Madison's fabled "Funky Drummer" Clyde Stubble eld has been called “the world's most sampled drummer.” His accomplishments with James Brown’s history-making groove machines of the 1960s have been well chronicled – if not fairly rewarded nancially. Countless drummers from around the world have cited the importance of his in uence on R&B, funk, hip hop and rock. A few years ago, the late musical innovator Prince showed his appreciation by sending Stubble eld a check for $90,000 to help pay for his cancer treatment. Closer to home, a number of Madison musicians also testify to Stubble eld's lasting in uence. One of them is Clyde’s nephew, Brett Stubble eld, who grew up watching him play and now leads his own band in Madison. At one point, when Brett was “six or seven, Uncle Clyde brought over a set of drums, taught me a couple of beats, and said, ‘Good luck.’” Later on, Brett received other useful advice from his uncle: “‘Always emphasize the groove; forget about the turnarounds. Be a team player: don't play a whole lot, let everybody else (in the band) do their thing,’” says Brett, who is the son of Clyde's late brother, Frank Stubble eld. “Anybody who has heard Uncle Clyde knows that he brings a level of sophistication no one can really touch. It's his own groove. He adds so much different stuff, so unorthodox, but it all works.” Not surprisingly, Clyde also stressed to his nephew the importance of paying attention to the business side of music. “He said, ‘If you play, you need to get compensated.’”
UNIVERSAL DRUM INFLUENCE
“He has done artist development for hundreds of musicians who have come out of Madison.” - Joey Banks, Madison drummer and educator
ENTERTAINMENT
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