Sho is Funky Down Here and The Grodeck Whipperjenny are a pair of albums that are the result of an unlikely but highly productive musical relationship between James Brown, a superstar at the creative and commercial peaks of his long career, and David Matthews, a then young arranger-musician whose limited professional experience had little or nothing to do with the funk and soul of his collaborator.

The Grodeck Whipperjenny

A psychedelic classic, created by his James Brown’s bandleader David Matthews, the first album issued on Brown’s famed People imprint. As progressive as it is funky, this album was issued in tandem with another Matthews project issued under Brown’s name – Sho Is Funky Down Here. One of the deepest albums in the Brown catalog, its story is finally told.

Both albums were lacquered directly from the original master tapes at Capitol Studios. This is the first official reissue of both of these rare titles. Each album contains an extensive booklet with full annotation, liner notes by Brown historian Alan Leeds and never-before-published photos.