solo in 1986; he enjoyed a successful solo
career in the ensuing decade. After playing some successful performances in the
new Millennium the band reunited with key members, including lead vocalists
Michael Cooper and Felton Pilate. The
new album will be released in the Fall of 2014 following a heavy touring
schedule this Summer. This signals the true re-emergence of one of R & B's
greatest bands!
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