Written for RDP, where sgeoil asks us
to get creative with the word “funky”.
Thanks, Heather! Here’s where the prompt took me.
“Funky Broadway” was a song written and originally recorded in 1966 by Arlester “Dyke” Christian with his band, Dyke & the Blazers, at the small Phoenix, Arizona-based Artco Records. Wilson Pickett had a huge hit in 1967 with “Funky Broadway”, a high-energy song celebrating a gritty, rhythmic, and down-to-earth nightclub scene found on streets named “Broadway” in various towns across the U.S. It describes a specific dance …. “The Funky Broadway” …. while painting a picture of an electric, soulful, and somewhat wild atmosphere in black* community clubs. Pickett’s cover became the definitive hit version which reached #1 on the R&B charts and #8 on the Hot 100 charts.
NAR©2026
* In an effort to promote cultural heritage, the term “African American” was coined in 1982 by Jesse Jackson. Until that time, the accepted term was “black” and was not used in a disrespectful manner.
This is “Funky Broadway” by Dyke & the Blazers
This is “Funky Broadway” by Wilson Pickett
All text and graphics are copyright for Nancy Richy and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.
The Elephant's Trunk 