“One nation under a groove, gettin’ down just for the of it.”
The nation Parliament Funkadelic was referring to in their 1978 hit was the USA, but the city that inspired one of funk’s greatest anthems was Dayton, Ohio. That’s according to David Webb, the president and CEO of the Funk Music Hall of Fame and Exhibition Center, which recently received approval to officially open in the Ohio city.
Located in downtown Dayton, the historic hall is filled with funk artifacts Webb and his staff have been collecting for years, along with exhibits about artists ranging from The Ohio Players and Slave to Heatwave and Snooky Young.
In addition to those attractions, a mural featuring Otis Redding, James Brown, Prince, Barry White and many others known as “Mount Funkmore” makes its home in the hall. “Dayton is the funkiest place on Earth,” Webb told NPR. “As the great Marshall Jones of the Ohio Players says, ‘God stepped his foot in the Miami Valley, and the sweat off of God’s feet, that’s what made it funky.’”
Currently open to groups by appointment only, the museum is preparing for its official ribbon-cutting ceremony this spring.
Get there or be square.
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