(December 15, 2025) A compelling case can be made that the Buckeye state is the funk capitol of the world. James Brown is a native of Georgia, but his record label, King, was based in Cincinnati. Cincy is also the home of the Isley Brothers and Bootsy Collins, who played for The Hardest Working Man for a year before stretching out on his own.
The list of Ohio based funk bands can take up a wing of the Funk Hall of Fame, which is in Dayton (also the hometown of Zapp, The Ohio Players and Heatwave’s Johnnie and Keith Wilder.)
“On Sho Nuff,” SounDoctrine, the Youngstown-based progenitors of “Originalternativefunkjazzfusion” let the world know where they stand. “Sho Nuff” is a largely funk/jazz instrumental that finds SounDoctrine paying homage to the state of Ohio and the many funk bands that called the Buckeye State Home.
The song features everything from the voice box made famous by the late Roger Troutman, to sleek synthy funk that groups like the Dazz Band to the blazing guitar riffs of Ernie Isley and the jazzy horns of The Ohio Players. Anyone who likes good roller-skating music will dig SounDoctrine’s “Sho Nuff.” Check it out here.
By Howard Dukes
