{"id":225560,"date":"2026-04-09T23:26:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T23:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/225560\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T23:26:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T23:26:07","slug":"p-funks-george-clinton-celebrates-85th-birthday-with-tallahassee-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/225560\/","title":{"rendered":"P-Funk\u2019s George Clinton celebrates 85th birthday with Tallahassee festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – As the United States celebrates 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, WCTV and its parent company, Gray Media, are taking a moment to celebrate our local history. Our\u201cWe The People\u201d<\/a>series commemorates and honors local history in the Big Bend and South Georgia.<\/p>\n

When it comes to music and culture, Tallahassee\u2019s own George Clinton\u2019s contribution is immeasurable. <\/p>\n

He redefined American music with the creation of Parliament Funkadelic or P-Funk, a massive musical and cultural universe that reshaped modern sound and identity, providing a foundational DNA for multiple industries and social movements.<\/p>\n

Clinton is turning 85 in July and there\u2019s a lot to celebrate. Sitting in his art studio at his Tallahassee home, Clinton, who has spent decades building a mythology about the future and outer space, shared if the world we\u2019re living in now resembles the future he imagined while writing Mothership Connection in the 70s.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really taking it in all this future, waiting on dance and robots and talking to computers, AI,\u201d Clinton said. \u201cOne of the records I\u2019m doing is going to be called AI, AI, O. Old Mac Funk Had a Farm. All that future we saw back then is here.\u201d <\/p>\n

2026 is a year of many milestones for Clinton, who is one of the architects of modern music culture, transforming funk from a sound into a universe. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Mothership Tour.<\/p>\n

The Mothership, one of the most iconic stage props in music history made its debut with the P-Funk Earth Tour in October 1976 at the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans.<\/p>\n

At that time, African-Americans had never seen a spectacle on the level of the Mothership Connection stage show. <\/p>\n

Clinton shared his inspiration for the idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically, watching Pink Floyd do their big super production. They were the only one that was doing it on black or white, and they had those big productions,\u201d Clinton said. \u201cStar Trek was my thing, so a spaceship, Blacks in outer space, you had never seen that. You had Parliament Funkadelic and Bootsy, Brides of Funkenstein. We had a whole Motown review within the funk. So, I knew it was going to take a spaceship to move all of those people at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mothership was about cultural empowerment in the post-Civil Rights era and so much more. And now, in 2026, its been updated for the digital frontier. <\/p>\n

The Mothership is landing once again in New Orleans at the Caesars Superdome during Fourth of July weekend to close out the Essence Festival of Culture.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mothership is going to fly. It\u2019s going to be here this summer. The band has been hot for the last five years,\u201d Clinton said.<\/p>\n

The message still matters; connecting and inspiring new generations like Clinton\u2019s children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of them grew up with the group,\u201d Clinton said. \u201cThey performed with the group. It\u2019s their history, their legacy.\u201d <\/p>\n

As Sly Stone sang \u201cit\u2019s a family affair\u201d and for Clinton\u2019s 85th birthday, his grandchildren are honoring him with an incredible event: The inaugural P-Funk Festival: Let\u2019s Take It to the Stage<\/a> in Tallahassee. <\/p>\n

Clinton said there\u2019s no other place he\u2019d like to celebrate his 85th year than in the community he calls home. <\/p>\n

\u201cTallahassee is a great place to have a funk festival,\u201d he said. \u201cIt feels good that I can give back, because it\u2019s been good to me. Being here changed my life in a new direction. It\u2019s good that we could do it here and give something back to the community.\u201d <\/p>\n

The festival is on April 11 at Phipps Farm. It\u2019s a 12-hour outdoor event in a down home setting. The perfect place for a P-Funk family reunion. <\/p>\n

In Clinton\u2019s art studio, which sits among the trees on his property, he translates the P-Funk frequency onto canvas through a visual funk of bright, loud colors and layered collages. <\/p>\n

His art work now hangs in some of the most prestigious museums and galleries in the world, yet another example of the shape-shifting, artistic energy that makes up the P-Funk legacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1976, the Mothership first landed. It was the 200th anniversary of America,\u201d he said. \u201cThey needed the mothership. We got it. We said we\u2019d be back.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Mothership is coming back, bringing enough funk to power the next 250 years.<\/p>\n

After the Essence Fest on fourth of July weekend, the Mothership will take off again on a 10-city tour.<\/p>\n

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