Singer/keyboardist, Lonnie Jordan is best known as a founding member of WAR. One of the most popular funk groups of the '70s, WAR were also one of the most eclectic, freely melding soul, Latin, jazz, blues, reggae, and rock influences into an effortlessly funky whole. Although WAR.’s lyrics were sometimes political in nature (in keeping with their racially integrated lineup), their music almost always had a sunny, laid-back vibe emblematic of their Southern California roots. WAR kept the groove loose, and they were given over to extended jamming -- in fact, many of their studio songs were edited together out of longer improvisations. Even if the jams sometimes got indulgent, they demonstrated WAR’s truly group-minded approach: no one soloist or vocalist really stood above the others (even though all were clearly talented), and their grooving interplay placed WAR in the top echelon of funk ensembles.

Even beyond WAR’s catalogue releases, in the great search of the groove, countless numbers of musicians, producers, remixers and DJ.’s have turned to WAR’s unique Afro-Cuban, Jazz-Funk character to provide structure for their own musical impulses. From Offspring’s “Pretty Fly For A White Boy” (Remix of “Low Rider”), to Tupac’s “Young Black Male” (“Where Was You At”), new artist on a quest for hidden gems are pilfering WAR’s catalogue and producing their own unique musical expressions while retaining the pass.

More than 30 years after they first appeared on a Los Angeles stage, WAR can still
"deliver the word." The multi-platinum performers came to Rhino recently to celebrate the release of the new THE VERY BEST OF WAR collection on Avenue/Rhino Records. The two-CD set features 34 of their best songs, including "Why Can't We Be Friends," "All Day Music," and "Slippin' Into Darkness" -- as well as a handful of hits that the group played for a large and appreciative audience of Rhinos.