This is the second episode in our three-part series celebrating the music of the late Cecil Hunt — an Indianapolis-born percussionist whose conga drums helped define the sound of the legendary Naptown soul-jazz group Funk Inc. On this week’s edition, we’ll focus on the Funk Inc. albums “Hangin’ Out” and “Superfunk.”
Emerging from Indianapolis in the early 1970s, Funk Inc. became one of the most influential acts in the soul-jazz movement, blending jazz improvisation with the rhythms of funk and R&B. Through a string of acclaimed recordings for Prestige Records, the band achieved national success, touring across the country and placing albums on Billboard's jazz and R&B charts.
At the heart of that sound was Cecil Hunt. He was one of the band's founding members, alongside Bobby Watley on keyboards, Steve Weakley on guitar, Eugene Barr on saxophone, and Jimmy Munford on drums. Aside from bandleader Bobby Watley, Hunt was the only member to perform on all six Funk Inc. albums.
Yet Hunt's musical journey began decades earlier on Indiana Avenue. He was born in Indianapolis on March 15, 1940. At the time of his birth, his family lived near the Avenue at 518 West North Street. Hunt attended Crispus Attucks High School and began performing professionally as a teenager with the Be-Boppers, a popular R&B vocal group formed by Melvin Bell in 1957. The Be-Boppers were frequent performers on the Avenue, appearing at the Walker Theatre and the Phyllis Wheatley YWCA. Although it is unclear exactly when Hunt began playing congas, by the late 1950s he was performing in the Avenue neighborhood with an Afro-Cuban dance ensemble..
