keyboardist A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical inst ...

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.

Biography

Early life

Worrell was born in

Long Branch, New Jersey Long Branch is a beachside city in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 30,719,Plainfield, New Jersey, where his family moved when he was eight. A musical

prodigy Prodigy, Prodigies or The Prodigy may refer to: * Child prodigy, a child who produces meaningful output to the level of an adult expert performer ** Chess prodigy, a child who can beat experienced adult players at chess Arts, entertainment, and ...

, he began formal piano lessons by age three and wrote a

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typ ...

at age eight. He went on to study at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely ...

and received a degree from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1967. As a college student, Worrell played with a group called Chubby & The Turnpikes; this ensemble eventually evolved into

Tavares Tavares may refer to: Places Brazil *Tavares, Paraíba *Tavares, Rio Grande do Sul *Rodovia Raposo Tavares, the longest highway in São Paulo *Tavares Bastos (favela), a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil *Tavares River Jamaica *Tavares Garden ...

.

1970s

After meeting George Clinton, leader of a Plainfield-based

doo wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

group called The Parliaments, Worrell moved with Clinton, The Parliaments and their backing band, The Funkadelics, to

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

; thereafter, both groups became collectively known as Parliament-Funkadelic. During the 1970s the same group of musicians separately recorded under the names

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

and

Funkadelic Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, pioneered the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, Bush. Funkade ...

, (among several others), but toured as P-Funk. Worrell played

grand piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

,

Wurlitzer electric piano The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from the mid-1950s to mid-1980s. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is concept ...

, Hohner Clavinet,

Hammond B3 organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated ...

,

ARP String Ensemble The Solina String Ensemble, also marketed as the ARP String Ensemble, is a fully polyphonic multi-orchestral synthesizer with a 49-key keyboard, produced by Eminent BV (known for their ''Solina'' brand). It was distributed in the United States by ...

and

Moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 20 ...

, co-wrote, and wrote horn and rhythm

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orche ...

s on hit recordings for both groups and other associated bands under the "Parliafunkadelicment Thang" production company, and many of his most notable performances were recorded with

Bootsy's Rubber Band A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

, Parlet, The Brides of Funkenstein and

The Horny Horns The Horny Horns were a horn section associated with Parliament-Funkadelic and Bootsy's Rubber Band led by trombonist Fred Wesley. The group also featured saxophonist Maceo Parker and Rick Gardner and Richard "Kush" Griffith on trumpets. While ...

. Worrell recorded a 1978 solo album, '' All the Woo in the World'', with the musical backing of P-Funk's members. While funk musicians traditionally utilized electric keyboards, such as the Hammond organ and Fender Rhodes electric piano, Worrell was the second recipient of the Moog synthesizer created by Bob Moog. Mainly responsible for creating Parliament's futuristic sound, Worrell's use of the

Minimoog The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first pop ...

bass on the Parliament song "

Flash Light A flashlight ( US, Canada) or torch ( UK, Australia) is a portable hand-held electric lamp. Formerly, the light source typically was a miniature incandescent light bulb, but these have been displaced by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) since ...

", on 1977's '' Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome'', heavily influenced the sound of R&B music and served as a bridge between American R&B and the insurgence of new wave,

new age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consi ...

and

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

. He used the

ARP Pro Soloist The ARP Pro Soloist was one of the first commercially successful preset synthesizers. Introduced by ARP Instruments, Inc. in 1972, it replaced the similar ARP Soloist (19701971) in the company's lineup of portable performance instruments. Histo ...

as well. Worrell played synthesizer and digital keyboard on P funk songs throughout the 1970s, most notably " Mothership Connection (Star Child)" and " Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" from '' Mothership Connection'' (1975) and " Aqua Boogie" from ''

Motor Booty Affair ''Motor Booty Affair'' is the seventh album by funk band Parliament. Released on November 20, 1978. It contains two of the group's most popular tracks, "Rumpofsteelskin" and " Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)" which went to numbe ...

'' (1978).

1980s

When Parliament-Funkadelic took a hiatus from touring in the early 1980s, Worrell was recruited, along with other musicians from differing

musical genres This is a list of music genres and styles. Music can be described in terms of many genres and styles. Classifications are often arbitrary, and may be disputed and closely related forms often overlap. Larger genres and styles comprise more speci ...

such as guitarist

Adrian Belew Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist and singer, he is noted for his unusual and impressionistic approach to ...

, to perform and record with

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

. Worrell's experience and feel for different arrangements enhanced the overall sound of the band. Though he never officially joined Talking Heads, he was a ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...

'' member of the group for most of the '80s, appearing on one of their studio albums, several solo albums, and two tours until they officially disbanded in 1991. Worrell can be seen in the band's concert film '' Stop Making Sense''. Notably, Worrell was invited to perform with Talking Heads as part of their 2002 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1983, Worrell provided keyboard parts for

Mtume Mtume (pronounced ''em-tu-may'') was an American funk and soul group that rose to prominence during the early 1980s and had several R&B hits during its career. Its founder, former percussionist James Mtume, previously played and toured with ...

's hit song " Juicy Fruit". Worrell co-produced

Fred Schneider Frederick William Schneider III (born July 1, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, and musician, best known as the frontman of the rock band The B-52's, of which he is a founding member. Schneider is well known for his ''sprechge ...

's 1984 solo album ''

Fred Schneider and the Shake Society ''Fred Schneider and the Shake Society'' is the debut solo studio album by American new wave musician Fred Schneider, released in 1984 by Warner Bros. Records. It was re-released in 1991 as ''Fred Schneider''. Musicians and backing vocalists var ...

'' and played keyboards and synthesizers on some of the album's tracks. Bernie Worrell-02

In 1987 he appeared on the critically acclaimed solo release Casual Gods by Jerry Harrison of

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

. The LP contained the US Mainstream Charts hit "Rev it up" which reached a high of #7 and appeared in the movie " Something Wild". He worked with Jerry Harrison on his other releases also.

1990s–2010s

From the late 1980s through the 2010s, Worrell recorded extensively with

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, ...

, including

Sly and Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separa ...

's Laswell-produced ''

Rhythm Killers ''Rhythm Killers'' is an album by Jamaican musical duo Sly and Robbie, released in May 1987 by Island Records. By the time of the album's recording, Sly and Robbie had transitioned away from their prolific work in the reggae genre. They spent the ...

'' and the 1985

Fela Kuti Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the pi ...

album ''Army Arrangement''. Worrell performed with Gov't Mule. Through the beginning of the 21st century, he became a visible member of the

jam band A jam band is a musical group whose concerts (and live albums) are characterized by lengthy improvisational " jams." These include extended musical improvisation over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns, and long sets of music which often ...

scene, performing in many large summer

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or ho ...

s, sometimes billed as Bernie Worrell and the Woo Warriors. He appeared on several

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disband ...

albums, including ''

A Question of Time "A Question of Time" is Depeche Mode's seventeenth UK single, released on 11 August 1986, following the similarly titled "A Question of Lust" single. The 7" remix of "A Question of Time" runs at a slightly faster tempo and pitch than the orig ...

'', '' Cities of the Heart'', '' Monkjack'' and '' More Jack than God''. Worrell was a founding member of the

CBS Orchestra Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band is an American musical ensemble led by Paul Shaffer. It was David Letterman's house band for 33 years. The band formed in 1982 to serve as house band for NBC's ''Late Night with David Letterman'' ...

when the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production ...

'' launched in August 1993, playing lead synthesizer. Worrell departed in November when the orchestra added a horn section. In 1994, Worrell appeared on the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

's compilation album, '' Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool''. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...

epidemic in the African-American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' magazine. Worrell joined the rock group Black Jack Johnson, with

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

, Will Calhoun, Doug Wimbish and Dr. Know. He appears with the band on Mos Def's 2004 release ''

The New Danger ''The New Danger'' is the second studio album by American rapper Mos Def, released on October 12, 2004, by Rawkus and Geffen Records. It is the follow-up to his breakthrough solo effort ''Black on Both Sides'' (1999), after which he devoted more ti ...

''. Worrell joined forces with bass legend Les Claypool, guitarist

Buckethead Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative electric guitar playing. His music spans severa ...

and drummer Bryan Mantia to form the group Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains. In 2009, he joined longtime Parliament-Funkadelic guitarist

DeWayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight DeWayne Stephen "Blackbyrd" McKnight (born April 17, 1954) is an American guitarist. He was a member of The Headhunters, a jazz-funk fusion band from 1975 through 1978 and Parliament-Funkadelic from 1978 through 2008. He served briefly as gui ...

, bassist Melvin Gibbs and drummer J.T. Lewis to form the band SociaLybrium. Their album ''For You/For Us/For All'' was released on Livewired Music in January 2010. Worrell appeared in the 2004 documentary film '' Moog'' with synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog and several other Moog synthesizer musicians. In 2011, he toured with

Bootsy Collins William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American bass guitarist and singer. Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s, and later with Parliament-Funkadelic, Collins established himself as one of the leading ...

, another major figure from Parliament-Funkadelic. From 2011 through 2015, Worrell performed with his group, the Bernie Worrell Orchestra. The band became known for the appearance of special guests at live performances, including Bootsy Collins, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, Jimmy Destri,

Mike Watt Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957) is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. Watt co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen (1980–1985), Dos (1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo ...

, Rah Digga and Gary Lucas. In 2012 and 2013, Worrell played a series of concerts with guitarist

Steve Kimock Steve Kimock (born October 5, 1955) is an American rock guitarist. He was a member of San Francisco Bay Area bands Zero and KVHW. His tone and some of his playing approach has been compared to Jerry Garcia, who was a friend of his, and he ha ...

, bassist Andy Hess, and vocalist-percussionist Camille Armstrong. Kimock's son John Morgan Kimock played drums for the group in 2013. Worrell worked on the Seattle-based Khu.éex' project fusing traditional Tlingit music with funk, jazz, and experimental music. The project includes

Preston Singletary Preston Singletary (born 1963) is a Native American glass artist. Biography Preston Singletary was born in 1963 in San Francisco, California. He grew up in the Seattle-area listening to stories told by his great-grandparents, who were both ful ...

,

Skerik Skerik is an American saxophonist from Seattle, Washington. Performing on the tenor and baritone saxophone, often with electronics and loops, he is a pioneer in a playing style that has been called saxophonics. He is a founding member of Critter ...

,

Stanton Moore Stanton Moore (born July 9, 1972) is an American funk, jazz, and rock drummer from New Orleans. Most widely known as a founding member of Galactic, Moore has also pursued a solo recording career (beginning with his 1998 debut '' All Kooked Out! ...

, Captain Raab and

Randall Dunn Randall Dunn is an American record producer, audio engineer, and musician. As a record producer, he has worked with musical acts such as Sunn O))), Six Organs of Admittance, Marissa Nadler, Wolves in the Throne Room, Boris, Anna Von Hausswolf ...

among others. In 2015, Worrell appeared in the movie '' Ricki and the Flash'' as the keyboard player in

Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...

's band. The movie reunited Worrell with director Jonathan Demme, who had directed ''Stop Making Sense''. Worrell was a judge for the 12th, 13th, and 14th annual Independent Music Awards. During May 2016, the New England Conservatory of Music gave Worrell, who studied at the school until 1967, an honorary

Doctor of Music The Doctor of Music degree (D.Mus., D.M., Mus.D. or occasionally Mus.Doc.) is a higher doctorate awarded on the basis of a substantial portfolio of compositions and/or scholarly publications on music. Like other higher doctorates, it is granted b ...

degree.

Death

In January 2016, Worrell was diagnosed with a "mild form" of prostate cancer, stage-four liver cancer and stage-four

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, mali ...

. He relocated from New Jersey, his long-time home, to

Bellingham, Washington Bellingham ( ) is the most populous city in, and county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies south of the U.S.–Canada border in between two major cities of the Pacific Northwest: Vancouver, British Columbia (loc ...

. A tribute and

benefit concert A benefit concert or charity concert is a type of musical benefit performance (e.g., concert, show, or gala) featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate hu ...

to raise funds for Worrell's cancer treatment, produced by the

Black Rock Coalition The Black Rock Coalition is a New York-based artists' collective and nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the creative freedom and works of black musicians. Founding and purpose The BRC was founded in 1985 in New York City by Vernon Reid ...

and featuring musicians with whom Worrell has worked over his career, occurred on April 4 and 5, 2016. On May 9, Worrell's wife Judie posted an update on his condition on his Facebook page: Judie Worrell issued a statement on Facebook on June 16 to friends and family that "I was just told that Bernie is now headed 'Home'." She encouraged people close to Worrell to "visit him to say your goodbyes" and added that he is too ill to speak on the phone or text. Bernie Worrell died at his home in

Everson, Washington Everson is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,481 at the time of the 2010 census. Everson and the nearby city of Nooksack lie near the foothills of the Cascade mountains in Northwest Washington. Located o ...

, on June 24, 2016, at the age of 72. His wife issued a statement that "Bernie transitioned Home to The Great Spirit. Rest in peace, my love—you definitely made the world a better place. Till we meet again, vaya con Dios." Following his death, guitarist

Buckethead Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative electric guitar playing. His music spans severa ...

created a 21.5 minute long tribute song: 'Space Viking'. Buckethead published it on his 'Pike' series, as part of Pike 245. The song was captioned: "To Bernie Worrell, The Greatest Music Maker Of All".

Documentary

''Stranger: Bernie Worrell on Earth'' is a

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

about Worrell's life, music and impact. At

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cul ...

, critic Mark Deming wrote that the film "profiles his life and career while also examining how even a genius has to find a way to make a living".

Discography

Solo albums

*1978: '' All the Woo in the World'' *1990: '' Funk of Ages'' *1993: '' Blacktronic Science'' *1993: '' Pieces of Woo: The Other Side'' *1997: '' Free Agent: A Spaced Odyssey'' *2007: ''Improvisczario'' *2009: ''Christmas Woo'' *2010: '' I Don't Even Know'' *2011: ''

Standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object t ...

'' *2013: ''BWO Is Landing'' (credited as "The Bernie Worrell Orchestra") *2014: ''Elevation: The Upper Air'' *2016: ''Retrospectives''

Funkadelic

*1970: ''

Funkadelic Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, pioneered the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, Bush. Funkade ...

'' *1970: '' Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow'' *1971: ''

Maggot Brain ''Maggot Brain'' is the third studio album by the American funk rock band Funkadelic, released by Westbound Records in July 1971. It was produced by band leader George Clinton and recorded at United Sound Systems in Detroit during late 1970 ...

'' *1972: ''

America Eats Its Young ''America Eats Its Young'' is the fourth album (a double album) by Funkadelic, released in May 1972. This was the first album to include the whole of the House Guests, including Bootsy Collins, Catfish Collins, Chicken Gunnels, Rob McCollough and ...

'' *1973: '' Cosmic Slop'' *1974: ''

Standing on the Verge of Getting It On ''Standing on the Verge of Getting It On'' is the sixth studio album by Funkadelic, released on Westbound Records, released in July 1974. It is notable for featuring the return of guitarist Eddie Hazel. On this album, the lyrics generally take a ...

'' *1975: ''

Let's Take It to the Stage ''Let's Take It to the Stage'' is the seventh album by American funk rock band Funkadelic. It was released in April 1975 on Westbound Records. The album charted at number 102 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number 14 on the R&B Albums. Music and ...

'' *1976: ''

Tales of Kidd Funkadelic ''Tales of Kidd Funkadelic'' is the eighth studio album by the band Funkadelic, released in September 1976. It was their final album on the Westbound record label. The tracks were recorded during the same sessions as their first release for War ...

'' *1976: ''

Hardcore Jollies ''Hardcore Jollies'' is the ninth studio album by the funk rock band Funkadelic, released on October 29, 1976 by Warner Bros. Records, their first album to be issued on a major label. It is dedicated to "the guitar players of the world." Origi ...

'' *1978: '' One Nation Under a Groove'' *1979: ''

Uncle Jam Wants You ''Uncle Jam Wants You'' is the eleventh studio album by American funk rock band Funkadelic. It was originally released by Warner Bros. Records on September 21, 1979, and was later reissued on CD by Charly Groove Records and Priority Records. It ...

'' *1996: '' Live: Meadowbrook, Rochester, Michigan – 12th September 1971'' *2008: '' Toys'' (recorded 1970–74) *2014: ''

First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate ''First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate'' is the fourteenth studio album by American funk rock band Funkadelic. The album was released by The C Kunspyruhzy in 2014 and consists of newly recorded material. The album consists of 3 discs comprising 33 tr ...

''

Parliament

*1970: ''

Osmium Osmium (from Greek grc, ὀσμή, osme, smell, label=none) is a chemical element with the symbol Os and atomic number 76. It is a hard, brittle, bluish-white transition metal in the platinum group that is found as a trace element in alloys, ...

'' *1974: '' Up for the Down Stroke'' *1975: '' Chocolate City'' *1975: '' Mothership Connection'' *1976: ''

The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein ''The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein'' is the fifth album by funk band Parliament, released in September 1976. The album is notable for featuring horn arrangements by ex-James Brown band member, Fred Wesley. The album charted at #3 on the Billboard R&B ...

'' *1977: '' Live: P-Funk Earth Tour'' *1977: '' Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome'' *1978: ''

Motor Booty Affair ''Motor Booty Affair'' is the seventh album by funk band Parliament. Released on November 20, 1978. It contains two of the group's most popular tracks, "Rumpofsteelskin" and " Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)" which went to numbe ...

'' *1979: '' Gloryhallastoopid'' *1980: '' Trombipulation''

Selected contributions to other albums

*1981: Jerry Harrison, ''

The Red and the Black ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' (; meaning ''The Red and the Black'') is a historical psychological novel in two volumes by Stendhal, published in 1830. It chronicles the attempts of a provincial young man to rise socially beyond his modest upbringing ...

'' *1982: George Clinton, ''

Computer Games A personal computer game, also known as a PC game or computer game, is a type of video game played on a personal computer (PC) rather than a video game console or arcade machine. Its defining characteristics include: more diverse and user-dete ...

'' *1982:

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

, ''

The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads ''The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads'' is a double live album by the American new wave band Talking Heads, released in 1982 by Sire Records. The first LP features the original quartet in recordings from 1977 and 1979, and the second LP fea ...

'' *1983: Talking Heads, ''

Speaking in Tongues Speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia, is a practice in which people utter words or speech-like sounds, often thought by believers to be languages unknown to the speaker. One definition used by linguists is the fluid vocalizing of sp ...

'' *1984: Talking Heads, '' Stop Making Sense'' *1984:

Fred Schneider Frederick William Schneider III (born July 1, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, and musician, best known as the frontman of the rock band The B-52's, of which he is a founding member. Schneider is well known for his ''sprechge ...

, ''

Fred Schneider and the Shake Society ''Fred Schneider and the Shake Society'' is the debut solo studio album by American new wave musician Fred Schneider, released in 1984 by Warner Bros. Records. It was re-released in 1991 as ''Fred Schneider''. Musicians and backing vocalists var ...

'' *1985:

Fela Kuti Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the pi ...

, '' Army Arrangement'' *1985: The Golden Palominos, '' Visions of Excess'' *1986:

Ginger Baker Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and African rhythms and pi ...

, '' Horses & Trees'' *1987: Jerry Harrison, " Casual Gods" *1987:

Jesse Rae Jesse Rae (born 1951) is a Scottish singer and composer from St Boswells in Scotland. Career In the 1970s Rae moved to the US securing work as a runner in the New York Stock Exchange to fund his stay. Through work in Cleveland and Los Angele ...

, ''The Thistle'' *1992:

Praxis Praxis may refer to: Philosophy and religion * Praxis (process), the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practised, embodied, or realised * Praxis model, a way of doing theology * Praxis (Byzantine Rite), the practice of fai ...

, ''

Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis) ''Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis)'' is the first album by Bill Laswell's ever-changing "supergroup" Praxis. The album was released in 1992 and features Buckethead on guitar, Bootsy Collins on bass and vocals, Brain on drums, Bernie Worrell on ke ...

'' *1995:

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disband ...

, '' Monkjack'' *1995:

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, '' Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud'' *1995: Third Rail (

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), '' South Delta Space Age'' *1996:

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, '' Message from Home'' *1998:

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'' *2001:

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, ''

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'' *2004: Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, ''

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'' *2004:

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'' *2005: Munkeez Strikin' Matchiz, ''Wreck It'' (with

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) *2006: Gigi, ''Gold & Wax'' *2006: Baby Elephant, ''Turn My Teeth Up'' *2007: Shin Terai, ''Lightyears'' *2007: Praxis, '' Tennessee 2004'' *2008: Praxis, ''

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'' *2008: Science Faxtion, ''

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'' *2009: Eric McFadden Trio, ''Delicate Thing'' *2016: Joe Marcinek Band, ''Slink'' *2017:

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, ''Worae''

Awards

*Independent Music Awards 2013: "Get Your Hands Off" - Best Funk/Fusion/Jam Song

References

External links

Official website of Bernie Worrell''Stranger: Bernie Worrell on Earth''Interview
at Artist Connection Podcast, October 2011
Interview
NAMM Oral History Library, January 2012 * * ; Live Music Archive
Bernie WorrellBernie Worrell and the Woo WarriorsBernie Worrell Orchestra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Worrell, Bernie 1944 births 2016 deaths African-American rock musicians American funk keyboardists American session musicians Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band members Juilliard School alumni Musicians from Washington (state) New England Conservatory alumni P-Funk members People from Bellingham, Washington People from Hampton, New Jersey People from Long Branch, New Jersey Musicians from Plainfield, New Jersey Talking Heads The Golden Palominos members The Pretenders members Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains members Praxis (band) members 21st-century American keyboardists Deadline (band) members 20th-century American keyboardists Gramavision Records artists