Clyde Stubblefield book | The Funky Drummer

You might not know Clyde Stubblefield’s name. You have almost certainly heard him play.

Hudson Music has published Clyde Stubblefield: Sound of the Funky Drummer, written by drummer Dylan Wissing. It is 364 pages, full colour, and all about one man and, mostly, one drum break.

Is that too much book for eight bars? Let’s find out.

Why one break earns 364 pages

“Funky Drummer” is the break hip-hop was built on, and one of the most economically and culturally significant drum performances ever recorded.

In November 1969, James Brown’s band cut “Funky Drummer” in Cincinnati. Towards the end, Brown calls for the drummer to take it, and Stubblefield plays a loose, ghost-note-heavy sixteenth groove on his own.

That break has since been sampled in thousands of tracks across hip-hop, jungle and drum ‘n’ bass. Stubblefield saw very little credit or money for any of it, which tells you plenty about how sampling worked in the early days.

What is in the book

• The biography. Stubblefield (1943–2017) played with James Brown from the late 1960s into the 1970s.
• The session. The full story of that November 1969 date in Cincinnati.
• The grooves. Transcriptions of more than 20 of his classic parts, not just the famous one.
• The afterlife. How the break became a sampling staple, and the copyright and ownership fights that followed.
• The interviews. Drummers he shaped, including David Garibaldi (Tower of Power), Dennis Chambers and Michael Bland (Prince).

That interview list is a good sign. Garibaldi and Chambers are two of the deepest funk players alive, and hearing them on Stubblefield is worth the price by itself.

Formats and price

Print and digital/eBook editions are available, at roughly $29.99 to $54.99 depending on which you pick. Hudson Music lists a release date of 15 September 2026, so it is out now.

The one caveat: 364 pages is a proper read, not a quick pattern book. If you only want the break itself, you can learn that today.

Final thoughts

It is easy to think you know “Funky Drummer” because you know the sample. A book that puts the drummer back in the frame, with the grooves written out, is long overdue.

Want a head start? Play the Funky Drummer break in the Groove Lab, then try its cousin, the Amen break. And for where that feel ended up in a live band, read our Questlove feature.

Sources: Hudson Music and Drumming News Network.