Overton Loyd
Encyclopedia
Overton Loyd is an artist
best known for creating the cover art
for the Parliament
album Motor Booty Affair
. His style of art varies often from work to work, and can range from loose sketches and paintings to fully fleshed out pieces. He is a friend of George Clinton
of Parliament, and most of the subjects for his art are either Clinton or Parliament.
Loyd's contribution to Motor Booty Affair was considerable. The original LP was released in several different configurations, each taking advantage of Loyd's unique talents. The main release consisted of a gate-fold album cover, with Loyd's artwork on the front and back covers. His illustrations included cartoon portraits of some of the "characters" mentioned in the songs on the album, including "Mr. Wiggles the Worm." There was also a picture disk, with Loyd's illustration printed directly on the vinyl LP. Finally, there was a special edition that included cardboard cutout figures featuring Loyd's cartoon illustrations of most of the characters mentioned in the songs.
When Parliament went on tour in support of Motor Booty Affair, Loyd designed costumes for members of the band based on the cartoon illustrations he had made for the album cover.
In 1977, Loyd illustrated a comic book that was included in Parliament's Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome
, portraying the epic battle between Sir Nose D’Voidoffunk and Starchild (see P-Funk mythology
). In the cartoon, which echoes the lyrics to the songs on the album, Sir Nose, who is determined not to dance, is ultimately defeated by Starchild, who is equipped with his Bop Gun
, when Starchild shines a Flash Light on him.
Loyd was also responsible for the artwork on Bootsy's Rubber Band's This Boot Is Made for Fonk-N
and Parliament's Gloryhallastoopid (Or Pin the Tail on the Funky)
, both released in 1979.
Loyd was recognized by Billboard
for "Best Use of Computer Graphics" for his 1982 video
for George Clinton's "Atomic Dog
."
Loyd was the featured caricaturist
on the American
television
game show
Win, Lose or Draw
.
In November 2006, Loyd was the guest art director
for two episodes of the animated
television series Class of 3000
on Cartoon Network
.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
best known for creating the cover art
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
for the Parliament
Parliament (band)
Parliament was a funk band most prominent during the 1970s. It and its sister act Funkadelic, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
album Motor Booty Affair
Motor Booty Affair
Motor Booty Affair is an album by funk band Parliament. Released in late 1978, it contains two of the group's most popular tracks, "Rumpofsteelskin" and "Aqua Boogie " which went to number one on the Billboard Black Singles chart. The album title refers to the music coming out of "Motor town"...
. His style of art varies often from work to work, and can range from loose sketches and paintings to fully fleshed out pieces. He is a friend of George Clinton
George Clinton (funk musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
of Parliament, and most of the subjects for his art are either Clinton or Parliament.
Loyd's contribution to Motor Booty Affair was considerable. The original LP was released in several different configurations, each taking advantage of Loyd's unique talents. The main release consisted of a gate-fold album cover, with Loyd's artwork on the front and back covers. His illustrations included cartoon portraits of some of the "characters" mentioned in the songs on the album, including "Mr. Wiggles the Worm." There was also a picture disk, with Loyd's illustration printed directly on the vinyl LP. Finally, there was a special edition that included cardboard cutout figures featuring Loyd's cartoon illustrations of most of the characters mentioned in the songs.
When Parliament went on tour in support of Motor Booty Affair, Loyd designed costumes for members of the band based on the cartoon illustrations he had made for the album cover.
In 1977, Loyd illustrated a comic book that was included in Parliament's Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome
Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome
Funkentelechy Vs. The Placebo Syndrome is a funk album by Parliament, released in 1977 .The album is considered to be one of the best in Parliament's catalog...
, portraying the epic battle between Sir Nose D’Voidoffunk and Starchild (see P-Funk mythology
P-Funk mythology
The P-Funk mythology is a group of recurring fictional characters, themes and ideas related in a series of concept albums and live shows, primarily from George Clinton and his founded bands Parliament and Funkadelic....
). In the cartoon, which echoes the lyrics to the songs on the album, Sir Nose, who is determined not to dance, is ultimately defeated by Starchild, who is equipped with his Bop Gun
Bop Gun (Endangered Species)
"Bop Gun " is a song by the funk band Parliament, the lead track on their 1977 album Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome. It was released as the album's first single. The song's lead vocal is performed by Glen Goins, his last performance on a P-Funk record.The Bop Gun is an imaginary weapon that...
, when Starchild shines a Flash Light on him.
Loyd was also responsible for the artwork on Bootsy's Rubber Band's This Boot Is Made for Fonk-N
This Boot Is Made for Fonk-N
This Boot is Made for Fonk-N is the fourth album by the American funk band Bootsy's Rubber Band. It was released through Warner Bros. Records on June 1, 1979. Unlike previous albums by Bootsy's Rubber Band, this album did not generate any hit singles. The album was more experimental in nature than...
and Parliament's Gloryhallastoopid (Or Pin the Tail on the Funky)
Gloryhallastoopid
Gloryhallastoopid is a 1979 album by the funk ensemble Parliament. It was their penultimate album on the Casablanca Records label, and is another concept album which tries to explain that Funk was responsible for the creation of the universe...
, both released in 1979.
Loyd was recognized by Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
for "Best Use of Computer Graphics" for his 1982 video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for George Clinton's "Atomic Dog
Atomic Dog
"Atomic Dog" is a song by George Clinton from his 1982 album Computer Games. The track was released as a single in December 1982 and became the P-Funk collective's last to reach #1 on the U.S. R&B Chart...
."
Loyd was the featured caricaturist
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
on the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Win, Lose or Draw
Win, Lose or Draw
Win, Lose or Draw is an American television game show that aired from 1987 to 1990 in syndication and on NBC. It was taped at CBS Television City, often in Studios 31, 33, and 43 at various times...
.
In November 2006, Loyd was the guest art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
for two episodes of the animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
television series Class of 3000
Class of 3000
Class of 3000 is an American animated television series on Cartoon Network that was created by, was executively produced by, and starred André 3000 of the Hip Hop group OutKast as superstar and music teacher Sunny Bridges, set at Atlanta, Georgia's Westley School of Performing Arts. Mr...
on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
.
Further reading
- David Mills, Larry Alexander, Thomas Stanley, and Aris Thomas, George Clinton and P-Funk: An Oral History (New York: Avon, 1998).
- Rickey Vincent, Funk: The Music, The People, and The Rhythm of The One (New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1996) ISBN 0312134991.
- Grant Scott, Barry Miles, and Johnny Morgan, The Greatest Album Covers of All Time (New York: Sterling Publishing, 2005) ISBN 1843403013. Page 121. Available at Google Book Search
- Wax Poetics Issue 18, Parliament-Funkadelic, August/September 2006, interview by Richard Edson and Edward Hill entitled "Bop Art". Page 121. Available at Wax Poetic Back-issues, Overton Loyd Interview.