The Funkateers proved that age is just a number with their poppin’ viral dance audition on America’s Got Talent! The four friends from Detroit have been performing together for 45 years, and they must have learned a thing or two about grooving in that time, as they went home with Terry Crews’ golden buzzer! The quartet initially formed to perform at their high school talent show, which they won. Their skills have stayed sharp over the following decades as these fellas dropped some mean moves at their audition.
The quartet’s warm vibes instantly charmed the crowd, and when they started dancing to Rick James’ “Give It to Me Baby”, a huge cheer went up. The Funkateers first delivered a synchronized dance, and then each of them took a solo. They performed old school hip hop and funk moves like they were throwing down on the street corner in ’81. The huge grin on Simon Cowell’s face as he watched just said it all! The Music Man is always down for retro funk vibes, and no one does it more authentically than The Funkateers!
The Funkateers proved to be an instant hit on YouTube, where their audition drew 1.1 million views in four days. Fans gave max props below the video, adding comments such as “This is pure happiness. What the world needs more of these days. Bless these guys!” and “I adored them as soon as they appeared and chatted, and I was dancing in my seat when they began to dance! Wonderful!”
The Funkateers sure weren’t playing when they said they’d been on the scene for 45 years. There are several retro performances on YouTube from The Funkateers’ heyday in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and wow, they def had a killer wardrobe back in the day! Their old-school performances feature a five-piece lineup, as the original lineup also included De’Amon “Cricket” Ellerson, who passed away on January 13, 2022.
The judges were mighty impressed with The Funkateers’ audition. Howie Mandel praised the group’s longevity, saying, “As good as they were, and they probably were this good in high school, it’s better that you did it now at this age. It makes it even better!” The Music Man readers may recall that Terry Crews has made no secret of his deep love for ‘70s funk music throughout his career. Therefore, seeing him get so worked up and excited for The Funkateers was not surprising. Crews then stole the limelight from the judges by rushing to the judges’ desk and hitting the golden buzzer in a moment that created an electric energy in the room. Cowell then declared that he was getting ready to hit the golden buzzer before Crews beat him to the punch.