National Get Funky Day Timeline

​1997

​George Clinton commands the Mothership

Funk pioneer, George Clinton, releases "Give Up the Funk" — proving once again why he is the Master of the Mothership.

​1995

"Bring in da' Noise — Bring in da' Funk" debuts Off-Broadway

​Playwright George C. Wolfe collaborates with tap dancer extraordinaire, Savion Glover, on "Bring in da' Noise — Bring in da' Funk," a musical journey of African-American history using tap dance.

​1992

​​The Beastie Boys release "Funky Bass"

​​Straight out of New York City, the Beastie Boys release their hit, "Funky Bass," which definitively proves that funk is a feeling not bound by race, creed or color.

​1976

​Wild Cherry releases the funkiest song of the year

​Wild Cherry, a predominantly white band, admonishes a colleague to "Play That Funky Music, White Boy"— which gets Americans of every color on the dance floor shaking that thang.

​1971

​The Godfather of Soul makes it funky

​No one understood the mystery of the funk like James Brown, but he breaks it down so anyone can understand with the iconic powerhouse song, "Make It Funky."