About
Dr. Felton Pilate
FELTON PILATE
Felton Pilate is best known as the lead singer of Confunkshun, an R&B Old School band created in 1974 while in Memphis,Tn. He and Co-owner Michael Cooper have remained a steady influence in the music industry and on the concert circuit since restarting the band in 1993.
Pilate was born in Jackson Mississippi to Felton Pilate Sr., a naval physician, and Benita Akines, a music major and social worker. After many military relocations, The Pilate family’s last move would be a move to Vallejo, Ca., where Felton Jr. would spend his formative years.
Even at a young age, Felton Pilate knew that music would play a significant role in his life. He started taking trumpet and piano lessons early on and even taught himself to play the guitar and trombone. In high school, Pilate formed a band and began performing locally - all while continuing to refine his musical skills.
Michael Cooper, who had another local band, asked him to join his band during their final high school years and with no hesitation, Pilate said yes. That was the beginning of his career as a member of Project Soul.
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Project Soul went on the road with Stax recording artists, “The Soul Children” and moved to Memphis, Tn., where they got a deal with Fretone, a local record label. They were later asked to change their name, and the band ultimately chose ConFunkShun. The rest, as they say, is history.
When Pilate began touring, his guitar, keyboards and trombone skills, his soulful falsetto voice and his sexy, romantic lyrics immediately gathered a loyal fan base that has remained with him for almost 50 years. His style of music is not just limited to R&B but is also influenced by many other music genres. The melodic mix creates a distinctive sound that intrigues and transports his listeners. He seems larger than life on stage with his music penetrating into hearts and souls.
Confunkshun released a new album in 2015 titled “More Than Love”, which made it to the Billboard top 40 R&B charts, which further solidified their stability in the music industry…
The band went on to record hit after hit in the 70’s & 80’s.
Pilate was co-producer and songwriter for his own group’s albums and singles projects. He still performs with ConFunkShun to date. Pilate proudly proclaims that the music business has been his only income since 1972.
Pilate’s accolades include Record Producer, Songwriter & Recording Artist with (USA) Diamond Platinum Sales Status and numerous Gold, Platinum, Multi- Platinum, and Mega-Platinum selling albums; participated in and contributed to numerous Grammy winning and nominated recording projects; Recording Engineer, Mixer, and Mastering Engineer. He has 45+ years industry history as an internationally recognized R&B artist principal, recording studio owner and manager having trained numerous other eventual Grammy winning record producers.
Pilate gained his greatest world-wide acclaim for production/writing with rap phenom “M.C. Hammer”. The Hammer- Pilate joint effort staggers the imagination with sales from ‘89 to ‘92 alone of 50 RIAA certified million, including”Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ,Em” the #2 all-time selling R&B LP. Other landmarks in Pilate’s Capital records days include his film and TV soundtrack work, such as his Oscar- nominated “Addams Groove” (Addams Family Movie theme) and Hammerman (Hammerman cartoon show). There are many other accolades to his credit including his 2010 contribution of “I Wanna Play For You” to the Grammy award winning “The Stanley Clarke Band” album.” He has produced artists in other genres, including Country, Rock, and Gospel.
In 2004, Pilate released a fantastic solo LP entitled, “Nothing But Love Spoken Here”. He provided all of the production, and most of the songwriting, vocals and instrumental tracks. A Taste of Honey’s Janice Marie Johnson duets with him on “Only For You”, a heartfelt track about the importance of devotion.
In 2019 Pilate gave us the upbeat and dance worthy tune, “We’re Still Here.” The song is a striking tribute that blends the unique styles found between the older and younger generations. In the years that followed, “Waiting Just To Dance “was released and was described by Soultracks, as, “An upbeat number with a fat bottom, Stevie Wonder-style keys, and Felton’s recognizable tenor voice up front. There’s a thick slice of funk underneath this one, and we think you’re going to love it.”
In 2022, Pilate released the soulful and tender-hearted song, “Here’s What I’d Do For You.” The song is a beautiful expression of love and devotion, with heartfelt lyrics and a soothing melody that captures the essence of true intimacy. Fans around the world have been moved and inspired by this powerful song, with many describing it as a masterpiece of modern music.
On Valentines Day of 2022, Pilate and co-writer Michael Cooper were publicly honored by Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak when they released their cover of ConFunk Shun's song, “Love's Train” which stayed at #1 for 6 weeks on the Billboard Charts. The pair also included the song on their Silk Sonic album
Additionally, in November of the same year for Pilate's 70th birthday celebration at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, he was given a Presidential Lifetime Achievement award from Joe Biden and Kamala Harris along with an honorary doctorate from The Christian Bible Institute. These honors reflect the immense impact Pilate has had on the music industry and the deep respect he has earned from his peers and fans.
A new album is set to be released soon, featuring some of his best work yet. But that's not all - there are also plenty of other wonderful things to look forward to, including upcoming live performances and collaborations with other talented musicians. Stay tuned for more updates involving his latest projects!
About
Our Studio
Felstar officially opened its doors in 1978 with only 8-track reel to reel recording capability and a ten channel mixing console. After expanding, Felstar eventually became one of the most popular 16 track studios in the Bay Area
45 years and 50 million records later, Felstar Studios is an all digital ITB recording and mixing facility
utilizing state of the art Digital Audio Workstations such as Protools, Logic, and Reason.
Hundreds of plug-ins from Isotope, Universal Audio, and Waves are also available
