On June 12, Parliament-Funkadelic legacy guitarist and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Michael Hampton release "Savanah," the first single from his Into The Public Domain mini album. This track features luminary rock gospel guitarist Phil Keaggy, whose more than fifty solo albums have earned seven GMA Dove Awards and multiple Grammy nominations.

Listen: https://open.spotify.com/album/7I7eoc9s8Qj6s4BP5e67hS?si=84QqEfTERF2HJUO3dIsxoQ

On July 31, Hampton will unveil King Kong, a new mini album produced by 9-time Grammy Award winner and Ruffhouse Records co-founder Joe “The Butcher” Nicolo and Phillip Samuel Smith. A founding father of power-funk electric guitar, Hampton edges into new territory on King Kong, the classic story of a gigantic ape battling with modern human society told by a novel blend of spoken narration and masterful instrumental exposition that melds rock and world music with jazz and western overtones, hallmarked by Hampton’s trademark sizzling leads. King Kong is the second of a series of four mini albums, to be followed by a full-length release coming from Michael, all on Nicolo’s imprint, Sound Mind Records /Lightyear/Virgin Records. Each release will be available in digital, CD, and vinyl formats.

The mini album was co-produced by Nicolo and Smith who wrote the songs with Hampton. During last year’s Into The Public Domain tour, Russian expat engineer Maxim Gorky recorded Mike playing solo in a wide variety of locations and environments around Los Angeles. These were forwarded to Nicolo who fashioned them into fully realized songs at Joe’s Garage studio in Audobon, PA with the help of Mitch Beer on bass Louie Diller on drums, horn by Micke LaBombard and Louie Diller on keys. The amazing vocals were provided by Chelsea Viacava, MARE Floyd and Brandon Pane. Overdubs were done at Studio 4 in Conshohocken, PA. Additional sessions were held at Fort Wolf Studios in Canyon Country, CA with Hampton being joined there by bassist Tomer David, Matt Lesser on drums, John Scheffler on pedal steel guitar and Philip Samual Smith on guitar.

King Kong’s innovative approach to telling this nearly 100 year old tale features spoken narration setting the stage for each chapter of the story, then Hampton and company conjuring the ensuing action-adventures with vivid instrumental dramatizations.

The mini-album will appear on all major streaming platforms and digital stores, and be available for free download via QR codes on limited-edition trading cards included with purchases from Michael’s Bandcamp merch store. Cards will be autographed at random and are also available for free from Michael at Parliament Funkadelic shows, solo gigs, and all public appearances (while supplies last). Free downloads in .MP3 and .M4A formats are also available at https://michaelhampton.bandcamp.com/music.

A series of 21 cards total will be unveiled across the four mini album release cycle. The 6 cards which commemorate King Kong feature images of Kong’s birthplace Skull Island created by Hollywood-based mixed-media creator PhilipTheArtist. Each card’s QR code also grants access to exclusive Michael Hampton online media content inaccessible to the general public. In addition to standard card stock, King Kong cards are also printed in ultra-rare hologram formats, including proprietary HoloCloud, HoloPixel, and HoloFractal cards, to be distributed at random with orders, some autographed.

Spanning a wide range of genres and sonic styles, all five collections in the series are being created in conjunction with music industry legend Joe “The Butcher” Nicolo, whose unique resume includes work with Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Fugees, Hall & Oates, Cypress Hill, Sting, and Aerosmith. Nicolo’s credits on Michael’s work range from album production to mixing, engineering and arrangement.

King Kong was preceded by Into the Public Domain this past December. That mini-album was co-produced by Joe, Michael, Philip Samuel Smith and John Schreffler, the latter three of whom wrote and played on all songs on the mini album: Hampton – lead guitar, Smith – rhythm guitar, Schreffler bass and pedal steel. EP. Recorded at Fort Wolf Studios in Canyon Country, California, Into the Public Domain, also features a guest appearance from luminary rock gospel guitarist Phil Keaggy, whose more than fifty solo albums have earned seven GMA Dove Awards and multiple Grammy nominations and Grammy-winner Shooter Jennings, a musician and producer known for blending outlaw country with rock and experimental styles, who guested on keys and co-production at Michael’s Sunset Sound sessions. It’ll be followed by Hampton and company’s treatment of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds and another mini album, whose theme has yet to be determined.

The final release in the series (not yet titled) will be a full length album containing contributions from spotlight members of Lauryn Hill’s band, as well as several surprise guests, and unlike the two prior EPs, features Michael on lead vocals. Further showcasing Michael’s versatility, this release wades into yacht rock, visits throwback rap, and delivers the heaviest funk yet.

Recording for this album is taking place at Joe’s Garage in Audubon, Pennsylvania, a studio custom designed by Nicolo and industry icon Tony Bongiovi, a veteran of storied New York studios Record Plant and Power Station, and former producer and engineer of Jimi Hendrix, The Ramones, Talking Heads and Ozzy Osbourne. Jacob Johnston.

MICHAEL HAMPTON CAREER SUMMARY

After receiving his first guitar at age 10, a determined Michael became self-taught with the help of his bedroom radio, spending days on end playing along with Jimi Hendrix, Wes Montgomery and B.B. King records. After studying jazz guitar in high school, an impromptu backstage audition for George Clinton in 1974 earned 17-year-old Michael a seat on the Parliament mothership alongside the immortal Eddie Hazel, under the name “Kidd Funkadelic”.

Hampton has spent the past half-century playing nearly 400 shows with the band, in 25 countries across 6 continents. Highlights include multiple appearances at world-renowned festivals like Montreux Jazz, Glastonbury, Reading, Woodstock ’99, Coachella, Bonnaroo, Roskilde, Lollapalooza, Fuji Rock, and Isle of Wight, and venues like the Apollo Theater, The Fillmore, Royal Albert Hall, Madison Square Garden, The Troubadour, Red Rocks, The Beacon, and Sydney Opera House.

Among Hampton’s Funkadelic writing credits are group staples like “Who Says a Funk Band Can’t Play Rock?!” and “Funk Gets Stronger”, both released during the group’s late-’70s/early-’80s hit run. His lead guitar is also embedded in the DNA of 90s hip-hop’s G-Funk movement—Dr. Dre’s “Let Me Ride” samples Parliament’s “Mothership Connection”, Ice Cube’s “Bop Gun” borrows elements of Funkadelic’s “One Nation Under a Groove”, while De La Soul’s “Me Myself and I”, Digital Underground’s “Kiss You Back”, and Snoop Dogg’s “What’s My Name?” all draw from Funkadelic’s “(Not Just) Knee Deep”.

Michael’s colleagues include George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, Maceo Parker, Charlie Wilson, Dewayne “Blackbyrd” McKnight, Fred Wesley & The JB’s, Chuck Treece, Dean Ween, Primal Scream, Digital Underground, Too $hort, and Deee-Lite. Michael’s contributions to the Parliament Funkadelic catalog have also influenced famed artists like Prince, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Outkast, D’Angelo and Janelle Monáe, among many others. As of 2025, Michael has appeared on over 30 separate major label releases.

Though best known for his role in the funk guitar pantheon, Hampton is also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, with drums, keys, and synth programming credits across the Parliament discography.

Bandcamp

https://michaelhampton.bandcamp.com/album/into-the-public-domain-2

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/michaelwhampton/

Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rhBe5DqUbACYzqerQa9R0

TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/@ma_wa_ha

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/p/Michael-Hampton-100040199001670/

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@MaWaHa

For more info on Phil Keaggy, visit the JFH Artists Database.

 

Share this page:

Facebook X Email Print

 

 

[2026]
Jan. | Feb. | March | April | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec.

[2025]
Jan. | Feb. | March | April | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec.

[2001 - Present]
Visit our complete MUSIC NEWS ARCHIVE