51. Steve Arrington

Painted by Nathan Berko-Gibson

I've known who Steve Arrington is for a little over a decade, and he became one of my favorite musicians. But up to that point I didn't know that I already knew him... as in, he's one of the most sampled artists since sampling became a thing, so when Steve hit the snooze button on his music career in the late 1980s, his back catalog took on a life of its own. WhoSampled.com lists Brand Nubian, A Tribe Called Quest, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Public Enemy and too many more to mention. We talk about his early days in the band Slave, whose “Stellar Fungk” best-of compilation has just been reissued by Rhino Records, the origins of the funk scene in 1970s Dayton, Ohio, the formation of his next group Steve Arrington’s Hall of Fame, his following days as a pastor, and his monumental return to music, including 2020's "Down To The Lowest Terms" LP, and collaborations with Dam-Funk, Snoop, Thundercat, and even George Clinton and Parliament. He also has one of the most unique voices in the zeitgeist of soul music, and as a bonus, we really hit it off. It was one of the most fun interviews I've ever conducted, and I defy you to make it through listening without smiling or bobbing your head.

Steve Arrington's website: https://stevearringtonmusic.tumblr.com/
IG: @steve_arrington
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveArringtonMusic