# James Brown's drummer Clyde Stubblefield, the Funky Drummer, has died

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-browns-drummer-clyde-stubblefield-the-funky-drummer-has-died/780217>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 19, 2017, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-browns-drummer-clyde-stubblefield-the-funky-drummer-has-died/780217 "2017-02-19T12:17:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-browns-drummer-clyde-stubblefield-the-funky-drummer-has-died/780217/1 "2017-02-19T12:17:16Z")

</div>

NYTimes obit here: [Clyde Stubblefield, the ‘Funky Drummer’ for James Brown, Dies at 73 - The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/18/arts/music/clyde-stubblefield-dead.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0)

One of the most sampled drum breaks in history is Mr. Stubblefield’s work on The Funky Drummer, but he played on so many of the Godfather of Soul’s biggest hits that he was legendary before that.

It says he had kidney issues some years before that we’re going to cost money Clyde didn’t have (neither James Brown nor sampling use paid well). Turns out **Prince** paid all of his bills even though they’d never met. _That’s_ how good Clyde Stubblefield was.

Thank you, Mr. Stubblefield. This silly suburban white boy learned about funk from your playing.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-browns-drummer-clyde-stubblefield-the-funky-drummer-has-died/780217/2 "2017-02-19T12:35:21Z")

</div>

Thanks for the link. Minnesotans and Wisconsinites lookin’ out for each other.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-browns-drummer-clyde-stubblefield-the-funky-drummer-has-died/780217/3 "2017-02-19T13:11:33Z")

</div>

Here’s how white I am- I knew him as the What D’ya Know drummer, not as James Brown’s drummer. RIP.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-browns-drummer-clyde-stubblefield-the-funky-drummer-has-died/780217/4 "2017-02-19T13:21:19Z")

</div>

> [@bobot](#):
>
> Here’s how white I am- I knew him as the What D’ya Know drummer, not as James Brown’s drummer. RIP.

Same here. RIP

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-browns-drummer-clyde-stubblefield-the-funky-drummer-has-died/780217/5 "2017-02-19T13:50:35Z")

</div>

Heard about this last night. RIP Mr. Stubblefield; you done good.