Con Funk Shun
One of my absolute favorite bands, Con Funk Shun over the course of the late 1970s and early 1980s, carved out a space as one of the premier R&B/funk bands on the music scene.
They never achieved the outright legendary status like Earth, Wind & Fire, but they certainly rode a successful and dynamic streak that placed them on a level just below… at least in the world of R&B/funk. They never had the crossover success with White audiences.
Their loss because there was easily a point in time where Con Funk Shun putting out an album meant you just went out and bought the album, no questions asked. At least if you were into funk and R&B.
The earliest incarnation of the band started in Vallejo, California, in 1969 as Project Soul. By 1973, they had moved to Memphis and formally re-named themselves Con Funk Shun after a funky album cut by the Nite-Liters. The highlight of their time in Tennessee was actually back in California performing as a backing band at the famous Wattstax concert. However, they never got to release an album during this era.
(Several recordings they made in 1973 were belatedly released by independent labels in 1978 and 1980.)
Con Funk Shun finally got to release their eponymous debut album in 1976 on Mercury Records. That album sold next to nothing, but the band struck pay dirt in 1977 with Secrets that featured their first and only #1 R&B hit (and best song of their career, IMO) “Ffun”.
By this point Con Funk Shun was no longer doing the heavier funk of their early days, which was reminiscent of War or the Nite-Liters. Instead, they had ably studied the ways of Earth, Wind & Fire and concocted pop-funk singles that ironically barely made a dent on the pop charts, but routinely climbed to upper echelons of the R&B registers.
From 1977 to 1986, Con Funk Shun scored eight top 10 R&B singles and seven top 10 R&B albums including four consecutive that were certified gold. Those four albums—Secrets, Loveshine, Candy, and Spirit of Love—were not just their commercial peak, but also their artistic climax as well.
Band Members
Cedric Martin — bass
Louis McCall — drums
Michael Cooper — guitar, lead vocals
Danny Thomas — keyboards
Paul Harrell — saxophone, flute
Felton Pilate — trombone, lead vocals
Karl Fuller — trumpet
Unofficial Member
Linda Lou McCall — promotion, photography, and songwriting
Now despite being clear acolytes of EWF, Con Funk Shun did separate themselves by being a self-contained band that wrote and produced their own music. They also had two lead vocalists: the falsetto/tenor of Felton Pilate and the growling glory of Michael Cooper. The horn players rarely took extended solos, but Paul Harrell managed to put down sweet flute solos on two of their biggest hits (“Ffun” and “Chase Me”). And bass man Cedric Martin is a marvel.
As the R&B/funk world became more synthesizer dependent and mechanistic, Con Funk Shun struggled to adjust in the early 1980s like many great bands of the 1970s did. The struggle was at times valiant as they still put out largely respectable and enjoyable albums until 1985. That year’s Electric Lady was the first truly bad collection of Con Funk Shun songs. 1986’s Burnin’ Love wasn’t much better and the band quickly lost their recording deal with Mercury.
Anyhoo, intragroup tensions finally resulted in their breakup that same year. You can watch the Unsung documentary about the band on YouTube for more on the tragedies and strife that befell them. The acrimony wasn’t forever. The band reformed in 1993 to play the oldies funk circuit, which they still do to this day.
I encourage you funk fans to listen to all the albums with a C+ or better… but if you want to dig just two, go for Secrets and Spirit of Love.
ALBUM REVIEWS
Early Recordings
The Memphis Sessions: Incomplete
Mercury Recordings
Con Funk Shun: C+
Secrets: B+
Loveshine: B
Candy: B+
Spirit Of Love: A-
Touch: B-
To the Max: C+
Fever: B-
Burnin’ Love: D