Amp Fiddler, influential Detroit funk legend, dead at 65

DETROIT — Joseph “Amp” Fiddler, an influential funk musician who played with Parliament and Funkadelic and mentored J Dilla, died Sunday. He was 65.

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Fiddler died at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit following a multiyear cancer battle, the Detroit Free Press reported. His death was also announced in a statement on his official Instagram page.

“It would be impossible to encapsulate the gravity of his energy, global impact & contributions,” the statement read. “His life’s work, legacy, & most importantly … his LOVE … will far exceed his earthly presence.”

Fiddler made a name for himself as part of George Clinton’s Parliament and Funkadelic groups during the 1980s, the Free Press reported. He later played on records by Prince (”We Can Funk”), Warren Zevon, Seal (the group’s 1994 self-titled album), Maxwell (”Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite”), Raphael Saadiq and Was (Not Was) (”What’s Up Dog?”), according to the newspaper and Rolling Stone.

The musician gave J Dilla his first Akai MPC drum machine and introduced the future hip-hop legend to Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest, according to Rolling Stone.

Born in 1958, Fiddler began his musical career as a backup vocalist and keyboardist during the early 1980s, The Detroit News reported. He left Oakland University to tour with the R&B group Enchantment.

His career took off when he played for 11 years as the Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist from 1985 to 1996, according to the newspaper.

“It was an amazing experience to get that gig,” Fiddler told the News in a 2008 interview.

In 2003, Fiddler released the EP “Love and War” and released his debut album, “Waltz of a Ghetto Fly,” the following year, according to Rolling Stone.

His second album, “Afro Strut,” was released in 2006, the magazine reported.

Another project, “Amp Dog Knights,” was released in 2017, WDIV-TV reported. The following year Fiddler released “The One,” a collaboration with Detroit natives Will Sessions and Dames Brown, the News reported.

In June 2023, Fiddler collaborated with British house music disc jockey Luke Solomon for the single, “Come On Over,” Rolling Stone reported.

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