21 Facts About Clyde Stubblefield

Clyde Austin Stubblefield was an American drummer best known for his work with James Brown, with whom he recorded and toured for six years.

Clyde Stubblefield's syncopated drum patterns on Brown's recordings are considered funk standards.

Samples of his drum performances were heavily used in hip hop music beginning in the 1980s, although Stubblefield frequently received no credit.

Clyde Stubblefield began playing with local groups in his native Tennessee and later moved to Georgia, where he played with musicians such as Eddie Kirkland and Otis Redding in the early 1960s before joining Brown's band.

Clyde Stubblefield later settled in Madison, Wisconsin, where he was a staple of the local music scene.

Clyde Stubblefield has been named among the great drummers of all time by various publications.

Clyde Stubblefield was inspired to pursue drumming after seeing drummers for the first time in a parade.

Clyde Stubblefield practiced the rhythm patterns he heard, sometimes playing two patterns simultaneously.

Clyde Stubblefield played professionally as a teenager and performed in local bands such as Blue Shufflers, Inclines, and Cascades.

In 1965, James Brown saw Clyde Stubblefield perform in Macon, Georgia, and asked him to audition.

Clyde Stubblefield was featured in the 2009 PBS documentary, Copyright Criminals, which addressed the creative and legal aspects of sampling in the music industry.

Clyde Stubblefield retired from the Monday shows in 2011 due to health issues, leaving the band in the hands of his nephew Bret Clyde Stubblefield.

Clyde Stubblefield worked with a variety of musicians in the Madison area such as keyboardist Steve Skaggs, guitarists Luther Allison and Cris Plata, jazz violinist Randy Sabien, rock band Garbage, country trio Common Faces and jazz group NEO.

In 2009, Clyde Stubblefield was in need of a kidney transplant and underwent dialysis treatments.

Clyde Stubblefield coped with health issues from the early 2000s onward including cancer.

Clyde Stubblefield's wife Jody Hannon was a source of support in managing his health.

In 2011, Clyde Stubblefield performed "Fight the Power" on the Jimmy Fallon show along with Chuck D and members of The Roots and Eclectic Method.

In 2014, Clyde Stubblefield was named the second best drummer of all time by LA Weekly.

Drummer David Garibaldi credits Clyde Stubblefield for inventing the vocabulary of funk drumming.

Clyde Stubblefield survived cancer in 2000 and coped with kidney disease since 2002.

In 2016, it was reported pop icon Prince, who deeply admired Clyde Stubblefield, paid about $80,000 of the drummer's medical costs.