Drummer

Clyde Stubblefield: James Brown's drummer + funk-break canon, decoded

Clyde Stubblefield drummed in James Brown's band from 1965 through 1971 and is the most-sampled drummer in hip-hop history. Ludwig kit (historical), the 'Funky Drummer' break that shaped two decades of hip-hop production.

James Brown band · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team · 2026-04-27

Clyde Stubblefield (born April 18, 1943, Chattanooga, Tennessee; died February 18, 2017, age 73) drummed in James Brown's band from 1965 through 1971. The 8-bar drum break in James Brown's 'Funky Drummer' (1970) is the most-sampled drum performance in recorded music history; it appears in 1,000+ hip-hop tracks per WhoSampled, including foundational records by Public Enemy, N.W.A., Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Sinéad O'Connor, and George Michael. Stubblefield's funk pocket on 'Cold Sweat' (1967), 'Mother Popcorn' (1969), and the broader James Brown late-1960s catalog defined what funk drumming sounded like; the influence on every subsequent funk + hip-hop drummer is foundational.

At a glance

Role

Drummer (historical)

Also known as

Clyde Austin Stubblefield

Active

1958–2017

Based

Madison, Wisconsin (later years); Chattanooga, Tennessee (origin)

Genres

Affiliations

James Brown band (drummer, 1965–1971)
The Funky Drummer (the 1969 record + drum break that defined his legacy)
Madison Wisconsin music scene (post-James Brown)
The most-sampled drummer in recorded music history

Notable credits

James Brown, 'Funky Drummer' (1970)
James Brown, 'Cold Sweat' (1967)
James Brown, 'Mother Popcorn' (1969)
James Brown, 'Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud' (1968)
James Brown, multiple records 1965–1971
Co-credit on most J.B. funk catalog of the late 1960s
His 1970 'Funky Drummer' break sampled in 1,000+ hip-hop tracks per WhoSampled

Sourcing4 citations · reviewed 2026-04-27· by Change Your Strings editorial team

Who Clyde Stubblefield was

Clyde Austin Stubblefield, born April 18, 1943, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, drummed in James Brown's band from 1965 through 1971. Across the band's defining late-1960s funk catalog ('Cold Sweat,' 'Mother Popcorn,' 'Funky Drummer,' 'Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud'), his pocket established what funk drumming sounded like.

The 8-bar drum break in 'Funky Drummer' (1970) is the most-sampled drum performance in recorded music history; it appears in 1,000+ hip-hop tracks per WhoSampled, including foundational records by Public Enemy, N.W.A., Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Sinéad O'Connor, and George Michael.

After leaving James Brown's band in 1971 he moved to Madison, Wisconsin and continued playing in regional bands for decades. The rise of hip-hop sampling brought renewed attention to his work in the 2000s. He died February 18, 2017, age 73.

Style signatures

Three things across his James Brown catalog you can identify as Stubblefield's:

Ghost notes everywhere. The spaces between heavy backbeats are filled with quiet, layered ghost-note patterns that give the groove its forward push. The technique became foundational to funk + R&B drumming; subsequent funk drummers (Bernard Purdie, James Gadson) carried it forward.
Hand-foot independence at fast tempos. Kick and snare don't always land in conventional 1-and-3 / 2-and-4 positions; Stubblefield shifts the emphasis to keep the groove unpredictable.
Service-of-the-song discipline. The breaks (Funky Drummer being the most famous) are extended solos, but the rest of his playing locks completely into the band's pocket. He didn't show off; the funk demanded he didn't.

The catalog. James Brown 1965-1971: 'Cold Sweat' (1967), 'Mother Popcorn' (1969), 'Funky Drummer' (1970), 'Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud' (1968).

The 1,000+ samples. The Funky Drummer break appears in Public Enemy's 'Fight the Power,' Run-DMC's 'Run's House,' N.W.A.'s 'Fuck tha Police,' Sinéad O'Connor's 'I Am Stretched on Your Grave,' George Michael's 'Waiting for that Day,' and 1,000+ others per WhoSampled.

Drummer hub. Drummers index. Funk-canon parallel: Jabo Starks (the other James Brown drummer; profile pending).

Frequently asked questions

What's the 'Funky Drummer' break?

The 8-bar drum break in James Brown's 'Funky Drummer' (recorded 1969, released 1970). At roughly 5:30 of the song, James Brown calls Clyde Stubblefield to play an extended unaccompanied drum solo; Stubblefield plays an 8-bar pattern that became, decades later, the most-sampled drum performance in hip-hop. The break shows up in 1,000+ hip-hop records per WhoSampled, including Public Enemy's 'Fight the Power,' Run-DMC's 'Run's House,' N.W.A.'s 'Fuck tha Police,' LL Cool J's 'Mama Said Knock You Out,' and many more.

Did Stubblefield get paid for the samples?

Largely no. James Brown owned the master recording, and the sample-rights regime in the 1980s and early 1990s didn't consistently track or pay session musicians for sample uses. Stubblefield received no consistent royalties from the 'Funky Drummer' samples; the issue is documented in the Copyright Criminals (2009) documentary and is widely cited as a foundational injustice of the sample-clearance era. Some later sampled works did clear and pay; most did not.

What's Stubblefield's drumming style?

Funk pocket with deep ghost-note vocabulary. Three identifiable signatures: (1) Ghost notes everywhere, the spaces between the heavy backbeats are filled with quiet, layered ghost-note patterns that give the groove its forward push. (2) Hand-foot independence at fast tempos, the kick and the snare don't always land in conventional 1-and-3 / 2-and-4 positions; Stubblefield's patterns shift the emphasis. (3) Service-of-the-song discipline; the breaks are solos but the rest of the playing locks completely into the band's pocket.

Was there another James Brown drummer?

John 'Jabo' Starks, who often played drums alongside Stubblefield (or alternated with him on records and tours). The two are distinct stylistically; Starks is sometimes credited on tracks that have been mistakenly attributed to Stubblefield and vice versa. Both are foundational funk drummers; their parallel work in James Brown's band defines the late-1960s funk drumming canon.

What's his post-James-Brown career?

Stubblefield moved to Madison, Wisconsin in the early 1970s after leaving James Brown. He continued to play drums in regional Madison bands for decades. He maintained a low profile for much of the 1970s-1990s before the rise of hip-hop sampling brought renewed attention to his James Brown work; by the 2000s he was a recognized presence at drum education events and Wisconsin music scene gatherings. He died in 2017.

At a glance

Who Clyde Stubblefield was

Style signatures

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