An oral history with the women of Parliament-Funkadelic, from forming the band to landing the mothership. Parliament-Funkadelic is perhaps the greatest funk band ever assembled. Yet at the time of the group's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, none of the women who helped create the sound and performed in P-Funk were invited to the ceremony and their contributions have been largely overlooked. Mothership Connected tells the story of Mallia Franklin, Lynn Mabry, Dawn Silva, Debbie Wright, and Shirley Hayden, all of whom were instrumental in making Parliament-Funkadelic, as well as the spin-off groups Parlet and the Brides of Funkenstein, into the legends they are today. Assembled by Seth Neblett, son of the "Queen of Funk" Mallia Franklin, and filled with the voices of funk icons like George Clinton, Sly Stone, Bootsy Collins, and the women themselves, this oral history makes clear why these "architects" at the "core" of P-Funk were both essential-and erased. From Franklin introducing Bootsy Collins to Clinton, to the Brides' top-10 hit "Disco to Go," to the drugs that helped destroy the group, this book reveals the hidden lives and uncomfortable truths of life in P-Funk. More than sex, drugs, and rock and roll, Mothership Connected is about Black women navigating a tumultuous era and industry to become musical pioneers. Now, after decades in the shadows, these genre-defining women are finally telling their story.
Seth Neblett is a photographer, director, and writer. He is the son of Mallia "Queen of Funk" Franklin of Parliament-Funkadelic and Nathaniel "Nate" Neblett of New Birth. Neblett has directed videos for iconic musicians, including for Chaka Khan's "I Love Myself."
Foreword. Flipping the Prism on the Mythology of Parliament-Funkadelic, by Ayana Contreras Prologue. Abducted by the Mothership Chapter 1. America Eats Its Young Chapter 2. Free Your Mind, and Your Ass Will Follow Chapter 3. Hollywood Squares Chapter 4. Crossword Puzzle Chapter 5. Family Affair Chapter 6. Mothership Connection Chapter 7. Fantasy Is Reality Chapter 8. Hardcore Jollies Chapter 9. Clones of Dr. Funkenstein Chapter 10. Flash Light Chapter 11. Pleasure Principle Chapter 12. Placebo Syndrome Chapter 13. Are You Dreaming? Chapter 14. Misunderstanding Chapter 15. When You're Gone Chapter 16. Disco to Go Chapter 17. Amorous Chapter 18. One Nation Under a Groove Chapter 19. Funk or Walk Chapter 20. Deep Chapter 21. Invasion of the Booty Snatchers Chapter 22. Never Buy Texas from a Cowboy Chapter 23. Smoke Signals Chapter 24. Play Me or Trade Me Chapter 25. The Big Bang Theory Chapter 26. Theme from the Black Hole Chapter 27. Just Foreplay Chapter 28. Atomic Dog Chapter 29. Bulletproof Chapter 30. Sample Some of Disc, Sample Some of DAT Epilogue. Long Way Around Acknowledgments Photo Credits Index
I wasn't just a fan of Parlet, The Brides, and the P-Funk family; I read about them, studied their music, and knew all the players. This book makes clear there's so much more to the story--including triumphs, setbacks, rebounds, and grand achievements--illustrating how we all face challenges in life and the importance of finding the strength to bounce back. I've been waiting for this book for a long time.--George Tillman Jr., director and writer, Soul Food Mothership Connected is an absolute triumph. A pathbreaking, alternative history of funk and rock, it uncovers the story of bold, brilliant music-making innovated by Black women artists who made crucial contributions to the P-Funk sound. Seth Neblett has produced a work of pop music history that is, by turns, thrilling and riveting, illuminating as well as occasionally heartbreaking. As a work of candid oral history, this book weaves together a tapestry of voices of everyone from legendary icons to the sisters whose names we all should know, the ones who determinedly rode the highs and the lows of a recording industry rife with intersectional inequalities. Any reader of Mothership Connected will come away with a profound appreciation for their electrifying art and steadfast labor. An absolute revelation.--Daphne A. Brooks, Yale University, author of Liner Notes for the Revolution: The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist Sound Legendary P-Funk singer Mallia Franklin's one and only son, Seth Neblett, tells the tale of the women of Parliament-Funkadelic in the only way a funk-tale can be told: raw and real and in the pocket. This insider's account shines a light on that female funk that has always been a part of the P-Funk Experience. Through it all, Mothership Connected does justice to the power these women possessed, and the outrageous pressures they were under, as foot soldiers on the front lines of the P-Funk Army.--Rickey Vincent, author of Funk: The Music, The People, and the Rhythm of The One
