In the mid-60s, "funk" was just another word for describing body odor. A nicer way. As in "man, you smell funky" instead of "man, you smell like shit." Not that funk didn't exist. Looking back there is no dispute about who invented funk, just listen to the horn stabs and backbeat on James Brown's 1965 hit "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag." Brown was way ahead of his time, blending soul, R&B, Jazz, and first wave Ska to create the earliest form of funk. However, one vital ingredient was missing from his formula, the guitar.
The guitar (usually with a wah-wah pedal) would end up being an essential piece to the funk sound that defined the 1970s, and that was in no small part a result of The Meters self-titled 1969 release, and specifically this breakthrough track. Sure others (Sly, Shuggie) had guitars in their band, but they never used them like the Meters. Then theres that back-breaking hi-hat. Or the rhythmic B3 organ. It's all here, forty years later.
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