Does funk ever go out of style? Backbeat Books, an imprint of Hal Leonard, doesn't think so; the publisher is reviving funk fandom with its latest release, The Funky Bass Book ($14.99).

Created in partnership with Bass Player magazine, The Funky Bass Book is the ultimate collection of funked-up wisdom and inspiration for bass guitarists. The book is edited by Bill Leigh, former editor of Bass Player and features a foreword by none other than Parliament-Funkadelic's big hat-wearing, starry-eyed Bootsy Collins.

Backbeat Books describes The Funky Bass Book as part history, part wisdom, and part inspiration from the roots of R&B, soul, and funk to the flame-tending funkateers of hip-hop, neo-soul, and gospel of today. "With interviews and analyses from both groundbreaking old-school innovators and ongoing revolutionaries -- players like Larry Graham, Anthony Jackson, Chuck Rainey, Bootsy Collins, Stanley Clarke, Victor Wooten, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Andrew Gouche -- the secrets of how to take a groove and make it funky are revealed."

The Funky Bass Book goes in chronological order, beginning with the funky founders in the 1960s and continuing through the '70s and '80s as the funk bass flourishes, before entering the '90s through today's modern funk bass. In-depth interviews with the players lend readers a first-hand account of the evolution of funk bass playing. Throughout the book, Deep Cuts sidebars point readers to recorded tracks that illuminate the text with examples and insights about the playing or the actual recording sessions.

More about the editor: Bill Leigh joined the staff of Bass Player in 1995 and served as editor in chief from 2001 to 2009. He studied music at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and music and recording at San Francisco State University. In addition to his work as a writer and editor, Leigh is an active musician in the Bay Area and director of marketing communications for Seymour Duncan.

With this book, bass players, musicians, historians, and music fans can really get funky. The 256-page The Funky Bass Book is now available for $14.99. For more information, visit halleonardbooks.com.