Bernie Worrell

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Bernie Worrell, concert with SociaLibrium, Vienna 2009

Georg Bernhard Worrell (born April 19, 1944 in Long Branch , New Jersey - † June 24, 2016 ) was an American musician, composer and producer. As a keyboardist for Parliament and Funkadelic , Talking Heads and Praxis , he gained a legendary reputation among critics and music lovers.

Career

Worrell grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey , began making music at the age of three and wrote his first concerto at the age of eight. He attended the Juilliard School and New England Conservatory of Music , where he received a classical education.

Backstage in the E-Werk, Cologne 1998

As a college student, Worrell played with a group called Chubby & The Turnpikes (later known as Tavares ) before meeting George Clinton . Together with Clinton and his fellow musicians from The Parliaments and Funkadelic , Worrell moved to Detroit , where Parliament was formed. Under the names Parliament and Funkadelic, the collective, to which the bassist and singer Bootsy Collins belonged, was very active in P-Funk until 1981, live and in the studio. As a central member of the group, Worrell not only played the piano , organ and synthesizer there , but was also (co-) composer and arranger of many hits.

While other funk keyboardists mainly used Hammond organs and the Fender Rhodes , Worrell was one of the first to work increasingly with synthesizers like the Minimoog . Examples of his pioneering work are Mothership Connection (Star Child) and Give Up the Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker) by Mothership Connection (1975), Flash Light by Funkentelechy Vs. Called The Placebo Syndrome (1977) and Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop) by Motor Booty Affair (1978).

A first solo album called All The Woo In The World was released in 1978. Subsequently, he was only occasionally active at Funkadelic and Parliament.

In 1980, Worrell took part in the Talking Heads tour for the album Remain in Light and was a regular guest at performances and studio recordings until the group split up in 1992. Although never an official member of the band, Worrell was featured on the most important releases, including Stop Making Sense .

Bernie Worrell, concert with SociaLibrium, Innsbruck 2009

In the following years he intensified his solo work and appeared from 1996 on as Bernie Worrell & The Woo Warriors . He also began a fruitful collaboration with bassist and producer Bill Laswell and took part in Praxis , a project founded in 1992 by Laswell, experimental guitarist Buckethead and drummer Bryan Mantia . When Laswell was unable to attend the Bonnaroo Festival in 2002, Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains with Les Claypool on bass was created at short notice . The album The Big Eyeball In The Sky and a major US tour followed in 2004.

In the same year Worrell could be seen in Moog , a documentary for the 50th anniversary of the company founded by Robert Moog . In 2003, filming began on Stranger: Bernie Worrell On Earth , an official biography of the musician, which was presented in 2005 and released on DVD in 2007.

On September 11, 2007, Turn My Teeth Up! from Baby Elephant , a project with Prince Paul and Don Newkirk . Guests were George Clinton, Shock G , Yellowman , Reggie Watts , Nona Hendryx , David Byrne and Gabby La La . At the beginning of 2009 Worrell was in the Socialibrium project with TM Stevens , guitarist Blackbyrd McKnight and Cindy Blackman on a European tour.

Trivia

Discography

Solo albums

  • 1978: All the Woo in the World
  • 1990: BW Jam (Rock the House)
  • 1991: Funk of Ages
  • 1993: Pieces of Woo: The Other Side
  • 1993: Blacktronic Science
  • 1997: Free Agent: A Space Odyssey
  • 2007: Improvisczario

Group albums and participations (selection)

  • 1970: Osmium from Parliament
  • 1970: Funkadelic by Funkadelic
  • 1971: Maggot Brain by Funkadelic
  • 1972: America Eats Its Young by Funkadelic
  • 1974: Up For The Down Stroke by Parliament
  • 1977: Funkentelechy Vs. Parliament's Placebo Syndrome
  • 1984: Stop Making Sense from Talking Heads
  • 1992: Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis) from Praxis
  • 1999: Unison by Shin Terai
  • 2004: The Big Eyeball In The Sky by Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains
  • 2006: Gold & Wax from Gigi
  • 2007: Lightyears by Shin Terai
  • 2007: Tennessee 2004 from Practice
  • 2007: Turn My Teeth Up! from Baby Elephant
  • 2008: Profanation (Preparation for a Coming Darkness) by Praxis

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Obituary on the Billboard
personal data
SURNAME Worrell, Bernie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Worrell, George Bernard Jr.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American musician, composer and producer
DATE OF BIRTH April 19, 1944
PLACE OF BIRTH Long Branch, New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH June 24, 2016