Nothin' Sez Somethin': May: I Come Again

04 May 2025

May: I Come Again - R.I.P. Nappy Star Child

I shared some Funkadelic to honor the passing of Garry Shider June 17, 2010 here.

Being from Plainfield, New Jersey, Garry Shider as a youth used to be a regular at George Clinton's barbershop where future members of Parliament sang doo-wop for the customers. Early on, Clinton noted young Shider's talent on guitar.

At sixteen, Shider & his friend Cordell "Boogie" Mosson moved to Canada. Shider & Mosson formed a funk/rock band called United Soul. They started making waves with their jumping style. George Clinton was living in Toronto at the time & heard about United Soul. When he found out that Shider was one of the founding members, he approached the band, offering to produce some tracks for them.

In 1971, Clinton produced several tracks by United Soul with help from members of Funkadelic. The songs "I Miss My Baby" & "Baby I Owe You Something Good" were released as a one-off single by Westbound Records in 1971. After producing United Soul, Clinton invited Shider & Mosson to join Parliament-Funkadelic. Shider became a prominent contributor to albums by both Parliament and Funkadelic. He co-wrote many noteworthy Parliament-Funkadelic songs like "Cosmic Slop," "Getting to Know You," & "One Nation Under a Groove", After P-Funk, he continued to work regularly with Clinton's P-Funk All-Stars & made important contributions to acts including Bootsy Collins & Eddie Hazel.

During Parliament-Funkadelic performances, Shider was known for appearing in a diaper, making him instantly recognizable on stage. His attire earned him the nickname "Diaper Man". His talent earned him the nickname "Nappy Star Child".

In 2010, it was announced that Shider was suffering from cancer of the brain & lungs. On June 16, 2010, Shider died from complications of his cancer at his home in Greater Upper Marlboro, Maryland.