Funk/Soul/R&B/Motown

This thread is for people to recommend and discuss good Funk/Soul/R&B/Mo-Town songs and artists only, I dont want to see any rock, or rap, or opera, or classical music suggestions in here, or you will be summarilly executed by my assistant Raphael, who perchance happens to be a veteran of the bosnian civil war. He'll kill you 10 times over before you hit the ground.

Any fans of this type of music here? I dunno much about the British Funk/Soul/R&B/Mo-town scene, but if it falls under the genre then feel free to list british songs too. I always considered Funk/Soul/Mo-town to be the precursor to rap, which is probably why I feel a draw to it so much. Who I enjoy so far is:

Curtis Mayfield
Marvin Gaye
Gladys Knight
Dionne Warwick
also some stevie wonder and alicia keyes though by no means have I heard even 50% of what these artists have to offer.

An example of songs I would like is something like...Midnight Train To Georgia by Gladys Knight, Little Child, Runnin Wild by Curtis Mayfield or Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye.

Please proceed to name your favorite Funk/Soul/R&B/Mo-town hits and artists.

2 weeks ago I bought the mixtape of Sleepy Brown: "Funk Soul Brother". It's a 2 cd thing, and it includes a lot of songs by Sleepy Brown. I like it, but I like most rap more

EDIT: "Most rap" means "most rap I listen to"

Some of my most appreciated explorations in this particular area of music:

- Reverend Al Green. The voice, the immaculate arrangements.
- Stevie Wonder. Innervisions, Talking Book, Songs in the Key of Life. Those are Masterpieces.
- David Bowie's 'plastic/philly soul' on 'Young Americans'.
- The O'Jays, haven't heard them in a while though.
- George Clinton in the Funk-department

M

Cee-Lo and George Clinton are great too