Clyde Stubblefield is probably one of the most heard musicians in the world, but hardly anyone knows his name. Clyde's innovative style of drumming transcended the genre he and James Brown helped pioneer, and became a cornerstone of what's now the most popular genre in the world—hip-hop. However, Clyde's contributions to the world went unrecognized, and resulted in him missing out on substantial earnings, leading to a life of perpetual exploitation, missed opportunities and health issues.

It’s widely known and irrefutable that James Brown was a pioneer in the world of funk music, however, it’s not as commonly known just how much his band played a part in that sound and overall creative process. Players like Clyde, Jab’o Starks, Fred Wesley, PeeWee Ellis and Maceo Parker all contributed majorly to James Brown’s catalog and in many ways brought just as much to the table, if not more, as James Brown himself. A huge element in what made Brown’s music so revolutionary was the rhythm section— the beat. Clyde came up with his own patterns and played the way only he felt was right. Nobody, including Brown, would tell Clyde what or how to play. James Brown’s vision and the band’s unorthodox style of play together made history.

The foundation of this documentary will focus on the phenomenon of Clyde's most recognized song, Funky Drummer, and give an analytical breakdown of how and why the iconic breakbeat influenced hip-hop culture—from the DJ’s, producers and b-boys—along with generations of drummers to come. Through a series of interviews with Clyde, his family members, and some of the most prominent figures in the music industry, we'll analyze the impact that Clyde has had on hip-hop music and uncover the root causes of why he never received the credit he deserved for all those collosal records he played on, particularly as it pertained to Funky Drummer.

We’ll get insight into who Clyde was as a person—both the good and the bad. Viewers will see insightful testimonials, rare vérité footage, archival media (film, photos, audio) animated reenactments and graphic depictions that analyze the music theory of Clyde’s incomparable playing style. All of this will allow us to drive the film’s narrative in a way that remains engaging, authentic and digestable.

What specifically about the Funky Drummer break made it so iconic? Why was this particular drum break recycled so many times? Where would hip-hop be with it? What would Clyde's life be like if he got the credit he deserved? These are the types of questions we'll strive to answer.

"I was fortunate to get to know and spend time with Clyde Stubblefield starting at a young age in my hometown of Madison, WI. Clyde embraced me at a point when I hadn't fully comprehended just how impactful his work was. I not only cherished our friendship, but I cherished his existence. His willingness to invite me into his life to tell his story is a priveledge I'll never take for granted.

As our relationship developed, not only did I become more concious of his undeniable influence on modern music, but I began to see the complexities of him as an idividual that lead me to the conclusion that he was—and I don't say this lightly—nothing short of a musical genius.

These revelations only heightened my frustrations with the lack of credit he recieved for his contributions, thus further motivating me to ensure that not only his full story be told, but that his legacy as a pioneer and innovator becomes cemented within American music history. This year marks the 51st anniversary of "Funky Drummer" and I couldn't think of a better time to celebrate the man behind the groove that we've been dancing to for half of a century."

-Trevor Banks, Director/Producer

Production on this film began in 2015, and since then we've been lucky to capture some incredible interviews with George Clinton, John "Jab'o" Starks, Fred Wesley, Fred Thomas, Bret Stubblefield (Clyde's nephew) and of course Clyde himself. In additon to these interviews, we have hours of candid footage of Clyde throughout the final years of his life. We've already gained verbal agreements to conduct interviews with a few other influential figures in the music industry, including Harry Weinger, Sweet Charles Sherrell, Kurtis Blow, Daru Jones, DJ Spinna, Yung Guru, Christain McBride, Ben Sidran, Dylan Wissing, Joe Wong and Richard Mazda. We will continue pursuring even more interviews that remain on our list.

As proud as we are with the progress we've made so far, the reality is that in order to affectively move forward we will need financial support. Production has been at a stand still due to a lack of funding, and the Covid-19 pandemic further delayed our ability to even consider jumpstarting this project. This is where your role as a contributor becomes essential to our success. All funds raised during this crowd funding campaign will be a direct injection into the next round of interviews slated for the east coast. Any funds recieved that surpass our campaign goal will only enbale us to push forward even further into the production process. Every single dollar will be put to use.

We also want to make it clear that we will be taking every necessary precaution when it comes to following Covid-19 guidelines to maintain the safety of our crew and talent. Our crew's footprint will reamin small and in addition we'll require masks on set, practice social distancing and require testing prior to every shoot.