September 17, 2025Scott Goldfine

WYGYFF 29: 20 Greatest Funk Ballads of All Time

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Featured in WYGYFF Episode 29: This is the fifth Jam Fans Forum episode in which expert panelists provide their top picks in various funk music categories. This time around, we are taking on the typically sexy and romantic topic of the 5 Greatest Funk Ballads of All Time.

DR GX’s Funk Ballad Definition: Produced by funk, funky or funk-capable artists, these songs are downtempo and often sensual, deeply soulful with emotive lead vocals while maintaining funk groove musical elements. Examples of that are prominent bass or plucking, pronounced drums, guitar solos, arresting background vocals and harmonies, unconventional and creative soundscapes, and extended running times. These songs are generally not overly sentimental, sappy, poppy or cliched in lyrics, feel or sound, and frequently are more rhythmic than melodic – yet they still touch the soul and stick in the mind of listeners. These songs are typically ideal for very intimate, body-on-body slow dancing – or in house party vernacular, grinding. That said, thematically this style can diverge from interpersonal intimacy into most any subject matter. 

Joining in are three esteemed Jam Fans: media professional, singer/songwriter and avid music buff Juliana Jai-Bolden; music & culture journalist and liner notes master A. Scott Galloway; and music scholar, author and History of Funk radio show host Rickey Vincent. Thanks to all of them for keeping the funk alive! Panelists’

Picks Ground Rules:

– Picks are not shared ahead of time, so everyone experiences the reveals together.

– Panelists compile alternates in case someone else names the same pick first. That works out to a total of 20 picks!

– Picks may be shared in random, unranked or in non-chronological order.

– Picks may be based more on personal preference than historical context.

Go to https://funknstuff.net/jam-fans-forum-20-funk-ballads OR https://wp.me/p77e8T-3GU to listen to and buy this episode’s 20 all-time great debut funk ballads. Be sure to like, comment, share and subscribe – and let us know other categories you would like to see covered. Also, share your own choices for the 5 Greatest Funk Ballads of All Time.

RECORDED JUNE 2025

Hosted by Scott “DR GX” Goldfine — musicologist, author of “Everything Is on the One: The First Guide of Funk” and creator/host of the popular TRUTH IN RHYTHM podcast — “Where’d You Get Your Funk From?” is the latest interview show brought to you by FUNKNSTUFF.NET. Where’d You Get Your Funk From (WYGYFF) is an open format video and audio podcast focusing on the here and now, with a broad range of creative and artistic guests sharing fascinating stories, experiences, and perspectives.

Scott Goldfine

As a fervid lifelong music & film enthusiast / student, I grew up in and around the Los Angeles entertainment industry. I have worked and held many positions in various media realms, since 1998 serving as Editor-in-Chief and now Associate Publisher for Security Sales & Integration, a trade publication serving the electronic security industry. I love several genres of music & film. The former includes funk (Parliament-Funkadelic, Prince, Ohio Players, etc.); blues (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Eric Gales, etc.); rock (Jack White, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, etc.); hard rock (AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc.); jazz (Herbie Hancock, Bob James, Crusaders, etc.); R&B (Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Gil Scott-Heron, etc.); and more. I was a club disc jockey and ran a mobile DJ company (Musical Moods) for more than 15 years, which is where the name Dr. GX originates (Doctor Good Times). Fave film genres include horror (Dawn of the Dead, Evil Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.); science fiction (Aliens, Terminator, 2001, etc.); action (Warriors, Road Warrior, Die Hard); westerns (Outlaw Josey Wales, Showdown at OK Corral; Wild Bunch, etc.); suspense (Jaws, Inception, Silence of the Lambs, etc.); drama (Apocalypse Now, Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, etc.); and comedies (Life of Brian, Superbad, Ruthless People, etc.). I have attended many hundreds of concerts and movies (in theaters or screenings). I may as well also throw in a few favorite TV shows to give an even broader taste of my sensibilities. A handful would be Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Lost, Justified, Fargo, Seinfeld, Sopranos, South Park, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Key & Peele, Monty Python, Inside Amy Schumer, Louie, Modern Family, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Last Man on Earth, Bob Newhart Show, All in the Family and The Office. Fave authors are Stephen King, Clive Barker and Michael Crichton. I am also a big sports fan and lifelong supporter of the Dallas Cowboys (NFL), Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB). Also enjoy my family of course, electronics/computers/AV gear, and animals, nature and outdoor activities. Graduate of Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica College and California State University Northridge (Radio-TV-Film, Psychology minor). Also studied at UCLA for kinesiology/psychology and earned post-grad Certificate in Accounting from Santa Monica College. Present main occupation is as Associate Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Security Sales & Integration (SSI), which I joined in 1998. I am responsible for overseeing all editorial content in print. online, electronic, in-person and any other media or products for the electronic security industry's leading business-to-business trade publication. SSI is part of Framingham, Mass.-based Emerald Expositions.