THE ORIGINAL FUNKFEST Comes to the Fox Theatre Tonight

The hottest names in Funk will unite together for the "Original Funkfest - 5 Hours of Funk" at the Fox Theatre tonight, April 27 at 7 p.m. The line-up includes legendary Funkmaster, George Clinton Parliament P Funk Allstars, the Ohio Players and United We Funk featuring Barkays, Mary Jane Girls, Con-funkshun and Dazz Band.

Tickets ($49, $69, $79 and $89) go on sale Friday, February 8 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at OlympiaEntertainment.com, The Fox Theatre and Joe Louis Arena box offices, Hockeytown Authentics in Troy (without service charge) at all Ticketmaster locations and Ticketmaster.com. To charge tickets by phone, call (800) 745-3000. For additional information, call (313) 471-6611. Line up subject to change.

George "Dr. Funkenstein" Clinton giving birth to the sound known around the world as "funk:" a melting pot of rhythm & blues, jazz, gospel, and psychedelic rock, prefiguring everything from rap and hip-hop to techno and alternative. Praised for his creative strides and enthralling live performances, Clinton has more than 40 R&B hits and three platinum albums to his credit. Clinton has also received a Grammy, a Dove (gospel) and recognized by BMI, the NAACP Image Awards, and Motown Alumni Association for lifetime achievement. Clinton's Partliament/Funkadelic was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

With their slinky, horn-powered grooves, impeccable musicianship, and eye-popping album covers, the Ohio Players were among the top funk bands of the mid-'70s.Their 1974 debut, Skin Tight, was their first classic, launching the hit title track as well as "Jive Turkey." Its follow-up, Fire, remains The Players' masterpiece, topping the pop charts on the strength of its bone-rattling title cut, itself a number one hit. In total, the band has had seven Top 40 hits also including "I Want to Be Free," "Love Rollercoaster," "Sweet Sticky Thing," "Fopp" and "Who'd She Coo?".