Although a short-lived funk group, Maceo & All the King’s Men was founded in 1970 by two of the genre’s most influential musicians: saxophonist Maceo Parker (born February 14, 1943) and his drummer brother Melvin Parker (born June 7, 1944). In 1964, soul and funk legend James Brown attempted to recruit Melvin Parker into his group the J.B.’s, but ended up also bringing in Maceo Parker as part of the deal. The two brothers became key members of Brown’s band, playing on a string of his hits throughout the rest of the 1960s. In 1970, Maceo Parker decided to cut ties with James Brown and form his own band. Unfortunately for Brown, many members of the J.B.’s followed suit and Brown was forced to form a new version of his band. Meanwhile, Maceo & All the King’s Men was formed by Maceo and Melvin Parker and musicians who had defected from James Brown’s band. They released their first album, Doing Their Own Thing, in 1970. Two years later, they released their sophomore album Funky Music Machine (1972) but would split up shortly afterwards. Maceo and Melvin Parker and other members of All the King’s Men would later find their way back to the J.B.’s and a few of them wound up involved with the musical world of George Clinton and his bands Parliament, Funkadelic, and he P-Funk All Stars.
