The Loose Book

CON FUNK SHUN was one of the most popular R&B & funk bands of the 1970s and 1980s, with numerous hit records including "Ffun",  a Billboard magazine "#1 With A Bullet" Top R&B Single.  The act recorded a total of 11 albums with Mercury Records and still enjoys success with the release of numerous compilations and original albums being released as compact discs.

Con Funk Shun was formed in Vallejo, California in 1969 by high-school classmates Louis A. McCall and Michael V. Cooper.  With Louis on drums and percussion and Michael providing lead vocals and lead guitar, the group came to include Karl "Deacon" Fuller (trumpet), Paul "Maceo" Harrell (saxophone/flute) Cedric Martin (bass Guitar), Danny "Sweet Man" Thomas (keyboards), and Felton "Slyde Clyde" Pilate (trombone/lead vocals).

Originally named Project Soul, the group became a backup band for the Stax Records artists The Soul Children in the early 1970s  Renaming themselves Confunkshun, the group moved to Memphis, Tennessee and became one of the label's most sought-after studio bands.  They supported themselves by performing throughout the mid-South and Japan at clubs and colleges.  They came to the attention of Estelle Axton and recorded an album and several singles on her Fretone Records label.

By 1976, Con Funk Shun, was one of the most sought-after groups in the South, performing at several clubs, festivals, and college functions at least fours nights of every week.  Yet, for a while, it still had not secured a major recording deal.  That all changed in July 1976 when Mercury Records A&R man Jud Phillips finally signed the group to a major recording contract.  By that time, drummer Louis McCall's wife, publicist/songwriter Linda Lou McCall, had "tweaked" the spelling of the band's name (originally "Confunkshun"), and their first album, "Con Funk Shun", was released later that year.

The band's second album ''Secrets'' was released in 1977 to critical and commercial success.  Their first hit single was "Ffun", written by Michael Cooper rose swiftly up the charts and landed at "#1 With A Bullet" on Billboard magazine's Top Soul Singles chart in July 1977.  Over the course of 1 years, Con Funk Shun recorded 11 albums with Mercury, with five of them achieving "gold album" status (selling in excess of 500,000 units).  The band performed to sold-out coliseums all over the country.  They had numerous Top 40 hits including "Chase Me", "Love's Train", "Straight From The Heart", and "Shake & Dance With Me".  They recorded their milestone album, " 7" in 1981, the seventh album for seven bandmembers who had been together since their teens.  It included "California 1", "Straight From The Heart", "Body Lovers" and the ''Billboard'' Top 20 Soul Single, "Bad Lady".

In the early 1980s, the advent of synthesized music and poor support from their record company was beginning to cause tension between the boyhood friends.  In addition, lead singer/songwriters Michael V. Cooper and Felton Pilate began to try to assert more control over the band.    While McCall usually deferred to Cooper on artistic issues, he did not always get the same support from Cooper on business decisions. Due to his savvy business acumen and negotiating skills, McCall had frequently been voted group leader by the other members, each time causing the chasm between Cooper and the other members to grow wider.  Pilate, the band's other primary songwriter and lead vocalist, often sided with Cooper.  Since the band had always operated on the quorum principle of "participatory democracy", their suggestions were often out-voted by the other members as not being in the best interest of the band.  The tension between the band members was palatable by the mid-1980s, with Cooper trying his best to be the "Lionel Richie" of the group, but his music had not matured over the years and he didn't have the crossover skills that Richie had showed while still with the Commodores.  He could not seem to accept the fact that it was the musical cohesiveness and the overall charisma of all seven members which made Con Funk Shun popular - that no one member outshone the rest.

 ''Burning Love",  Con Funk Shun's last album with Mercury Records, was recorded without lead singer/songwriter, Felton Pilate, who left the group in 1986.  Melvin Carter, a frequent collaborator of Con Funk Shun, replaced Felton for their final album, ''Burning Love".  Since the band's 10 year contract with Mercury was over, other major labels began talking to them about signing a new contract.  In spite of not having a record deal in 1986, the band was still in demand for live performances.  But the 7 young men who had idealistically thrown their hats into the ring together two decades prior were now 7 grown men with different visions.  In spite of offers from several record labels, Cooper wanted to try a solo career.  McCall began to suffer from major cognitive problems which were the results of an auto accident which almost took his and Thomas' lives in high school.  He had performed for years with debilitating headaches but, by the mid-80s, the lack of proper medical intervention and rest was causing him to become forgetful and confused, a fact that he refused to reveal to his band mates.  After missing one gig since he began performing, Cooper decided it was time to convince the others to vote him out of his own group.  While the vote was technically invalid, McCall took that opportunity to get much-needed medical care, something that he'd been unable to due to the band's non-stop performing and studio schedules.   McCall's leave of absence still did not afford Cooper the control which he so badly wanted over the band.   In addition, he was ultimately more interested in a solo career at that time and left the band for good in 1987.   Rather than try to replace him, the others decided to also pursue other careers, both in and out of entertainment.  After getting his headaches under control, Louis McCall went on to become a consultant and event producer with clients such as M.C. Hammer, Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte, and to join his wife in marketing such contemporary artists as Eminem, Sean Combs (now "Diddy"), Mya, Three-6 Mafia, T.L.C., Notorious B.I.G.,  and the Black-Eyed Peas.    Cooper released a few solo albums with Warner Bros. but none of them came close to his former glory days with Con Funk Shun.   One of the first musicians ever to have a home studio, Felton Pilate become a successful producer and musical director for rap phenom, M.C. Hammer.  He was later nominated in 1991 for a Grammy for co-producing Hammer's hit record "U Can't Touch This" and an Oscar in 1992 for "Addams Groove" on the "Addams Family" soundtrack.  

In the 1990s, Michael Cooper and Felton Pilate, with sagging record sales and limited consumer support, finally realized that they were not as strong as solo artists as they had hoped.  They were forced to rely on the legacy of the very band that they had abandoned in 1986.  Without consulting original band members McCall, Martin, Harrell, Fuller, or Thomas, they began performing as "Con Funk Shun" in 1994, with unknown sidemen in place of their former bandmates.    Fuller and Harrell were eventually tapped to join but Harrell left after several years of being treated (and paid) like one of the sidemen, with Cooper making all of the decisions.  The reconstituted band lacks the legendary tightness of its rhythm section, the "hot brass" sound of their horns and the amazing personal charisma of seven good-looking young men who developed a unique and iconic sound.   The new band performs at "old school" concerts and small clubs around the country.  Many a ticket buyer has been disappointed thinking that they were going to see the original band, only to discover a set of virtually unknowns.

Con Funk Shun's original music can still be heard in such recent films as ''Gone In 60 Seconds'', ''Next Friday'', and ''American Pimp'', which was featured at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival.  Ironically, one of the memorable characters in ''American Pimp'' was John "Rosebudd" Dickson, a childhood friend of drummer, Louis A. McCall.  They played in the Vallejo High School band together and remained friends for life.

Michael Cooper and Felton Pilate continue to perform as Con Funk Shun throughout the country.  Pilate has released a solo album after his time with Hammer and still does some occasional producing.    The surviving members have also gone on to successful careers both in an out of the record industry.   Although he still performs with Cooper and Felton at "Con Funk Shun Old School" shows and festivals, Reverend Karl E. Fuller is now an ordained minister.  Paul Harrell has worked for Fedex for almost 20 years.  Danny Thomas has never stopped performing and appears with his own band throughout California and Nevada.  Cedric Martin, a licensed pilot and  certified hand-gliding instructor, is an IT specialist.  However, as the original creators of the look and sound of one of the most popular bands of that era, they all still carry the legacy of the band that they created together almost 40 years ago.

 

== Death of A Founder ==

Co-founder/drummer Louis A. McCall was murdered on June 25, 1997 in Stone Mountain, Georgia in a home invasion robbery.   His wife fought for almost a decade to bring the case to trial.  A Dekalb County grand jury indicted a suspect on January 18, 2007.  However, due to a bureaucratic mix-up, the alleged killer was "accidentally" released on house arrest.  The same day that the felony murder indictment was announced, he cut of the electronic monitoring bracelet and fled.  He remained on the run for three months until the FBI recaptured him in late April.  He currently sits in the Dekalb County jail awaiting trial.

== "The Con Funk Shun Creed" ==

When the band recorded their seventh album for Mercury Records, it was monumental and significant time in the history of this seven members.  Accordingly, Linda Lou McCall, wrote a special statement to show the band's continued solidarity and spirit of brotherhood.  The album was simply entitled "7".  The design was a large stone monolith number symbol with the band's named emblazoned above it in the stylized font that Linda Lou had designed for its fifth album "Spirit of Love".  The creed is as follows:

"Renaissance comes by the name Seven-the rebirth of life, love, liberty, and the legacy of hope.  We rejoice as Seven, bringing you the music of our hearts Seven times.  But it is as One that we give you our love."

Peace and Unity, CON FUNK SHUN

 

== Currently ==

Unfortunately, the unity of the band has been sorely tested in the past year.  In their continued support for the family of their fallen band member, Martin, Fuller, Harrell and Thomas have been working with Linda Lou to continue the Louis A. McCall Memorial Scholarship Fund.   Created in 1998 by Linda Lou, Lindsay, and Louis A. McCall II, it has given small scholarships to deserving students at Redan High School in Stone Mountain, GA, from which Lindsay had graduated just two weeks before her father's death.  With the help of the four band members (Cooper and Pilate refused to be a part of the effort), the new scholarship fund, now called the Louis A. McCall  "VIP" ("Violence Intervention Program") Scholarship will  focus on helping students at Vallejo High School, Louis alma mater.   They are planning major events in the Bay Area, Atlanta, Miami and New Orleans to help raise funds and awareness of violence in all communities.  They hope to award their first "VIP Scholarship"  after the close of Louis' murder trial, which is scheduled for mid-2008.  Right now, the four guys are providing Louis' family with much support while they await justice.  

Linda Lou continues to take care of their business, most recently getting assisting them in filing a lawsuit with the Trademark Office to oppose Cooper and Pilate's registration application to own the band's name.  This concerned everyone since the band's albums are still being released in compilations or re-issues every year.  In fact, Universal Music is about to re-release the 1979 "Spirit of Love" CD.  Attempts to get him to come to the table to work out an equitable solution on the trademark issue failed.  In addition, Felton Pilate,  who's manager was supposed to be administrating the band's publishing company for over a decade,  made it impossible for the other five to regain control over the publishing of their songs. (Cooper and Pilate removed their works from the band's publishing company in 1993 and 1994, respectively.)  But, with Linda Lou's help, the other guys finally prevailed on the publishing issue.  While they hold no animosity towards Michael and Felton, they hope that the band will eventually come together to do something to honor their fallen leader and to help the community.

(For more info about the Louis A. McCall "V.I.P." Scholarship Fund, please contact Cedric Martin at CFS4Life@gmail.com)

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== DISCOGRAPHY - Albums ==

• The Memphis Sessions  (1973)
• Organized Con Funk Shun  (1973)
• Con Funk Shun  (1976) 
• Secrets  (1977) - #6 Top R&B Albums, #51 Pop
• Loveshine (1978) - #10 Top R&B Albums, #32 Pop
• Candy  (1979) - #7 Top R&B Albums, #46 Pop
• Spirit of Love  (1980) - #7 Top R&B Albums, #30 Pop
• Touch   (1980) - #7 Top R&B Albums, #51 Pop
• 7  (1981) - #17 Top R&B Albums, #82 Pop
• To The Max   (1982) - #9 Top R&B Albums, #116 Pop
• Fever  (1983) - #12 Top R&B Albums, #105 Pop
• Electric Lady  (1985) - #9 Top R&B Albums, #62 Pop
• Burning Love   (1986) - #25 Top R&B Albums, #121 Pop
• The Best of Con Funk Shun  (1993) - #43 Top R&B Albums
• Ffun  (1994)
• Live for Ya Ass  (1996) - #74 Top R&B Albums
• The Best of Con Funk Shun, Vol. 2  (1996)
• Con Funk Shun - Greatest Hits (1998)
• Con Funk Shun - The Ballads Collection  (1998)
• The Best Of Con Funk Shun - The Millennium Collection   (2002)
• Con Funk Shun - The Collection (2002)
• Con Funk Shun - The Definitive CD (2006)