While funk and soul are usually two classes apart when it comes to music, Clyde Stubblefield draws them together. Using drums as his method of expression, Stubblefield creates some funky soulfulness.

Born in Tennessee in 1943, Stubblefield began playing the drums when he was about 10 years old. He went to a parade one day, saw the drums and heard the beat they created, and was hooked. At that moment, he decided to become a drummer. He began his drumming career working with smaller, local bands, until he joined the James Brown Band in 1965. When he joined on, there were already five drummers, along with two bass players, two guitar players, four horns, a keyboard player and three violins. Stubblefield played with the band for five years.

“Playing during that time was great,” says Stubblefield. “We were playing, having a good time and really enjoying what we were doing.”

While playing in the band, Stubblefield met fellow percussionist John “Jab O” Starks. The two drummers became friends and eventually (as a result of their work with Brown) the most-sampled drum players in the world. Starks and Stubblefield went on to create an instructional video for drumming called “Soul of the Funky Drummers.” Stubblefield’s drumsticks reside in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

With his extensive talent, Stubblefield was able to travel all over the world, including places like Amsterdam and London.

“I am the king of London. People like to get funky down there. But Madison is my paradise,” says Stubblefield.

Nowadays Stubblefield travels around, sometimes playing with other groups, such as the Chris Aaron Band. Usually he travels around with his own group, the Clyde Stubblefield Band, where he plays with Ben (piano) and Leo Sidran (trumpet). In addition to performing every Monday night at The King Street Club in Madison, he travels with a local radio show called “What’d Ya Know?” hosted by Michael Feldman.

Stubblefield’s latest album, The Original, is a pleasant compilation of assorted beats and melodies, showing how eclectic his playing really is. In songs like “The Original,” not only can you hear the solid beat, but Stubblefield also uses his voice as a percussive instrument, saying, “I am the original funky drummer / Check me out ya’ll / The original funky drummer.“ In the song “Okay,” the beat is faster, more complicated and synthesizers add a nice touch to enhance the syncopated drums. Three years ago, he made an album with Starks called The Funky Masters, and he hopes they’ll have an album released sometime this summer.

While his style hasn’t changed much with the passing of time, the music around him has. Stubblefield doesn’t think it will affect him or his music.

“Everything changes over a period of time. There is still soul music, jazz and blues, and those will never change. Funk might get a little something different in it. As far as drums changing, I don’t think they’ll change much.”

Stubblefield believes that drums are a necessary part of a musical arrangement. Drums are the backbone. They carry the beat.

“You’ll seldom find a band without drums,” says Stubblefield, “because drums were the instrument that people started playing long before there were other instruments.”