Celebrating the music of Funk Inc.'s Steve Weakley - Part 2

April 28, 2024

This week on Echoes of Indiana Avenue, join us for the second episode in our three-part series celebrating the music of guitarist Steve Weakley, one of the greatest living legends of Indianapolis music. This week’s episode will focus on his work with the soul jazz band Funk Inc. Weakley was still a teenager when he joined the band around 1970.

The music of Funk Inc. attained great popularity during the early '70s. Funk Inc. scored hits on both the jazz and R&B charts. Their 1973 album “Hangin’ Out” appeared on Billboard’s top 10 jazz albums chart. 

Funk Inc. are also one of the most sampled bands in the history of rap music. Their 1971 recording of "Kool is Back" has been sampled over 500 times by artists including Jay-Z, Ice T, Yes, Sting, Aphex Twin, Beastie Boys, TLC and more.