By Coral Gables Gazette staff

South Florida readers and music lovers alike will have a chance to step aboard the mothership—not just in spirit, but in story. On Thursday, October 16 at 7 p.m., Books & Books in Coral Gables will host photographer, director, and author Seth Neblett for a discussion of his new book, Mothership Connected: The Women of Parliament-Funkadelic, published by the University of Texas Press.

Part of the acclaimed American Music Series, Mothership Connected reframes the history of one of America’s most influential musical collectives by centering the women whose contributions have long gone under-acknowledged. Neblett, son of P-Funk vocalist Mallia Franklin, spent years gathering the voices and stories of the female musicians who helped create the sound, the soul, and the spectacle that defined Parliament-Funkadelic.

Revisiting the architects of the Mothership

While George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, and Bernie Worrell are rightfully recognized as titans of funk, the contributions of women like Mallia Franklin, Lynn Mabry, Dawn Silva, Debbie Wright, and Shirley Hayden have often been relegated to the margins. These women weren’t simply backing vocalists or occasional collaborators—they were founding members, arrangers, and performers who shaped the identity of P-Funk from the inside out.

Their work extended beyond Parliament and Funkadelic into spin-off acts like Parlet and the Brides of Funkenstein, groups that not only toured internationally but broke ground as pioneering all-female funk outfits. The Brides’ 1978 single “Disco to Go” became a top-10 hit, proving that the women of P-Funk could carry the sound—and the stage—on their own terms.

Despite this, when Parliament-Funkadelic was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, none of the women were invited. That institutional silence is what Neblett’s book sets out to correct.

An oral history rooted in family and funk

For Neblett, the book is both personal and historical. His mother, Mallia Franklin, is often credited with bringing Bootsy Collins into the P-Funk orbit, a moment that helped define the band’s sound in the 1970s. Growing up in a household immersed in the rhythms and realities of Black musical innovation, Neblett brings a unique insider-outsider perspective to the oral history format.

“I didn’t want to tell the story for them,” Neblett has said in interviews. “I wanted them to tell it themselves.”

The result is a kaleidoscopic narrative, interwoven with recollections from the women themselves as well as commentary from funk luminaries like George Clinton, Sly Stone, and Collins. The book doesn’t shy away from hard truths—about the drug use that destabilized the group, the financial mismanagement, or the sexism that often reduced even the most talented women to eye candy.

Yet Mothership Connected is not a story of victimhood. It’s a story of survival, creativity, and sisterhood. It’s about the women who built their own orbit within a male-dominated galaxy—and who are finally being recognized as essential architects of the funk universe.

More than a music book

This week’s event at Books & Books offers readers a chance to engage not only with a neglected slice of musical history, but with broader questions of cultural memory, representation, and justice. The moderator, a longtime bookseller known affectionately as Chrispy, brings his own deep bench of music knowledge and enthusiasm to the table. Known for devouring music biographies—his recent favorites include Eternal Flame: The Authorized Biography of the Bangles and Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival—Chrispy promises to steer the conversation toward both fan-friendly insights and deeper historical discussion.

Books will be available for purchase at the event, with online pre-orders open for those unable to attend. Admission is free and seating will be first-come, first-served.

A new chapter in funk history

The resurgence of interest in the untold stories of American music—especially those involving women and artists of color—has helped drive critical reassessments of everything from Motown to punk. Mothership Connected enters that canon not just as a corrective, but as a celebration.

In the pages of the book, and on Thursday night in Coral Gables, the women of P-Funk will finally get to tell their stories in full volume. As Neblett writes in the preface, “These women didn’t just help build the mothership—they were the engine. And it’s time we gave them their fuel.”