How the arts and funk music influence my life | David Webb | TEDxDayton

David Webb, a performing arts professional, gives a talk about the revelation and demonstration of musicality in funk music, and shows how it has influenced his life. He demonstrates how to listen for specific beats in funk music and how to appreciate its originality.

A performing arts professional, David Webb has been recognized for his commitment to empowering his community, his grassroots-organizing ability, his unbridled enthusiasm for all forms of music (especially funk), and his dedication to recognizing funk musicians and enthusiasts around the world.

He is proficient at building strategic partnerships with key individuals in the community and is an unflagging cheerleader for recognizing all of the “firsts” that have originated in Dayton. His dream of providing music history to youth, while drawing visitors to Dayton from around the world, is being realized through TheFunkCenter.

David’s career encompasses 40 years serving as a studio musician, radio personality, executive producer for record companies, and executive producer of three television shows.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

(Music)

Are you feeling the funk?

Are you feeling the funk?

(Audience) Yes!

David Webb: Put your hands together!
Come on! Come on!

Feel the funk! Feel the funk!
Yes! Yes! Yes!

Yes! Yes! Yes!

We want the funk!

Come on!

Feel it! Are you feeling it?
I can't hear you. Are you feeling it?

(Aud) Yes!

DW: You're feeling it?

(Aud) Yes!

DW: This section? Are you feeling it?

(Aud) Yes!

DW: All right, all right.

In the 1960s, there
was a movement in the South

to migrate to the North
for jobs, the industry.

At that time, my family moved
from Milan, Tennessee, to Dayton, Ohio,

to discover a better way of life.

And that's when I was introduced
to funk music at a very early age.

At that time, young people were focusing
on their art form in music in schools.

But I was in the fifth grade,
at Jefferson Elementary School,

(Laughter)

and learning to play an instrument
for the very first time.

And I wanted to play the drums.

So I went to my music teacher

and asked her, "Can I play
the drums in the band class?"

But instead, she gave me a flutophone.

(Laughter)

She felt

that the drums would be
too difficult for me to learn.

And she said I could't keep a beat.

So after school, I ran home

to show my instrument
to my mother and father,

the flutophone.

(Laughter)

You know, my mother
was a little disappointed.

She knew my dreams
were to play the drums.

That day, that moment,
I learned something.

My mother

was a "drug" addict.

She drug me to music class,

(Laughter)

she drug me to drum corps
for band rehearsal.

She drug me to church.

She drug me anywhere
possible so I can learn how to play

an instrument.

(Laughter)

But then in the early 1970s,

there was a group out of Dayton, Ohio,

called the Ohio Players.

(Cheers)

(Applause)

I used to listen to songs like

"Pain," "Funky Worm,"
"Skin Tight," and "Fire."

and right then,

I knew I wanted to be a drummer.

Then the funk explosion took off
in Dayton, Ohio for me,

making the "Gem City"

the funk capital of the world.

(Applause)

But there were other innovators
who influenced me

on my journey for
knowledge for funk music.

In Augusta Georgia, it was James Brown,

who combined the music genres
of rhythm and blues,

jazz, and soul to an art form,

which we know now as funk music.

And Detroit, Michigan, George Clinton.

And also, in Memphis, Tennessee,

Isaac Hayes.

And on the West Coast,
in San Francisco,

influencing the messages of family
and positive culture,

his name was Sylvester Stewart,

who later became known
as his band as ...

Sly and the Family Stone.

These gentlemen, among others,

planted the seed of funk music
as a creative art form in Dayton, Ohio.

And they, too, influenced
my career as a professional drummer.

After so many years,

funk music became a lost art form,

fallen to the wayside
like art and music classes,

no longer offered in public schools

until

the Arts Education Partnership,

with the President's
Committee on the Arts and Humanities

commenced a study to examine the impact,

and why and how
a young person like me,

at thirteen years old was changed ...

due to the art experience.

Evidence demonstrates that children
with a high level of art participation

outperform art-poor students
by virtually every measure.

The study, "Champions of Change,"

found much evidence
that learning in the arts

helps develop habits
that will support other discipline areas

and it can often reach at-risk students
when other discipline areas cannot.

The arts provide young people
authentic learning experiences

that engages their minds,
their hearts, their bodies.

Art education helps students to learn.

It can enhance creativity,
self-discipline,

and the skills and confidence necessary

to meet the challenging encounters

in my life,

as a student,

and as an adult.

So, let's do a demonstration, OK?

on how to keep a funky beat
and keep it on the one.

(Laughter)

It's that funk music bridges the gap
between our racism.

For example, everybody remember
KC and the Sunshine Band?

Y'all remember that?

OK! Yeah! Yeah!

Remember the group, Average White Band?

and a group right here
out of Ohio called Wild Cherry.

Y'all remember "Play That
Funky Music, White Boy" right?

Good, OK. Let`s do a little demonstration.

So let's do a random song,
see if you know this.

If I go, "There she was

just walking down the street," you say,

(Aud) Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do.

DW: Wow, then that's great.

(Laughter)

So, let's do this.
Let's put a beat to that, OK?

because that's done in a two-four, OK?

So I'm going to count it off,
and I want you to help me to sing it, OK?

So are y'all ready?

Here we go.

One, two, one, two, three, four

"There she goes just
a walking down the street singin'

(Aud) Do wah diddy
diddy dum diddy do."

DW: One more time,

"There she goes just
a walking down the street singin'

(Aud) Do wah diddy
diddy dum diddy do."

DW: Good, good, good.

Now, funk music
is on the one and the three.

OK? So let's take a bit of ...

"Play that Funky Music
White Boy" by Wild Cherry

Y'all know that right?

Let's take it from the part
where they go,

and if you know it help me out,

"And they were dancin' and singin'

and movin' to the groovin',

and just like it hit me

somebody turned around and shouted,

(Aud) Play that funky music white boy

DW: Oh, y'all are good!

(Laughter)

Can we put a beat to that?

Let's put a beat to that.

Let's try it again.
I'm going to count you off.

So here were we go.

One, two, one, two, three

"And they were dancing, and singing

and moving to the grooving

and just like it hit me

somebody turned around and shouted

(Aud) Play that funky music white boy."

DW: Good, good.

Now, some of y'all didn't get it.

(Laughter)

Some of y'all that still didn't get it.

So I need you to do this.

Turn to your neighbor,
and say, "Neighbor."

Turn and say: Neighbor,

(Audience) Neighbor

DW: I wanna get funky.

(Audience) I wanna get funky

DW: Now -

(Laughter)

Now

(Laughter)

Turn to your other neighbor,
and say, "Neighbor"

(Aud) Neighbor

DW: Neighbor,

(Aud) Neighbor

DW: I hope you give me another chance

(Aud) I hope you give me another chance

DW: to get funky.

(Aud) to get funky

DW: OK, I'll give you
another chance to redeem yourself.

So everybody stand up, come on!

Everybody stand up.

We're going to do
a little exercise here, OK?

Now,

everybody knows
how to spell Ohio, right?

(Aud) Right

DW: If you're from Michigan,
a Wolverine, I understand

it might be a little difficult,

but we're going to spell this out

using our hands and mouth
at the same time, OK?

So it's like this:

the pattern is one,
two, three, four, and

O - h

- i - o

and O -

- h - i

o. Now,

we're going to add a little music to that.

Y'all ready?

Drop the music

(Music)

You ready? Feel the funk.

(Rhythmic clapping)

and O -

h - i

o and

O - h -

- i - o - Come on!

O - Come on! - h - i - o -

O - h - i - o -

in the balcony -

O - h - i - o -

in the balcony -

(Aud) O - h - i - o -

DW: This section -

(Aud) O - h - i - o

DW: This section

(Aud) O - h - i - o

DW: This section

(Aud) O - h - i - o

DW: Give yourself a round of applause.

Be seated please.

(Applause)

You see, someone asked me,

what was my purpose?

So I told them this,

"To educate the public's knowledge
in the history of funk music on the one."

This genre of funk music the collective
was told in a rhythm

geared for me,

as an adult to a youth
to a professional artist, and playing.

As I conclude,

Ohio

is the heart of it all for funk music,

and Dayton, Ohio
is the nerve center of funk.

Music is harmony.

Harmony is music.

Harmony is the strength of support
of all institutions,

especially this.

Funk music, the empowerment of education

in my life.

Thank you.

(Cheers)

(Applause)