Con Funk Shun, Lenny Williams, and Confunkshun

Originally formed under the moniker Project Soul in 1969, in 1971, with the breakdown of a rival group, the name changed to Con Funk Shun. The band is formed of drummer Louis A. McCall Sr., lead vocalist and guitarist Michael Cooper, bassist Cedric Martin, keyboard player Danny Thomas, trumpeter Karl Fuller, woodwinds player Paul Harrell, and multi-instrumentalist Felton Pilate. Having completed the line-up Con Funk Shun moved to Memphis, Tennessee, U.S., and in 1973 were highed by Stax Records to play back-up to The Soul Children. The band subsequently toured and recorded with the Soul Children, during which time they caught the attention of Estelle Axton who signed the group to her Fretone Records label.

With label backing Con Funk Shun made their debut in 1973 with the album “Organized Con Funk Shun”. After the group’s subsequent release “The Memphis Sessions”, Con Funk Shun signed with Mercury Records in a fruitful relationship which would last over 10 years. The band’s debut releasee on the label was “Con Funk Shun” (1976), followed by the certified gold albums “Secrets” (1977), “Loveshine” (1978), and “Candy” (1979). By this point Pilate and Cooper had proved themselves as the band’s lead vocalists, and the group became known as a staple fun-loving R&B/funk band.

Subsequent Mercury-issued albums were 1980’s “Spirit of Love” and “Touch”, 1981’s “7”, 1982’s “To the Max”, 1983’s “Fever”, 1985’s “Electric Lady”, and 1986’s “Burnin’ Love”. Over this period Con Funk Shun released over 20 singles, all of which charted respectively on the Billboard R&B chart, with notably the singles “Chase Me”, “Got To Be Enough”, “Too Tight”, and “Ffun” charting within the Top 10. Both Felton Pilate and Michael Cooper left the group after their contract with Mercury ended, however the band returned in the ‘90s, and continue to play shows and festivals into the 21st century.