The Brides of Funkenstein were an American

Soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

and

Funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

girl band, originally composed of singers

Dawn Silva Dawn Silva is an American funk vocalist. Silva started her career as a background vocalist for Sly and the Family Stone. She joined Parliament-Funkadelic in 1977. She was the only original Brides of Funkenstein member to continue through the Bri ...

and

Lynn Mabry Lynn Mabry (born March 21, 1958) is an American singer. Early life Born in Vallejo, California, Mabry's mother enjoyed playing piano and her father was a choir director and radio DJ. They divorced when she was 3 years old. Career She got he ...

History

Previously background singers for

Sly Stone Sylvester Stewart (born March 15, 1943), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer who is most famous for his role as frontman for Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the ...

, singer of

Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi ...

, Lynn Mabry and Dawn Silva joined the

P-funk Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. Their distinctive f ...

collective in the mid-1970s. George Clinton named the group from a storyline and characters from the

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 ...

album ''

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 ...

''. The Brides provided the vocals for the 1977 album ''

Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs ''Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs'' is the debut album by Parliament-Funkadelic lead guitarist Eddie Hazel. The album was released on July 29, 1977. It was Hazel's only album until his death in 1992, when it was followed by several posthumous rel ...

'' by P-Funk guitarist Eddie Hazel. Clinton produced their debut album, '' Funk Or Walk'', for

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...

in 1978. The duo became an opening act for Parliament-Funkadelic tours and also performed backing vocals for the ensemble itself. Mabry left the group in 1979. Lead singer Silva invited back-up "Bridesmaids" Sheila Horne and Jeanette McGruder to sing on their second album, ''

Never Buy Texas From A Cowboy ''Never Buy Texas from a Cowboy'', released on Atlantic Records in November 1979, was the second album from the American female funk band, The Brides of Funkenstein. Morphing into a trio on the second album release, the vocalists consisted of ...

''. This lineup received a Cashbox Rhythm & Blues award for best new female artist, beating out

The Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters are an American pop and R&B singing group from Oakland, California, that achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. Their repertoire has included such diverse genres as pop, jazz, electronic music, bebop, bl ...

Sister Sledge Sister Sledge is an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consisted of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. I ...

, and Cheryl Lynn. The trio recorded a third album, ''Shadows On The Wall, Shaped Like The Hat You Wore'' in 1980, but the album was not released. Most of the songs from the unreleased album gradually appeared elsewhere in the P-Funk catalog. Mabry resurfaced in 1984 as a backing vocalist with

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

, appearing in the concert film '' Stop Making Sense'' along with P-Funk colleague

Bernie Worrell George Bernard Worrell, Jr. (April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016) was an American keyboardist and record producer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Rol ...

. Silva and Mabry had a brief reunion in 1981 as the New Wave Brides, opening for

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...

, and a lengthy tour with

Was (Not Was) Was (Not Was) is an American pop rock group founded in 1979 in Detroit, Michigan, by David Weiss and Don Fagenson, who adopted the stage names David Was and Don Was. Their song catalog features an eclectic mix of pop and rock styles, often fe ...

. Silva would tour and record with the Gap Band from 1983 to 1991, moving on to work with

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be p ...

. In 2000 Silva released the solo album ''All My Funky Friends'', which received rave reviews in Europe and Asia. Dawn Silva & The Brides continue to tour.

Discography

References

American funk musical groups P-Funk groups American musical duos Musical groups established in 1978 1978 establishments in Michigan {{US-band-stub