The
Funk Music Hall of Fame & Exhibition Center “The History of Funk Music and Preservation
of The Legends That Made It What It Is Funky”
Several
years ago, David R. Webb Founder/CEO and others decided to find
a way to highlight Dayton’s history of the Funk music genre
and to honor the legacy of Funk music. The challenge was to
gather this local music history and preserve it – in a
museum that would become a hall of fame, exhibition center,
performance venue and educational outreach to today’s young
students. They knew they couldn’t do it alone, so they
began bringing supporters of the project together.
Webb, who is now spearheading the development of The Funk Music
Hall of & Exhibition Center (aka TheFunkCenter) as its President
and CEO, has many interests – but none greater than music.
Specifically, Webb has a great interest in this style of music
perfected by musicians in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio during
the 1960s and 1970s.
In the music industry, Webb has worked as a keyboardist and
drummer at a recording studio, as well as a production manager
and music talent scout. In talking with Dayton-area Funk musicians,
he learned their stories – and how Dayton had been the
cradle for Funk. He was intrigued when the musicians told him
their history was being lost. Today’s young people, Webb
found, are unaware of Dayton’s special place in the history
of Funk. He would soon learn that the history of Funk was not
represented in existing music museums as a separate genre.
Under
Webb’s leadership, a dedicated team is now in place to
make the TheFunkCenter a reality. A committed group of
talented volunteers have come together, bringing their talents
and extensive professional skills and established a non-profit
organization – The Funk Music Hall of Fame & Exhibition
Center.
Many have asked the question, “Why should The Funk Music
Hall of Fame be located in Dayton, Ohio?” This question
is easily answered when you consider the wealth of exemplary
Funk musicians who call Dayton their home. They include chart
topping bands such as The Ohio Players, Slave, Roger Troutman
and the Human Body, Zapp, Heatwave, Lakeside, Faze-O, Shirley
Murdock, Van Hunt, Dayton, Sun, The Majestics, Overnight Low,
New Horizons, Aurra/Deja, and Junie Morrison, just to name a
few (any omissions is purely not by choice).
Indeed, the question should be “Why isn’t The Funk
Music Hall of Fame in Trotwood, Ohio?”
Besides well-known Funk stars, Ohio has produced other stellar
performers including Vesta, The Isley Brothers, Bootsy Collins,
The O’Jays, The Deele, Cab Calloway, House Guest, The Pacemakers,
The Dazz Band and the incomparable Nancy Wilson.
The organization believes that, in addition to honoring the
history of Funk music, music education for future generations
may be TheFunkCenter’s most important mission — one
that will create a special legacy for the community. TheFunkCenter,
will strive to provide a unique environment for all, however,
a special focus will be for children of all ages, abilities,
and experience to feel free to imagine, create and welcome the
arts into their lives.
“TheFunkCenter’s
mission will be to teach young people to play instruments, understand
what it takes to work in all aspects of the performing arts,
learn about the role music plays in creativity, critical thinking
skills and self-discipline, and to improve their deductive reasoning
skills in reading, math and science,” Webb said. Each of
these areas is crucial, he added, to helping students face the
challenges life presents as they approach adulthood.
Syndicated Radio Show Promotes Dayton’s Funk Music/History
(Dayton, Ohio)-The Dayton Scene Radio Show preserves the history
of FUNK music, acknowledges the artists who first created this
artform as well as the vital role Dayton, Ohio plays in the
history of this genre. The heartbeat of this unique show is
to ensure future generations are exposed to this wonderful music
artform. At the same time, we emphasize FUNK’s rippling
effect and influence upon contemporary musicians.
This show is the brainchild of David R. Webb, Sr. He is the
founder and CEO of The Funk Music Hall of Fame & Exhibition
Center in Dayton, Ohio. “Dayton is called the ‘Gem
City’. One of its brightest treasures is Funk Music,”
explains Webb, Sr. He began his radio career in 1989 doing character
voices, producing various shows and creating audience-driven
segments for numerous Dayton stations.
In the mid 2000’s, he created a television show and podcast
spotlighting the colorful history of Funk music and its intricate
connection to Dayton. It aired on DATV, a community station.
“Musicians from back-in-the-day wanted to share their stories
and connection to our city. We cut-up during the interviews
and had great, down to earth conversations,” says Webb,
Sr. On the other end of the spectrum, “Listeners liked
hearing the behind-the-scenes stories connected to their favorite
songs from the 60’s and 70’s.” Later, he created
a series of spin-offs, The Funk Chronicles, that ultimately
birthed, The Dayton Scene Radio Show.
The
Dayton Scene Radio Show is nationally syndicated from its flagship
station, Dayton Public Access television (DATV) in Dayton, Ohio.
The two-hour show is heard on stations in more than 60 markets
worldwide. A diverse demographic of 25-65-year-olds enjoy a
blend of Funk, Gospel and Soul music as well as lively banter
between the on-air talent. “I shop the show around
to smaller stations that need quality content,” explains
Webb, Sr. His first taker was the Jackie Vibes Radio Networks
in Toronto, Canada. For several years, it aired in the evening
and in the late nighttime slots.
In 2021, Webb added the talents of Trent Darby and Jasmine Summers
to create a vibrant on-air trio. Darby is a 30-plus-year radio
veteran who has literally ‘spun vinyl’ in an array
of stations across the country. In Trent Darby’s Sample
It--he dives deep into the history of Funk music and connects
the dots to Contemporary and Hip-Hop artists.Summers, a ten-year
radio veteran, adds her ministerial experience and interjects
Inspirational Thoughts. Known as the ‘Super Soul Sister’,
she switches her rhythm and leads the group through a segment
called ‘Black Exploitation Theatre’. “We look
back at Black movies many of us grew up on and laughed through,”
says Webb, Sr. “At the same time, we illuminate the stereotypes
main-stream media created about African Americans in order to
increase their profits.”
Other segments include ‘Billboard Magazine Trivia and Tidbits’
spotlighting interesting facts about groups from decades past.
‘Live at Concert Series’ gives you a front-row seat
at some of the hottest Funk concerts. ‘8-Track Flash Back’
looks back at songs, TV shows, cartoons and movies that were
hits in the 70’s. The ‘Funk Chronicles Spotlight Artist’
courtesy of the Funk Music Hall of Fame & Exhibition Center
and ‘Bell Bottoms & Roller Skates’ brings back
memories of spinning around the wooden floor, showing off dance
skills and your hottest fashion.
‘Three
Things You Should Know’ is delivered by the team’s
newest member, 35-year-veteran journalist Kathryn Mobley. She
gives bite-size info blurbs on a broad-range of topics tracing
historical as well as current day events. Plus, listener emails
from around the world are read on-air and answered. “We
laugh a lot and have fun all while educating people about things
books won’t tell you,” states Webb, Sr.
Tune in to hear your hosts: David R. Webb, Sr., Trent Darby
and Jasmine Summers, "The Super Soul Sister", along
with News Director Kathryn Mobley, Chris Grindrod/SoundCloud
& Podomatic Producer for The Dayton Scene Radio Show. Join
them to learn captivating backstories about Dayton’s Great
Funk Bands and their music that rocked the world!
We want to recognize the people who made this show possible,
Dayton Access Television (DATV) and the Producers for our show,
Trent Darby, Stephanie Thornton and our Associate Producers,
Kathryn Mobley, Rhine McLin, DJ "Kool Breezy," Chris
Grindrod/SoundCloud & Podomatic Producer for The Dayton
Scene Radio Show, DATV Management and Staff and our Executive
Producer, Mr. David R. Webb Sr, President & CEO.
"The
Evolution of The Funk Box".
Funk Box Experience: Interactive tool teaches how Dayton Funk
helped form modern music!
Experience an interactive history lesson on Dayton’s place
in popular culture with the Funk Box Experience. The state-of-the-art
educational tool, designed by Tessellate Studio in New York,
is presented in partnership with The Funk Center and Dayton
Live at PNC Arts Annex. (This event happens every February for
Black History month).
The Funk Box is just one of the teaching components of the Funk
Music Hall of Fame & Exhibition Center. Finding new ways
to share the history of the music and its Miami Valley roots
became paramount for president and CEO David R. Webb after the
nonprofit organization lost its brick-and-mortar location in
2019.
“Everybody
thought we were finished in 2019, but we still kept it going,”
Webb said. “We’ve been doing ‘The Funk Chronicles’
on YouTube and ‘The Dayton Scene Radio Show.’ Then
we came up with the digital Funk Box Experience to take to schools
and colleges and different events so we could keep the music
going.”
Gary Minyard, Vice President of Education and Engagement for
Dayton Live, was already personally invested in the work of
The Funk Music Hall of Fame, also known as the Funk Center.
“David
and I have known each other for many years,” Minyard said.
“We’ve always shared a love of funk music. I’ve
been able to do some things here at Dayton Live, like the Funk
Unplugged Series. We hosted the Ohio Players here when we had
a Visual Voices exhibit focused on funk music.”
“The
one important thing is you’re learning about these pillars
in funk music like Sly & the Family Stone, James Brown,
and the Ohio Players,” he said. “There is no end to
the amount of influence they’ve all had on music, but young
people today don’t really understand that 40 years ago
there were people making this music that’s influencing
the artists you love today. For them to hear where it comes
from and the why, in a way they can be proud of, is going to
be a really cool experience for them.”
How it works: Tessellate Studio’s Joseph Karadin, who
lives in Dayton, is the architect of The Funk Box Experience.
The exhibit uses custom hardware he designed that allows participants
to interact with the software by waving a hand over one of three
touchless motion sensors. Karadin said he heard about the Funk
Center losing its downtown space.
“Our
company has developed a few museums from the ground up, so we’ve
been through that process a few times. I reached out to David
to see if we could help them out pro bono,” he said.
They started developing the Funk Box in 2020. It took about
nine months, and contributions from consultants like Rickey
Vincent, Scot Brown, Joseph Wooten, and Vernon Porter. The result
is an interactive, educational experience.
“It’s
an educational goldmine because you’re not just sitting
and listening the whole time,” Minyard said. “You’re
going to get up on your feet and you’re going to interact
with this box. These kids can come in and manipulate the sounds
and learn where it came from. Because of your movement and because
you’re using some kinesthetic learning, you’re going
to learn a lot more.”
In 2021, Dayton Live hosted a Funk Box pilot event at PNC Arts
Annex to test out the technology with some local students. “The
teachers, the students, and parents like how we’re keeping
the funk alive through our television and radio shows and the
Funk Box Experience. People are calling from across the country
and even overseas with interest in what we’re doing,”
Webb said.
What it teaches: Dayton Live has created a free resource guide that
connects the dots between area funk acts of the past to modern
performers like Bruno Mars and Galactic.
“We
introduce them to the idea funk is an amalgamation of a bunch
of other genres,” Minyard said. “The next step is:
Where does funk come from? What influenced those artists that
made all these riffs and licks we know and how is that influencing
pop music today? It’s almost a never-ending music education
journey.”
Collaborating with these funk music scholars was revelatory
for Karadin, who has been a fan of the genre since his Akron
youth.
“They
really helped break it down into a very simple understanding
of how funk evolved and its tie to the larger culture,”
he said. “Funk was a subculture unto itself, which is something
I never realized. I learned it wasn’t just about music.
It was a larger cultural movement within the African American
community, which put a whole different perspective on it for
me. It was so uniquely African American, Afrocentric, and Afro-futurist
and it was all of that wrapped up in one form of music. That
blew my mind.”
Contributing writer: By Don Thrasher
Twitter: @dayton_show
Instagram: thedaytonsceneradioshow
Facebook: The Funk Music Hall of Fame & Exhibition Center
Twitter: @thefunkcenter
Website: www.thefunkcenter.org
Under
Webb’s leadership, a dedicated team is now in place to
make the TheFunkCenter a reality. A committed group of
talented volunteers have come together, bringing their talents
and extensive professional skills and established a non-profit
organization – The Funk Music Hall of Fame & Exhibition
Center.
“TheFunkCenter’s
mission will be to teach young people to play instruments, understand
what it takes to work in all aspects of the performing arts,
learn about the role music plays in creativity, critical thinking
skills and self-discipline, and to improve their deductive reasoning
skills in reading, math and science,” Webb said. Each of
these areas is crucial, he added, to helping students face the
challenges life presents as they approach adulthood.
The
Dayton Scene Radio Show is nationally syndicated from its flagship
station, Dayton Public Access television (DATV) in Dayton, Ohio.
The two-hour show is heard on stations in more than 60 markets
worldwide. A diverse demographic of 25-65-year-olds enjoy a
blend of Funk, Gospel and Soul music as well as lively banter
between the on-air talent. “I shop the show around
to smaller stations that need quality content,” explains
Webb, Sr. His first taker was the Jackie Vibes Radio Networks
in Toronto, Canada. For several years, it aired in the evening
and in the late nighttime slots.
"The
Evolution of The Funk Box".
