Pillar Stone: Clyde Stubblefield, James Brown’s ‘Funky Drummer’

Pillar Stone: Clyde Stubblefield, James Brown’s ‘Funky Drummer’

Clyde Stubblefield was the man who played drums with James Brown during some of his most celebrated years and created the endlessly-sampled break on 1970’s “Funky Drummer.” When he died on February 18, 2017 of kidney failure, at 73, his fellow member of Brown’s band and later funk figurehead Bootsy Collins wrote on Facebook: “We lost another Pillar Stone that held up the Foundation of Funk. Mr. Clyde Stubblefield has left our frequency. I am los…

Clyde Stubblefield Birthday Tribute will celebrate the life and legacy of Madison music icon on Friday

High Noon Saloon will host a tribute birthday party for Madison legend and world-famous drummer Clyde Stubblefield in honor of his legacy in music on Friday, April 18. The famed drummer’s legacy is largely traced to legendary singer, songwriter, dancer, and musician James Brown — but his influence is often unrealized. Stubblefield, known as “The Funky Drummer,” is noted for his break-style drumming that has been one of the most frequently sample…