James Brown - Cold Sweat

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James Brown's Cold Sweat, released in 1967, is often cited as the original funk tune. Whether or not you believe this, you can't deny that this tune is seriously funky! The groove that Clyde Stubblefield layed down on this track, characterised by the displaced backbeat at the end of bar one, is still regularly imitated today. In fact, what prompted me to post this groove is hearing drummer Billy Martin play a great variation of it on John Scofield's tune Chank.
 

James Brown - Funky Drummer

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Here it is, by request, James Brown's legendary Funky Drummer. This one bar exert represents the basic groove Clyde Stubblefield plays on this track prior to and during the famous drum break, but because he plays so many 'off the cuff' variations on it throughout the recording, I think you really need to get comfortable and experiment with it in order to reproduce the vibe of this tune. Stay loose and have fun with it! If you haven't heard this tune you can find it on James Brown's In the Jungle Groove. Enjoy!

James Brown - Super Bad

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James Brown is one of my all time favourite artists, I can't get enough of his music. This one is from all the way back in 1970 with John 'Jabo' Starks behind the kit. This is a really fun tune to play along to. You'll notice the accented snare hits are following horn stabs.

If you haven't heard any James Brown before, you are missing out on some of the funkiest music ever recorded!