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Fuzzy Haskins

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Fuzzy Haskins
Birth nameClarence Eugene Haskins
Born(1941-06-08)June 8, 1941
Elkhorn, West Virginia,U.S.
DiedMarch 16, 2023(2023-03-16)(aged 81)
Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan,U.S.
GenresR&B,funk
Occupation(s)Musician, record producer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, drums
LabelsWestbound,Ace

Clarence Eugene"Fuzzy"Haskins(June 8, 1941 – March 16, 2023) was an American singer. He performed with 1950s and 1960sdoo-wopgroup,The Parliaments,and was a founding member of the groundbreaking and influential 1970sfunkbandsParliamentandFunkadelic,also known asParliament-Funkadelic.He left Parliament-Funkadelic in 1977 to pursue a solo career. He is a member of theRock and Roll Hall of Fame,inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members ofParliament-Funkadelic.In 2019, he and Parliament-Funkadelic were givenGrammyLifetime Achievement Awards.

Early life[edit]

Haskins was born inElkhorn, West Virginia,and grew up in New Jersey.[1]Starting in the late 1950s, he was a founding member ofdoo wopvocal groupThe Parliaments,led byGeorge Clinton.The group originated as abarbershop quintetin the back room of a barber shop on West 3rd Street inPlainfield, New Jersey.[1]Haskins often sang lead in the group. They started traveling toDetroit, Michiganon weekends in order to audition forMotown Recordsand to participate in the fertile music scene there. The Parliaments releasedsingleson several record labels, but did not have a hit until 1967 when "(I Wanna) Testify," on the small Detroit imprint Revilot Records, reached #3 on theBillboardR&B singles chart. The song was actually recorded by George Clinton and a group called The Holidays, as the other Parliaments didn't make it to Detroit that week. Revilot went out of business, and in the process, the group lost their name, The Parliaments.

Career[edit]

By 1970, the five Parliaments singers were touring with five backing musicians known separately asFunkadelic.The highly rehearsed performances andsuitedlook of The Parliaments gave way to the members dressing in their own outrageous styles. Haskins worelong johnson stage. Due to the contractual issues surrounding the group name, Clinton signed the band asFunkadelictoWestbound Records.The ensemble released their first albumFunkadelicin 1970. Clinton also renamed his group of singersParliament(but still with the Funkadelic musicians as official members) and signed that act to theHolland-Dozier-Holland-owned record label,Invictus.Parliament released their first albumOsmiumin 1970. Clinton now had two groups that were actually one entity. Under the name Funkadelic, the ensemble was geared towards a rock audience, and asParliamentit was aimed at asoul musicaudience. Collectively, they became known asParliament-Funkadelic,orP-Funk.Haskins contributed to P-Funk as a writer through 1972. He toured and appeared on P-Funk albums as a singer, and occasionally as a guitarist, throughout the 1970s. In June 1977 at the height of P-Funk's popularity, Haskins (along with other original ParliamentsCalvin SimonandGrady Thomas) left the ensemble over financial and management disputes with Clinton.

Haskins released his first solo album,A Whole Nother Thang,in 1976. The album featured P-Funk members:Tiki FulwoodandCordell "Boogie" Mossonon drums, andBootsy Collinsand Mosson on bass.Bernie Worrellmakes an appearance on keyboards, contributing horn and string arrangements as well. Haskins served as producer, singer, songwriter, guitarist and even drummer on one song. Haskins released his second album,Radio Active,two years later. An Ace compilation from 1994 reissued both albums on one CD.

In 1981, Haskins, Simon, and Thomas formed a new funk band using the name Funkadelic, appeared onSoul Trainunder that name, and released the album,Connections & Disconnections.The album was later reissued on CD with the titleWho's a Funkadelic?in 1992. In the 1990s, Haskins toured withOriginal P,a group made up of four of the original five Parliaments.[1]

Personal life and death[edit]

Haskins was married twice, to Estelle James and Lorraine Debney, with both marriages ending in divorce. He had five children, two of whom predeceased him.[1]He lived inSouthfield, Michigan,a suburb of Detroit.[1]

Haskins suffered a serious stroke in 2022. He died from complications of diabetes inGrosse Pointe Woods, Michigan,on March 16, 2023, at the age of 81.[2][3]

Discography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdeGenzlinger, Neil (March 24, 2023)."Fuzzy Haskins, 81, Who Helped Create P-Funk Music, Dies".The New York Times.p. A21.RetrievedMarch 24,2023.
  2. ^Kreps, Daniel (March 18, 2023)."Fuzzy Haskins, Original Member of Parliament-Funkadelic, Dead at 81".MSN.RetrievedMarch 19,2023.
  3. ^Genzlinger, Neil (March 23, 2023)."Fuzzy Haskins, Who Helped Turn Doo-Wop Into P-Funk, Dies at 81".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 26,2023.

Sources[edit]

  • Bowman, Rob (1992).Music for Your Mother[CD liner notes]. Westbound Records.
  • Bowman, Rob (1994).A Whole Nother Radio Active Thang 1976–1978[CD liner notes]. Ace Records Ltd.
  • Bowman, Rob (1996).Live: Meadowbrook, Rochester, Michigan – September 12, 1971[CD liner notes]. Westbound Records.
  • Hamilton, Andrew. "I Wanna Testify".AllMusic.
  • Vincent, Rickey (1996).Funk: The Music, The People, and The Rhythm of The One.St. Martin's Press.ISBN0-312-13499-1

External links[edit]

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