Bring the Funk - The Original Funk Brother turns 70

Leroy Emmanuel learned to play the guitar when he was 9. When he was 12 he played with Sonny Boy Williamson. Since then has Leroy worked with some of the greatest entertainers in the history of modern popular music. 

Although he is not known to a bigger audience most people have heard his guitar play. Leroy was once a steady member in Tamla Motown's legendary studio band The Funk Brothers who was the rhythm sector behind countless Motown hits. He has played live or in studio with: Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Edwin Star, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, Al Green, Sonny Boy Williamson, Funk Brothers, Bohanon, Dionne Warwick, James Brown Band, The Counts, Funkadelics, Sly and the Family Stone, The Commodores, Kool & the Gang, Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, Natalie Cole, Grover Washington, Rufus, the Jackson Five, Peaches and Herb, The Dells, Chick Corea, Rufus Thomas, Ben Vereen Ike and Tina Turner, Ruby and the Romantics, Roberta Flack, the Temptations, Booker T and the MGs, Hot Chocolate, Albert King, Martha and the Vandellas among others.

In 1969 his band The Fabolous Counts scored a massive hit with the instrumental song Jan Jan, that was later famously covered by Grant Green. Although Leroy Emmanuel turns 70 today he does not lie idle. The upcoming album Funk is the Final Frontier with LMT connection is due to be released in may.

Listen to Leroy Emmanuels lifestory in this Fireside Chat: http://www.rbmaradio.com/shows/leroy-emmanuel-fireside-chat

Text and photo: Mikael Good

Leroy Emmanuel - The Original Funk Brother

Listen to the words of the legendary guitarist Leroy Emmanuel in the Fireside Chat interview that you can find in the end of this article. Leroy was once a steady member of Motowns legendary studio band The Funk Brothers who was the rhythm sector behind countless Motown hits.

I took the images that illustrates this article at Newworldsons concert at Gullbranna Festival. At the concert at Gullbranna the original members in Newworldson Joel Parisien and Mark Rogers was backed up by the Chops Horns (Darryl Dixon and Dave Watson), the bassist "Big Bad" John Irvine and the original Funk Brother Leroy Emmanuel. If you are given the opportunity to see this funky constellation live do it!

Listen to Leroy Emmanuels interesting story here:
http://www.rbmaradio.com/shows/leroy-emmanuel-fireside-chat 

Here´s a direct link to the Flickr set The Original Funk Brother: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chasid68/sets/72157634666413068/



Text and Photo: © Mikael Good, All Rights Reserved.

A Guitar Legend at Gullbranna

I think that some readers thought of the guitar virtuoso Rex Carroll from the band Whitecross who also played at the Gullbranna Festival when they read the headline of this article. But for both Rex Carroll and me the guitar legend at Gullbranna in Sweden was Leroy Emmanuel who played guitar with the Canadian band Newworldson.

Leroy has worked with some of the greatest entertainers in the history of modern music: Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Edwin Star, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, Al Green, Sonny Boy Williamson, Funk Brothers, Bohanon, Dionne Warwick, James Brown Band, The Counts, Funkadelics, Sly and The Family Stone, The Commodores, Kool and the Gang, Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, Natalie Cole, Grover Washington, Rufus, Jackson Five, Peaches and Herb, The Dells, Chick Corea, Rufus Thomas, Ben Vareen, Ike and Tina Turner, Ruby and the Romantics, Roberta Flack, the Temptations, Booker T and the MGs, Hot Chocolate, Albert King, Martha and the Vandellas, War and many others.

I recognized Leroy and I took the opportunity to shake hands with him and to exchanged a few words with him backstage. Although he is a Soul, Funk and Rhythm & Blues legend, he was very humble and it was easy to speak with him. It would have been real fun to sit down and talk music and memories with Leroy Emmanuel, but the time was not on our side this time. For me it was the musical highlight of the year to meet and see a legend like Leroy Emmanuel in action.  

Click on the following link if you want to see more pictures from Newworldsons concert at the Gullbranna Festival: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjGG3wWn

Text and photo: © Mikael Good, All Rights Reserved.