Mike Judge Presents: Tales From the Tour Bus

The mystery and myth behind the Queen of Funk, an artist who should have been a superstar, Betty Davis. A small town southern girl, Betty exploded onto the music scene in the early '70s after launching a career in New York as a fashion model and playing muse to Jazz legend Miles Davis. Her brief marriage to Miles helped electrify the jazz scene and launch her career as a performer. Betty's uninhibited sexuality, raunchy stage presence and suggestive lyrics made her brand of funk unforgettable, but she disappeared from the scene after being boycotted by religious groups, black political leaders and the NAACP. MORE -LESS

One of the biggest characters in funk history, Morris Day was an aspiring drummer who became the embodiment of "cool." The iconic frontman might have had a different life altogether, if not for his childhood friend, Prince Rogers Nelson. Morris made a Faustian bargain with the future superstar, and the result was Morris Day and the Time. The band skyrocketed to the top with hits like "Jungle Love," but resentment festered and the rivalry between the two singers reached a breaking point. Years later, a reunion show at Prince's Minnesota mansion brought The Time back to the stage, allowing Morris and Prince to make peace before the latter's untimely death. MORE -LESS

At the height of his fame, James Brown reigned supreme as the king of funk, the first voice and innovator of a brand new musical genre. Behind the scenes, Brown was a taskmaster, feuding with rivals as well as members of his own band. By the 1980's, the work ethic that propelled him to superstardom began to take its toll. Compromised by his own bad decisions, Brown was eclipsed by a new generation of stars trying to follow in his footsteps. Despite falling off the Billboard charts, the king of funk never lost the showmanship that made him a legend. MORE -LESS

James Brown, a.k.a. “Mr. Dynamite”, was renowned for his infectious voice and unbelievable dance moves. Between his womanizing ways, perfectionist attitude and daredevil style, he built an empire that went far beyond entertaining, often alienating musicians and business partners along the way.

And I stood at the door.

just ten pillows, and it's all covered with hair.

about his childhood days.

is a professor of history and African-American studies,

is able to move across even the highest wall

But Joe, his father,

I would tap dance for the soldiers, and they would throw

Really, the foundation of James Brown's music is his dancing.

The first concert I ever went to was James Brown.

to Harlem, to the Apollo.

Like I didn't know what was going on.

but they were watching Gorgeous George

in prison... well, juvenile detention.

They turned me loose to sing gospel one mornin',

Bobby Byrd and his family, you know, go to reform school, say,

A lot of us can't do stuff like that...

James was almost impossible.

mic thing that James Brown does, you know, when he...

named Bea Ford, very attractive woman.

♪ It came to me today ♪

"I taught her how to fix her hair,

Otis Redding hid behind the piano.

So basically, they bought everyone's silence.

stars that were coming out of the Motortown Revue.

he had the best show, he had to have the best band.

If you weren't soaked with sweat when you walked off stage,

"James ain't payin us, and he got all that money,"

and they said, "That's our money."

Maceo Parker,

- ♪ Get up ♪ - ♪ Get on up ♪

♪ Shake your money maker ♪

like, the band's behind him,

I mean, take our money, is that all you're gonna do?

But them shoes you got on, the...

but he wasn't the guy you hang with, you know?

"Come on, dude, you don't want to be killing yourself, man,

- Drummer? - Yes!

"You'll never get another opportunity like this in your life.

And he wanted to control the lives

I said, "That might be so,

he told me that he was in love with me.

And when I said that Bobby needs me,

If we were, you know, stuck in some remote town,

Then, I found out that there were different reasons...

He was all power at one point, all power.

and then ship it out to his radio stations,

and Brown about what to do.

♪ Without a woman or a girl ♪

One of music's most notable bassists, Bootsy Collins went from rocking out in Ohio to working with the notorious James Brown, who taught him "The One" funk basics. But it was when Bootsy met George Clinton that he created his larger-than-life persona and became the backbone of the P-Funk empire. As the frontman of Bootsy's Rubber Band, he quickly achieved solo stardom before realizing that what he loved most about music was the joy of just being part of a group. MORE -LESS

In the mid-‘80s, funk star Rick James was riding high on top of the music world. But between his rivalry with Prince, crusade against MTV and run-ins with the law, he fell further under the influence of cocaine. Even a shot at a comeback, when M.C. Hammer sampled his greatest hit, couldn’t pull James back from the brink.

The self-proclaimed “King of Punk Funk,” Rick James came from humble beginnings in Buffalo before hooking up with Neil Young while dodging the draft in Canada. With a penchant for pyrotechnics, glitter, custom boots and marijuana, his quest to become a black rock star reached its apex when a throwaway song, “Super Freak,” topped the charts and gave him the fame he’d dreamed of. MORE -LESS

A cornerstone figure in funk music, George Clinton went from singing a capella in a barbershop to chasing Motown glory in Detroit with his band, The Parliaments. But the introduction of LSD took him to the next level, as he built a funk empire with outrageous costumes, frequent band-name changes and an occasional bit of nudity. From his first hit, “(I Wanna) Testify,” to the smash anthem “Tear the Roof Off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk),” Clinton forged a lasting sound that went on to fuel a whole new genre: hip-hop. MORE -LESS

kept playing, kept playing.

the kids we was playing for,

So I was funky right from the start.

We all had to be cool.

We was singing a Capella in the barbershop.

I came into a cache of money.

or $1,000 in counterfeit.

So, we go in for an audition.

"Testify" was released in 1967, the Summer of Love.

"Testify" was on Revilot Records.

they came up to the stage after the show,

Let them watch you for four hours.

They began touring the country in costume.

everywhere, coming straight towards us.

likely shared that sentiment,

It became, arguably, the longest-running,

Drummer Frankie "Kash" Waddy

'cause she's walkin' so peculiar.

She took a puff, hit the button,

and puff, puff, puff.

He released Osmium with Parliament in 1970,

George called me up about a month after it ran,

and all the money that he was making,

People went batshit crazy!

Julia Phillips, the producer of it,

Brothas Be, Yo Like George,

We call it "mouf" with a "F" instead of a "T-H."

that he was like, "Okay.

I came from a background of, uh, rules.

The Brides of Funkenstein, Parlet, Bootsy.

It was just a stately place.

"Oh, don't pat yourself on the shoulder.

we're driving around, and he said, "Aw, man!

So then, our merch guy got the bright idea,

For some reason, at a certain point,

they had $50,000 worth of raw cocaine.

based on these illustrations that one of George's artists had done

made by Parliament with the original band.

Sheila Brody, stage name Amuka,

"you know what he's doing with that money.

The sound engineer was simply rewinding the tape.

I said, "Wow, that make sense"

and they're at some drug dealer,

for the whole tour post-Atomic Dog.

'cause the fumes would get to him.