Featuring
FELTON PILATE AND MICHAEL COOPER
Con Funk Shun is a star-quality
attraction delivering a superb,
high-energy show with electrifying
choreography, glistening six-part vocal
harmonies, and a dash of humor.
They are, unquestionably, among the
heroes of Funk with romantic ballads and
dance-party hits galore. Memorable
melodies, inventive horn arrangements and
klav-guitar woven grooves, make the group
absolutely essential to the evolution of
funk. They charted an
impressive one Platinum album and four
consecutive Gold albums. They
dominated the funk scene with 20 hit
singles that included 8 Top Ten R&B
Hits and one #1 R&B smash
between '77-'86. With finesse and
consistency they legitimized what came
following them: high profile, commercial
explosions featuring their hits in
countless rap/hip-hop samples that
exposed them to a new generation.
In response, Mercury/PolyGram released
the Best of Con Funk Shun" in
'93 on their "Funk Essentials"
Series. The fans immediately
recoiled to the Essential to
Funk, Con Funk Shun.
Universal bought PolyGram, and again
released the sure-thing Moneymaker,
Best Of Con Funk Shun
on their Millennium Collection in March
2002.
This enthusiasm is what
encored the band back to the stage. With
rave concert reviews and cries for more
LP's, Mercury/PolyGram re-released the
Gold-LP "Secrets in '95 and in
'96 "Best Of Vol. II" Then,
Intersound Records released "Live
For Ya A**", a live LP, in '96 to
coincide with CFS on the Sinbad
"Soul Music Festival" HBO
Special airing that
August/September. '97, brought a
"Love's Train" cover on a
Multi-Platinum debut by Dru Hill, and
samples for Gold-LP Booty Call Soundtrack
("Huckleberry" by D Shot) and
Double-Platinum Gang Related Soundtrack
("A Change Is Gonna Come" by J.
Flexx). 1998 saw the
re-release of Gold-LP "Spirit Of
Love and the "Ballads
Collection". 2000
brought a new round of funk with Con Funk
Shun contributing two new tracks to the
Major Hits Records "United We Funk
All-stars Compilation" (and Tour)
including GAP's Charlie Wilson, Rick
James, The Dazz Band, Roger Troutman, SOS
Band, Bar-Kays, and The System.
In addition to the
band's schedule, co-lead's, Michael
Cooper and Felton Pilate, remain vital in
contemporary music today. When Con Funk
Shun closed shop between '86 to '93,
Cooper shined on a string of solo hits
including "Shoop Shoop", "
Prove My Love", and "Dinner For
Two" on his Warner Bros. LP's, and
still tours as a solo act, with NEW LP in
the wings. Pilate emerged as
a multi-platinum record producer for his
award-winning production on M.C.Hammer,
Addams Family Movie, and Hammerman
Cartoon Show. Still
producing, he recently produced for
Evander Hollyfield's new label, Real Deal
Records, on their new act, Four Shades.
In their formative
years, they started in their hometown of
Vallejo, CA. The band wound up in
Memphis in the mid-70's when theylanded
a lucky gig backing the Soul Children, a
red-hot Stax act. After the
Soul Children back-up gig the group
adopted a new name inspired from a
Nite-Liters song:
ConFunkShun. After the newly
re-named act attracted the attention of
Mercury Records, they soon set funkateers
around the world on fire with "Sho'
Feels Good To Me," from their debut
album. Their second LP,
"Secrets", exploded to Gold
status. The LP featured the No. 1 Hit
Single, "Ffun," penned by the
productive, prolific Cooper on a
tour-coach ride between concerts.
By 1979, with charting
albums "Loveshine" and
"Candy", Con Funk Shun were
solid-Gold sellers, performing for
sold-out shows like the prestigious Omni
in Atlanta. The group began
self-producing a year later, on the
"Touch" LP. Alongside
blistering dance workouts like
"Chase Me" and "Ms.
Got-The-Body" were their timeless
slow-jams with pop flair - classic faves
such as, "Love's Train",
"Straight From The Heart",
"(Let Me Put) Love On Your
Mind" and "All Up To You".
Then CSF teamed with Kool & The
Gang's producer, Eumir Deodato, producing
"Baby I'm Hooked (Right Into Your
Love)." "I'm Leaving Baby"
was collaboration with Maurice Starr,
then-future Svengali to New Kids On The
Block. These hits and more
remain on radio play lists today, year
after year...Recent appearances include
Mandalay Bay, Balis, House Of
Blues, Motown Live, Vibe, regular
appearances on the Tom Joyner Morning
Show, as well as corporate and charity
events.
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