Funky Friday – Episode 47: Funkin' Christmas

🎧 Quick Links:

🎧 Listen live on KDOG 9 AM Pacific Time→ Here

🎧 Listen live on KCSM HD2 9 PM Pacific Time→ Here (On mobile, scroll down to the KCSM HD2 player)

📆 Add to Calendar — Funky Friday (Weekly):

• 9 AM KDOG

Add to Google Calendar

• 9 PM KCSM HD2

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🎶 Catch the Replay →Comming Soon

📖 Full Episode Recaps + Setlists → Here

📂 Renegade Radio Site → Here

Episode Teaser

Airdate: 12.26.25 - 9 AM Pacific Time on KDOG & 9 PM Pacific Time on KCSM HD2

Happy Funky Friday, Renegades of Funk!

For Episode 47, we step into the holidays — but not the version piped through mall speakers or wrapped in artificial cheer.

This is Funkin’ Christmas:

a holiday set built on low end, lived-in soul, and groove with backbone.

The nights are cold.

The year is winding down.

And the funk?

It doesn’t soften — it locks in.

No novelty.

No sugar rush.

No sleigh-bell surrender.

Just Christmas music that knows where the ONE is — and hits it with intention.

Santa’s bringing his bass.

Straight on the ONE.

From the naughty list.

🎄 SETLIST + RENEGADE NOTES

Act I — Naughty List Authority

James Brown – “Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto” (1968)

Personnel: James Brown (vocals) with Bootsy Collins (bass), Clyde Stubblefield (drums), and the J.B.’s rhythm section.

Renegade Note: Holiday funk with a conscience. James Brown reframes Christmas as street-level reality — joyful, sharp, and unapologetically grounded, powered by one of the greatest rhythm sections ever assembled.

Clarence Carter – “Back Door Santa” (1968)

Personnel: Clarence Carter (vocals) backed by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section — Roger Hawkins, David Hood, Barry Beckett, and Jimmy Johnson.

Renegade Note: Muscle Shoals funk at its greasiest. Loose, human, and confident. This record doesn’t wink — it struts.

Kurtis Blow – “Christmas Rappin’” (1979)

Personnel: Kurtis Blow (vocals), produced by J.B. Moore and Robert Ford.

Renegade Note: Early hip-hop still rooted in funk fundamentals — rhythm, repetition, and momentum. A cultural bridge that keeps the holiday moving forward.

Act II — Soulful Winter Heat

Donny Hathaway – “This Christmas” (1970)

Personnel: Donny Hathaway (vocals, piano) with Phil Upchurch (guitar) and Jerry Jemmott (bass).

Renegade Note: The gold standard. Joy without gloss. Hathaway’s restraint gives the song its power — nothing rushed, nothing forced.

The Emotions – “What Do the Lonely Do at Christmas?” (1973)

Personnel: Wanda, Sheila, and Jeanette Hutchinson (vocals), produced by David Porter.

Renegade Note: Honest holiday soul. The Emotions give Christmas emotional depth without sentimentality, acknowledging the quieter corners of the season.

Otis Redding – “Merry Christmas Baby” (1968)

Personnel: Otis Redding (vocals) with Booker T. & the M.G.’s — Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, and Al Jackson Jr.

Renegade Note:Stax royalty. The band leaves space, letting Otis ache and soar. Holiday blues and Southern soul in perfect balance.

Act III — Funk Carries the Night

The Spinners – “Rubberband Man” (1976)

Personnel: Philippé Wynne (lead vocals) with the Spinners, produced by Thom Bell.

Renegade Note: Elastic, joyful, unstoppable. Funk that stretches without breaking — pure momentum.

KC & The Sunshine Band – “Get Down Tonight” (1975)

Personnel: Harry Wayne Casey (vocals) with Richard Finch (bass) and Jerome Smith (guitar).

Renegade Note: Bass-driven authority. Disco-adjacent, but undeniably funky — simplicity executed with precision.

Jimmy Jules & The Nuclear Soul System – “Xmas Done Got Funky” (2010)

Personnel: Jimmy Jules (vocals) with the Nuclear Soul System rhythm section and horns.

Renegade Note: Modern holiday funk done right. Greasy pocket, snapping horns, no retro cosplay.

Jeff Beck – “Thelonius” (1976)

Personnel: Jeff Beck (guitar), Max Middleton (keyboards), Phil Chen (bass), Richard Bailey (drums).

Renegade Note: Instrumental jazz-funk with teeth. Clavinet, bass, and guitar lock into a deep mid-tempo pocket, giving the set room to stretch without losing momentum. Sophisticated, nocturnal, and unapologetically funky.

Herbie Hancock – “Butterfly” (1974)

Personnel: Herbie Hancock (keys), Bennie Maupin (winds), Paul Jackson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Bill Summers (percussion).

Renegade Note: Long-form winter glide. “Butterfly” blooms slowly, using space and repetition to create lift without urgency — perfect late-hour funk that can be trimmed live without losing its hypnotic pull.

Act IV — Christmas on the ONE

Stevie Wonder – “What Christmas Means to Me” (1967)

Personnel: Stevie Wonder (vocals) with the Funk Brothers.

Renegade Note: Motown at full sprint. Fast, joyful, and locked directly on the ONE — proof that Christmas funk was always meant to move.

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – “Ain’t No Chimneys in the Projects” (2010)

Personnel: Sharon Jones (vocals) with the Dap-Kings.

Renegade Note: A modern answer to James Brown’s holiday funk — grit, heart, and lived experience.

Act V — Winter Night Close

Joe Williams – “Jingle Bells (Bombay Dub Orchestra Mix)”

Personnel: Joe Williams (vocals), remixed and produced by Bombay Dub Orchestra.

Renegade Note: Dubby, cinematic, nocturnal. Bass and space transform a familiar melody into winter after dark.

The Temptations – “Silent Night” (1970)

Personnel: Dennis Edwards (lead vocals) with Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, and Paul Williams.

Renegade Note: Harmony as gravity. A dignified close — reverent without stiffness.

🎄 WHY FUNKIN’ CHRISTMAS?

Because the holidays don’t need to be loud to be joyful. And they don’t need to be soft to be warm.

This is Christmas with backbone.

Funk with history.

Soul with truth.

🎄 Santa’s on the ONE — and the groove doesn’t freeze.

🔗 Quick Links:

🎧 Listen live on KDOG 9 AM Pacific Time→ Here

🎧 Listen live on KCSM HD2 9 PM Pacific Time→ Here (On mobile, scroll down to the KCSM HD2 player)

📆 Add to Calendar — Funky Friday (Weekly):

• 9 AM KDOG

Add to Google Calendar

• 9 PM KCSM HD2

Add to Google Calendar

🎶 Catch the Replay →Comming Soon

📖 Full Episode Recaps + Setlists → Here

📂 Renegade Radio Site → Here

🎄Funk Facts🎄

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🎄 James Brown — Holiday Funk with Purpose

“Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto” redefined Christmas music in 1968 by grounding it in real life. Instead of fantasy, James Brown delivered funk with social awareness — proving holiday grooves could still speak truth.

🎤 Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas”

Recorded in Chicago, the track’s restrained tempo and warm piano arrangement made it timeless. Hathaway understood that holiday joy doesn’t need spectacle — it needs space to breathe.

🎶 Stevie Wonder & Motown Momentum

“What Christmas Means to Me” showcases early Stevie Wonder backed by the Funk Brothers at full sprint. The handclaps, bass drive, and relentless pocket make it one of the funkiest Christmas songs ever recorded.

🔥 Sharon Jones & Modern Funk Lineage

“Ain’t No Chimneys in the Projects” is a direct descendant of James Brown’s holiday funk — modern in sound, timeless in message. Sharon Jones carried the social soul tradition forward without imitation.

🕺 KC & The Sunshine Band’s Bass Authority

“Get Down Tonight” is built on one of the simplest, most effective basslines of the ’70s. Minimalist funk done right — proof that groove doesn’t need decoration to dominate the floor.

🎷 Jimmy Jules & Contemporary Holiday Funk

“Xmas Done Got Funky” stands out as a rare modern Christmas record that earns its place through musicianship, not nostalgia. Tight horns and a greasy pocket keep the tradition alive without parody.

🎸 Jeff Beck’s “Thelonius”

Pulled from Blow by Blow, “Thelonius” bridges jazz-funk and rock with deep clavinet, bass, and guitar interplay. It’s instrumental funk as texture — perfect for stretching time without breaking the vibe.

🦋 Herbie Hancock’s “Butterfly”

A cornerstone of Thrust-era Hancock, “Butterfly” is long-form jazz-funk designed to glide. Its slow bloom and atmospheric space make it ideal for late-night winter listening — and flexible enough to trim live without losing impact.

🌌 Joe Williams & Dub After Dark

The Bombay Dub Orchestra remix of “Jingle Bells” strips the melody down to bass, echo, and atmosphere — turning a familiar song into winter-night cinema instead of novelty.