I'd like to pay tribute to writer and music historian Rickey Vincent, especially his 1996 book Funk.  Before I read Vincent's book, I was a blues and jazz snob.  Funk got me listening to Gil Scot-Heron, Marvin Gaye, Parlaiment/Funkadelic and Stevie Wonder.  What I enjoyed most was Vincent's ability to draw connections between music and the larger social and political climate.  Back in the days before I-Tunes or Spotify, the book's exhaustive discography was invaluable.  Funk is still in print - it deserves a place on the bookshelf of any serious music fan.  Vincent's radio show, The History of Funk, is available to all thanks to the internet.