God Make Me Funky

The life and career of former Headhunter and drum legend Mike Clark

Whether or not you know Mike Clark’s name, you’ve heard his drumming. His sound is everywhere, whether in his voluminous jazz discography or the classic beats he laid down with Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters, which have been sampled by Dr. Dre, Grandmaster Flash, and countless other rap artists.

Widely regarded as one of the foremost living jazz and funk drummers, Clark has spent an eight-decade career at the crossroads of American music, working with pioneers and living legends across jazz, hip-hop, and rock ‘n’ roll. From the age of four, he was sitting in and gigging with bands across the South, backing blues legend Albert King while still in high school. Over time, he parlayed his prodigious talent and soaring reputation into increasingly impressive gigs. Along with Herbie Hancock, his collaborators have ranged from pop stars like Phil Collins to jazz royalty like Woody Shaw and Chet Baker.

Told in Clark’s inimitable voice and co-written with American jazz journalist and author Bill Milkowski, this is a story of musical redemption: as a white man in a field dominated by black musicians yet controlled by white industry magnates, he witnessed discriminatory decisions from both sides, but Buddhism and a bottomless well of creativity enabled him to transcend generational bitterness and devote himself single-mindedly to the center of his universe—his music.