Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Clyde Stubblefield
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Quick Facts
Born:
April 18, 1943, Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.
Died:
February 18, 2017, Madison, Wisconsin (aged 73)
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Clyde Stubblefield

American musician
Written by
Patricia Bauer
Pat Bauer graduated from Ripon College in 1977 with a double major in Spanish and Theatre. She spent most of the next 42 years working as a copy editor and editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Patricia Bauer
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Clyde Stubblefield (born April 18, 1943, Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.—died February 18, 2017, Madison, Wisconsin) was an American drummer who was renowned for a 20-second hard-driving embellished drum solo in the 1970 James Brown single “Funky Drummer” that has been called the most sampled drum break in music. The hundreds of songs that made use of that break include “Bring the Noise” (1987) and “Fight the Power” (1989) by Public Enemy, “Run’s House” (1988) by Run-D.M.C., “Shadrach” (1989) by the Beastie Boys, “Mama Said Knock You Out” (1990) by LL Cool J, “Freedom! ’90” (1990) by George Michael, and “Shirtsleeves” (2014) by Ed Sheeran.

Stubblefield said in interviews that he was inspired as a child by the rhythm of such industrial sounds as those made by factories and trains and that he drummed patterns to those sounds. By his late teens, he was a professional drummer. He became a member of Otis Redding’s band and moved to Macon, Georgia, where Redding lived. There he was introduced to James Brown and soon was, with John “Jabo” Sparks, one of Brown’s chief drummers. His work propelled such songs as “Cold Sweat” (1967), “Mother Popcorn” (1969), “Say It Loud—I’m Black and I’m Proud” (1968), “I Got the Feelin’” (1968), and “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine” (1970).

Shortly after the release of the 1970 album Sex Machine, Stubblefield left Brown’s band. He settled (1971) in Madison, where he played at least weekly in local clubs. In addition, he made occasional appearances with other former members of Brown’s backing band, the J.B.s, and he released the solo albums The Revenge of the Funky Drummer (1997) and The Original Funky Drummer Breakbeat Album (2002). The high regard in which other musicians held Stubblefield was illustrated when Prince paid Stubblefield’s medical bills for treatment of bladder cancer early in the 21st century.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Patricia Bauer