Deep Groove Encyclopedia

Fuzzy Haskins

Click below for a Fuzzy Haskins sample:

An original member of Parliament and one of the best singers in the history of that storied organization, Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins brought his powerful voice and magnetic presence to such Funk Mob classics as "I Got A Thang, You Got A Thang, Everybody's Got A Thang," "Pussy," and "Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On." He was particularly electric on stage, as evidenced by the Live: Meadowbrook, Rochester, Michigan 12th September 1971 disc and The Mothership Connection Live From Houston dvd. But as P-Funk expanded to include the likes of Garry Shider and Glenn Goins, Haskins found his role diminishing and he eventually left in 1977 along with Calvin Simon and Grady Thomas.

Signing with Funkadelic's original label Westbound, Haskins released two albums that are well-respected in the P-Funk canon. With former bandmates Bernie Worrell, Michael Hampton, Boogie Mosson, and Jerome Brailey providing much of the instrumental backing, A Whole Nother Thang (1977) and Radio Active (1978) added to the deluge of P-Funk projects in the late 70s. But unlike other offshoot acts like Parlet and Bootsy's Rubber Band, Fuzzy did not have much commercial success with his albums, although he was hitting hard with jams like "Sinderella," "I Can See Myself In You," "Not Yet," and the instrumental "The Fuzz And The Boog".

By 1981 he was recording Connections and Disconnections with Calvin and Grady as an alternate version of Funkadelic. When that also failed to take off, Fuzzy kept a low profile, eventually becoming a preacher. He returned to the music scene by forming Original P, again working with Calvin and Grady, plus Ray Davis. Their album What Dat Shakin' was issued in 1999, with Fuzzy's signature vocal style intact.

Fuzzy Haskins' Deepest Grooves

A Whole Nother Thang (Westbound, 1977)

Radio Active (Westbound, 1978)