Rosalind Mallia Franklin (March 1, 1952 – February 5, 2010), also known as The Queen Of Funk, was a vocalist of the American funk band
Parliament-Funkadelic
Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American musical collective, music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton (funk musician), George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament (band), Parlia ...
. She introduced friends
George Clinton and
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 ...
in 1971, and brought ex-
Ohio Player Junie Morrison Junie is a given name and nickname.
Notable people with the given name include:
*Junie B. Jones, fictional character in a children's series written by Barbara Park
* Junie Cobb (1896–1970), American jazz multi-instrumentalist and bandleader
* Jun ...
to the band in 1978.
She sang background on early
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. ...
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 ...
albums, and became an original member of
Parlet, P-Funk's sub-group, where she recorded ''
Pleasure Principle'' in 1978 and half of ''
Invasion Of The Booty Snatchers'' in 1979. She left the group to form a proposed P-Funk offshoot, Sterling Silver Starship with bassist
Donnie Sterling
Donnie Sterling is a musician brought in by Parlet's Mallia Franklin in 1978 as Parlet's band leader and bass player. After writing three songs on Parlet's second album, '' Invasion of the Booty Snatchers'', Sterling and Franklin both left Parl ...
.
She appeared with Clinton in
Prince
A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...
's 1990 film ''
Graffiti Bridge''. Her first solo album ''
Funken Tersepter
A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration.
Etymology
The earliest recorded uses of the word date back to the late 15th century, with the Catho ...
'' was released in Japan in 1995 on P-Vine. She wrote, with
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, ...
, on the 2002 release ''
Suited and Booted
"Suited" is a single by South African singer-songwriter Shekhinah. It was released on July 14, 2017 by SME South Africa, as the first single from her debut studio album, '' Rose Gold''. The song was produced by Luke Goliath with assistance from ...
'', and earlier appeared on his 1993 studio album,
Doggystyle
''Doggystyle'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg (then known as Snoop Doggy Dogg). It was released on November 23, 1993, by Death Row Records and Interscope Records. The album was recorded and produced following Snoop's ...
.
Franklin was married to drummer Nathaniel Neblett of the band
New Birth
Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sep ...
. They had one child, Seth Neblett.
References
American funk singers
P-Funk members
2010 deaths
1952 births
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