Bernie Worrell

Biography

Early life

Worrell was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, and grew up in Plainfield, where his family moved when he was eight. He studied at the Juilliard School and graduated from Boston's New England Conservatory of Music in 1967. The school awarded him an honorary Doctor of Music degree in May 2016. As a college student, Worrell played organ with an Episcopal church, accompanied a Jewish men's choir and backed local group Chubby & The Turnpikes, the ensemble that eventually evolved into the disco act Tavares.

1970s

When Worrell first met George Clinton, Worrell was the musical director for the R&B singer Maxine Brown.

Worrell and Clinton collaborated on numerous songs, including the funk anthem "Flash Light", which Rolling Stone ranked as #25 on the 200 Best Dance Songs of All Time.

Parliament-Funkadelic's futuristic sound can in large part be attributed to Worrell. P-Funk and their spin-off bands, including Bootsy's Rubber Band, The Brides of Funkenstein, Parlet, and The Horny Horns, made dozens of records in the 70s. He played on and wrote and co-wrote horn and rhythm arrangements on recordings for most of them. Worrell played grand piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, Hohner Clavinet, Hammond B3 organ, ARP String Ensemble and Moog synthesizer. His unique sound and songwriting skills can be heard on such songs as: "Flash Light" (which Worrell created using Minimoog synths), "Atomic Dog," "Chocolate City" (from the band's album of the same name), "Mothership Connection (Star Child)," "Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)," and "Red Hot Mama."

Worrell's synth lines for Parliament-Funkadelic, and the associated bands, were so widely sampled throughout the 90s, specifically by Dr. Dre, they became a bedrock of hip-hop and the West Coast G-funk sound. Worrell's use of the Minimoog bass on the Parliament 1978 song "Flash Light" not only heavily influenced the sound of American R&B music, but served as a bridge to new wave, new age and techno.

In 1978, Worrell released his debut solo album All the Woo in the World on Arista Records. The album, produced by Worrell and George Clinton, featured members of Parliament-Funkadelic and The Brides of Funkenstein.

While funk musicians traditionally utilized electric keyboards, such as the Hammond organ and Fender Rhodes electric piano, Worrell was the second recipient of the Moog synthesizer created by Bob Moog. He used the ARP Pro Soloist as well. Worrell played synthesizer and digital keyboard on P-Funk songs throughout the 1970s, most notably "Mothership Connection (Star Child)" and "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" from Mothership Connection (1975) and "Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)" from Motor Booty Affair (1978).

1980s

In the early 80s, while P-Funk was on a hiatus from touring, Worrell was recruited to record and perform with Talking Heads, along with other musicians, such as guitarists Alex Weir and Adrian Belew. Worrell's experience and feel for different arrangements enhanced the overall sound of the band during their groundbreaking Stop Making Sense era. Though he never officially joined Talking Heads, he was a de facto member of the group for most of the '80s. He appeared on their 1982 live album The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads and on their 1983 breakthrough album Speaking in Tongues, which Rolling Stone's David Fricke credited as "the album that finally obliterates the thin line separating arty white pop music and deep black funk."

He also toured with the band, performing in their iconic 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense. Directed by Jonathan Demme, the film is considered one of the best live music documentaries of all time. Frontman David Byrne once said "Bernie changed the way I think about music, and the way I think about life."

Talking Heads officially disbanded in 1991, Worrell was invited to perform with them as part of their 2002 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1983, Worrell provided keyboard parts for Mtume's hit song "Juicy Fruit". In 1984, Worrell co-produced Fred Schneider's solo album Fred Schneider and the Shake Society and played keyboards and synthesizers on some of the album's tracks.[[File:Bernie Worrell-02.jpg|thumb|left|Worrell backstage in Cologne, Germany 1998]]

In 1987, he appeared on Casual Gods, the critically acclaimed solo release from Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads. The LP featured the U.S. Album Rock Tracks chart hit "Rev It Up," which reached number seven and appeared in the film Something Wild. He worked with Jerry Harrison on his other releases also.

1990s–2010s

From the late 1980s through the 2010s, Worrell recorded extensively with producer Bill Laswell, including on Sly and Robbie's 1987 Rhythm Killers, the 1985 Fela Kuti album Army Arrangement, and two albums in the 90s with jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, Save Our Children and Message From Home. He became a visible member of the jam band scene, performing at large summer music festivals, sometimes billed as "Bernie Worrell and the Woo Warriors," and later as "The Bernie Worrell Orchestra." Worrell frequently performed with Warren Haynes's band Gov't Mule. Between the years 1989 and 2003, he appeared on several Jack Bruce albums, including A Question of Time, Cities of the Heart, Monkjack, and More Jack than God.

When The Late Show with David Letterman launched in August 1993, Worrell was a founding member of the CBS Orchestra, playing lead synthesizer. That following November, Worrell departed once the orchestra added a horn section.

In 1994, Worrell appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation album, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in the African-American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by Time magazine.

In 2002, after meeting at the Bonnaroo music festival, Worrell joined forces with bass legend Les Claypool, guitarist Buckethead, and drummer Bryan Mantia to form the shortlived group Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains. They released one album, The Big Eyeball in the Sky.

Around that same time, Worrell joined the rock group Black Jack Johnson with Mos Def, Will Calhoun, Doug Wimbish, and Dr. Know. In 2004, the band, including Worrell, appeared on Mos Def's second studio album The New Danger. That same year, he appeared in the documentary Moog, about synthesizer pioneer Robert Moog. The film featured Herbert Deutsch and several other Moog synthesizer musicians, including Keith Emerson, Money Mark, The Moog Cookbook, and the band Stereolab.

In 2009, he joined longtime Parliament-Funkadelic guitarist DeWayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight, bassist Melvin Gibbs, and drummer J.T. Lewis to form the band SociaLybrium, who toured Europe. Their album For You/For Us/For All was released on Livewired Music in January 2010. He toured with Bootsy Collins, another major figure from Parliament-Funkadelic, in 2011.

From 2011 through 2015, Worrell performed with his group, The Bernie Worrell Orchestra. The band, which was formed out of a partnership with a young New Jersey producer named Evan Taylor, was known for appearance of special guests at their live performances, including Bootsy Collins, Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club bassist Tina Weymouth, Talking Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison, Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club drummer Chris Frantz, Blondie keyboardist Jimmy Destri, Minute Men's Mike Watt, and Captain Beefheart guitarist Gary Lucas. They released two albums, BWO is Landing and Prequel.

In 2012 and 2013, Worrell also played a series of concerts with rock guitarist Steve Kimock, Gov't Mule bassist Andy Hess, and vocalist-percussionist Camille Armstrong. In 2013, Kimock's son John Morgan Kimock played drums for the group.

In 2015, Worrell appeared in the movie Ricki and the Flash as Billy, the keyboard player in Meryl Streep's band. The film, about a woman who leaves her family behind to join a rock band, reunited Worrell with director Jonathan Demme, who had directed the Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense.

Worrell and Preston Singletary cofounded the indigenous music group Khu.éex'.

''Wave from the WOOniverse''

In 2024, "Wave from the WOOniverse" a posthumous double-album, was released, using unfinished tracks Worrell left behind. The album was produced by former Bernie Worrell bandleader Evan Taylor and contributors include Talking Heads's Jerry Harrison, The B-52s' Fred Schneider, Sean Lennon, Marc Ribot, Fishbone's Norwood Fisher, Mike Watt, and Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori.

Death

In January 2016, Worrell was diagnosed with a "mild form" of prostate cancer, stage-four liver cancer and stage-four lung cancer. He relocated from his longtime home in New Jersey, to Bellingham, Washington.

A New York tribute and benefit concert at Webster Hall, helped raise funds for Worrell's cancer treatment. Produced by the Black Rock Coalition, the event featuring musicians and celebrities, including Meryl Streep, George Clinton, Paul Shaffer, Jerry Harrison, Bootsy Collins, Nona Hendryx, Living Color, and Jonathan Demme. It occurred on April 4 and 5, 2016.

On May 9, Worrell's wife Judie posted an update on his condition on his Facebook page:

I am updating y'all because many asked BUT do not consider this an invitation to bombard us with treatment ideas. Bernie is deciding what treatment he wants. I will delete any more messages that do not respect his decision(s).}}

Judie Worrell issued a statement on Facebook on June 16 to friends and family that "I was just told that Bernie is now headed 'Home'." She encouraged people close to Worrell to "visit him to say your goodbyes" and added that he is too ill to speak on the phone or text.

Bernie Worrell died at his home in Everson, Washington, on June 24, 2016, at the age of 72. His wife issued a statement that "Bernie transitioned Home to The Great Spirit. Rest in peace, my love—you definitely made the world a better place. Till we meet again, vaya con Dios."

Following his death, guitarist Buckethead created a 21.5 minute long tribute song: 'Space Viking'. Buckethead published it on his 'Pike' series, as part of Pike 245. The song was captioned: "To Bernie Worrell, The Greatest Music Maker Of All".

Documentary

Stranger: Bernie Worrell on Earth is a documentary film about Worrell's life, music and impact. At AllMovie, critic Mark Deming wrote that the film "profiles his life and career while also examining how even a genius has to find a way to make a living".

Discography

Solo albums

• 1978: All the Woo in the World
• 1990: Funk of Ages
• 1993: Blacktronic Science
• 1993: Pieces of Woo: The Other Side
• 1997: Free Agent: A Spaced Odyssey
• 2007: Improvisczario
• 2009: Christmas Woo
• 2010: I Don't Even Know
• 2011: Standards
• 2013: BWO Is Landing (credited as "The Bernie Worrell Orchestra")
• 2014: Prequel (credited as "The Bernie Worrell Orchestra")
• 2014: Elevation: The Upper Air
• 2016: Retrospectives
• 2024: Wave From The WOOniverse

Funkadelic

• 1970: Funkadelic
• 1970: Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow
• 1971: Maggot Brain
• 1972: America Eats Its Young
• 1973: Cosmic Slop
• 1974: Standing on the Verge of Getting It On
• 1975: Let's Take It to the Stage
• 1976: Tales of Kidd Funkadelic
• 1976: Hardcore Jollies
• 1978: One Nation Under a Groove
• 1979: Uncle Jam Wants You
• 1996: Live: Meadowbrook, Rochester, Michigan – 12th September 1971
• 2008: Toys (recorded 1970–74)
• 2014: First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate

Parliament

• 1970: Osmium
• 1974: Up for the Down Stroke
• 1975: Chocolate City
• 1975: Mothership Connection
• 1976: The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein
• 1977: Live: P-Funk Earth Tour
• 1977: Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome
• 1978: Motor Booty Affair
• 1979: Gloryhallastoopid
• 1980: Trombipulation

Selected contributions to other albums

• 1977: Johnnie Taylor, Rated Extraordinare
• 1981: Jerry Harrison, The Red and the Black
• 1981: The Spinners, Can't Shake This Feeling
• 1982: George Clinton, Computer Games
• 1982: Talking Heads, The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads
• 1983: Mtume, Juicy Fruit
• 1983: Talking Heads, Speaking in Tongues
• 1984: Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense
• 1983: Rita Coolidge, Never Let You Go
• 1984: Fred Schneider, Fred Schneider and the Shake Society
• 1985: Fela Kuti, Army Arrangement
• 1985: The Golden Palominos, Visions of Excess
• 1986: Ginger Baker, Horses & Trees
• 1986: Public Image Ltd, Album
• 1987: Jerry Harrison, "Casual Gods"
• 1987: Jesse Rae, The Thistle
• 1992: Praxis, Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis)
• 1995: Jack Bruce, Monkjack
• 1995: Julian Schnabel, Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud
• 1995: Third Rail (James Blood Ulmer & Bill Laswell), South Delta Space Age
• 1996: Pharoah Sanders, Message from Home
• 1998: Robben Ford, Tiger Walk
• 1998: Live... With a Little Help from Our Friends [Gov’t Mule]
• 1998: Pharoah Sanders, Save Our Children
• 2001: Shin Terai, Unison
• 2004: Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, The Big Eyeball in the Sky
• 2004: Mos Def, The New Danger
• 2005: Munkeez Strikin' Matchiz, Wreck It (with Bo Diddley and Chuck D.)
• 2006: Gigi, Gold & Wax
• 2006: Baby Elephant, Turn My Teeth Up
• 2007: Shin Terai, Lightyears
• 2007: Praxis, Tennessee 2004
• 2008: Praxis, Profanation (Preparation for a Coming Darkness)
• 2008: Science Faxtion, Living on Another Frequency
• 2009: Eric McFadden Trio, Delicate Thing
• 2016: Joe Marcinek Band, Slink
• 2017: Jesse Rae, Worae

Awards

• Independent Music Awards 2013: "Get Your Hands Off" - Best Funk/Fusion/Jam Song

References

References

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