Knowledgeable music lovers in Chattanooga will recognize the name Clyde Stubblefield.
Everyone else will recognize his work, whether you know it’s him or not.
Stubblefield is a Chattanooga native who happened to be playing the drums on a new James Brown song in 1970 called “Funky Drummer.” As part of that track, Stubblefield laid down a 20-second solo credited by many as the most sampled beat of all time.
It can be heard on Public Enemy’s “Bring the Noise” and “Fight the Power.” It appears on LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” and in songs by Prince, the Beastie Boys, Sinead O’Connor, Run DMC and Kenny G.
Stubblefield has gotten little or no credit, and no royalties, for his work, and documentary film makers Benjamin Franzen and Kembrew McLeod have decided to do something about it. They have released a DVD called “Copyright Criminals” that shines a light on artists who have not gotten credit for their work.
The “Funky Drummer Edition” was released this week and is available at indiepixfilms.com.
Stubblefield was hired on the spot by Brown in 1965 in Macon, Ga., according to a New York Times article about the documentary. He drummed for Brown until 1971.
Stubblefield, who now lives in Madison, Wis., said in the article that he is bothered more by not being credited for his work by artists who sample his beats than by not getting paid.
He will receive royalties from the sale of the DVD, according to the article.
- Though hardly unexpected, it was still sad to read that Engel Stadium has been shuttered because it is now too unsafe to allow games to be played there.
I’ve said for years that I could sit there and watch it rain and be happy.
My first visit to the grounds that Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Willie Mays, Bo Jackson, Michael Jordan and so many others once roamed came in 1973. I was in fifth grade. OLPH was playing Senter in football. Engel served as Senter’s home field that year, and they’d chalked off a gridiron in right and center field.
Officially, I recovered a fumble that led to the only score in an OLPH victory. Technically, I fell on the football after being knocked down by Senter’s offensive lineman.
I was a bullpen specialist on a high school team that won a state title at Engel Stadium. Notre Dame didn’t have its own field, so then-Lookouts general manager Ed Holtz offered Engel for the championship series.
A couple of years later, Holtz hosted an MLB All-Star Game viewing party in the stadium club and had me and my roommate, who was the groundskeeper at Engel, stay overnight to make sure the rented big-screen TV was safe. Holtz locked us in when he left. Even the half-full keg he left for us couldn’t remove the creepy from that night.
My son’s only official high school home run was hit there.
I know thousands of other people have fond Engel memories. It will be missed.
- Speaking of baseball, congratulations to Keith Landecker for winning the Jefferson Award for his work with inner-city baseball players.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.