Source Material: Fuzzy Haskins – “Love’s Now Is Forever”

Fuzzy Haskins was a vocalist, guitarist, and founding member of The Parliaments.  The Parliaments, led by George Clinton, were a doo-wop group formed in the late 1950s.   Haskins was one of the lead vocalists.   For most of the ’60s, the group released music that wasn’t successful.  But in 1967, their song, “(I Wanna) Testify,” became their first hit.  They recorded the song for a small Detroit label called Revilot Records.  And that’s where many problems and some solutions were created.

After Revilot Records went bankrupt, George Clinton lost the rights to the name of the group, The Parliaments.  But instead of ending the group, he renamed the band, Funkadelic in 1968.  Clinton essentially fashioned the once unnamed band (who played behind the doo-wop group) into a funk-rock band and the vocalists continued in their role.   In 1970, Clinton relaunched The Parliaments as Parliament and this band leaned towards soul-funk music.   Haskins played an integral part in Funkadelic and Parliament’s success as a vocalist, songwriter, and occasional guitarist because he was a member of both bands.

In 1976, Haskins released his debut solo album, A Whole Nother Thang.  It was the first album released by a P-Funk (Parliament-Funkadelic) member that was not produced by George Clinton.  One of the most well-known songs on the album is “Cookie Jar,” but “Love’s Now Forever” is a deep cut that I appreciate for its versatility.  One year later, in the middle of P-Funk’s trailblazing run throughout the late ’70s, Haskins officially left the band to pursue a solo career.

Fuzzy Haskins – “Love’s Now Is Forever”