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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”

David R. WebbSeveral 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.

GroupUnder 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.

Piano“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.

BeveragesThe 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!

Check out The Dayton Scene Radio Show (@dayton_show): https://twitter.com/dayton_show?t=rZx2KNH1PtjoCOiot7IzZg&s=01

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.

Fun Box"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



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