Funk Music of the 1970s Trivia Quiz

Answer: One Nation Under a Groove

Funkadelic is one of the two bands created by George Clinton and his colorful and unique entourage of singers and players. "One Nation Under a Groove" with its message of "nothing can stop us now," was an appropriate segue into the Hip-Hop era which saw African American artists producing and distributing their own work.

"For Those Who Love to Groove" is by Ray Parker Jr and Raydio, "All You Do is Dial" is by Heatwave, "Back in Love Again" is by LTD.

Answer: Heatwave

Heatwave is perhaps best known for Johnny Wilder's pristine falsetto in the ballad "Always and Forever" but they certainly inspired us to get our groove on, on the dance floor. "Rain, shine, don't mind we're riding on the Groove Line tonight." The band included members from Czechoslovakia, Jamaica and Switzerland, and the brilliant Rod Temperton who would go on to write "Off the Wall," " Rock with You" and "Thriller" for Michael Jackson.

"Groove Line" was recorded in 1978, and, along with the Ohio Players' "Jass-ay Lay-Dee", E, W & F released their "Best of" Volume 1, and Lakeside released the album "Shot of Love."

Answer: The Commodores

The Commodores would bring lead singer Lionel Ritchie to the attention of the world. After Lionel's leaving the group to pursue a solo career, they would continue to enjoy success with hits like "Night Shift" which paid homage to singers who died before their time, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye and others.

The O'Jays were an original Soul music trio famous for "Love Train" and "I Love Music." The Brothers Johnson laid it down with "Stomp" and the Bar-Kays with "Shake Your Rump to the Funk."

Answer: Jeffery Osborne

Jeffery Osborne is the magical voice that gives life to classics like "On the Wings of Love" and "You Should Be Mine."

Steve Arrington was the lead singer of Slave who recorded "Weak at the Knees," sampled by NWA and "Watching You" sampled by Snoop Dog. Phillip Bailey was a lead vocalist for Earth, Wind and Fire, the top R & B band of the decade; their "Getaway" was sampled by Wyclef Jean. El DeBarge is a three time Grammy nominee from the famous singing family, DeBarge.

Answer: Rick James

Rick James bridged the gap between Funk and Punk with his unique style of writing music, culminating in another monster hit, "Super Freak." This track would be sampled by rapper MC Hammer on "You Can't Touch This."

Bootsy Collins was another spin-off act of the P-Funk nation, influenced by Jimi Hendrix, who was formerly James Brown's guitarist. George Duke was a jazz funk master producer who played briefly with Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, and later produced funk hits that would be sampled by Kanye West and Ice Cube. Prince Rogers Nelson, the icon known simply as "Prince" before changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol, followed by "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince," would hit the music scene in 1979 with "I Wanna Be Your Lover."

Answer: Parliament

Perhaps no other band epitomizes the funk sound as much as the brainchild of George Clinton, the band known as Parliament. Parliament and Funkadelic are the two collaboratives established by Clinton, with an entourage of singers and band members performing and recording interchangeably. It has been estimated that George Clinton's works have been sampled in Hip-Hop recordings approximately 200 times.

Cameo, led by Larry Blackmon, was famous for hits like "Candy" and "Word Up." Con-Funk-Shun from Memphis TN, scored a huge funk hit called "F-fun," which combined a New Orleans jazz sound with funk. Frankie Beverly & Maze infused funk with a smooth jazz California sound, and are still revered to this day with timeless classics like "Joy and Pain," and "Southern Girl."

Answer: Lakeside

Lakeside was one of several funk bands emerging from the state of Ohio in the late 1970s. "Fantastic Voyage" made them a household name. The 70's dance styles "Popping" and "Locking" made this song a must-play at house parties.

Rufus and Chaka Khan created classics like "Tell Me Something Good," "Stay" and one of their best known, "Sweet Thing", which was recorded by First Lady of Hip-Hop's Mary J. Blige. The Brass Construction was a NYC Funk group with a wicked brass section, famous for their Number One hit "Movin'." Switch was a Motown act, so named because of their ability to "switch" vocalists and instruments mid-song. "We Like to Party" and "I Call Your Name" are two of their hits.

Answer: The Ohio Players

The Ohio Players were tight musicians with a unique sound and unforgettable album covers, such as the one that "Sweet Sticky Thing" appears on, featuring a naked model covered in honey.

Tower of Power was an Oakland CA based band, founded by Emilio Castillo, who scored big hits with "What is Hip?" and "So Very Hard to Go." Slave, led by Steve Arrington, was brought to national attention with their first dance hit "Slide," among others already mentioned in previous answers. Midnight Star formed at Kentucky State University in 1976 and was responsible for two major funk anthems, "Freak-A-Zoid," and "No Parking on the Dance Floor."

Answer: Earth, Wind & Fire

There is a seemingly unending list of the accolades awarded this very seminal act called Earth, Wind and Fire, founded by Maurice White, his brother Verdine and friends. Grammy's Lifetime Achievement, R 'n R Hall of Fame's recognition, NAACP Image Awards and Hollywood Walk of Fame honors aside, E, W & F changed the cultural and musical landscape in America with their proud, dignified appearance and their unique spiritually "cosmic" sound. A little advertised fact of the seventies, when arena-stadium concerts were the top ticket sellers, was that E, W & F were the top stadium performers of that decade, surpassing better known Rock bands of the era in ticket sales.

In an era where the racial segregation of music on the radio was beginning to fade, Average White Band was embraced by Black audiences as "those funky Scottish boys," with hits like "Pick Up the Pieces" and "Cut the Cake." The band Chic was the most famous Funk/R&B/Disco act of the 1970s. Headed by Nile Rogers, Chic's hits like "Le Freak C'est Chic" and "Everybody Dance" made them famous worldwide. Their song 'Good Times" was remade by the Sugar Hill Gang on "Rapper's Delight."

Answer: Fela Kuti

Fela Kuti is one of the most famous 20th Century West African musicians. The Broadway musical entitled, "FELA!" tells the story of his musical journey as well as attempts on his life. He spent a good amount of time in the US with James Brown in the 1970s before returning to Nigeria. Unfortunately his politically potent lyrics would provoke an attack in which his mother was thrown by a soldier from a second story window. Fela's music is venerated worldwide; his motto "Music is the Weapon" can be seen emblazoned on t-shirts and posters.

King Sunny Ade is another Nigerian music master of Juju; his recording of "Synchro System" featured Stevie Wonder on harmonica. Salif Keita is an Afro-Pop singer from Mali often called "the Golden Voice of Africa." Ebenezer Obey, another Nigerian music master who combined Juju with High-Life style, was better known in Nigeria's upper-class social circles.