Bootsy Collins
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American bass guitarist, singer-songwriter, and record producer.[1]
Bootsy Collins
William Earl Collins
October 26, 1951
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
- Musician
- singer
- songwriter
- record producer
- Bass guitar
- vocals
1968–present
Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s before joining the Parliament-Funkadelic collective, Collins established himself as one of the leading names and innovators in funk with his driving basslines and humorous vocals. He later formed his own P-Funk side project known as Bootsy's Rubber Band.[2] He was a frequent collaborator with other musicians from a variety of genres, including dance music (Deee-Lite's "Groove Is in the Heart"), electronic big beat (Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" and "The Joker"), and alternative metal (Praxis), among others. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic. In 2020, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Collins number 4 in its list of the 50 greatest bassists of all time.[3]
Early life[edit]
Collins was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 26, 1951.[4] He said that his mother nicknamed him "Bootsy". "I asked her why", he explained to a journalist, "and she just said, 'Because you looked like a Bootsy.' I left it at that."[5]
His brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins (1943–2010) was also a musician.[4] He and Bootsy were once part of The Pacemakers.
Collins has maintained a strong connection with Cincinnati.[6]
Career[edit]
1960s–1970s[edit]
With his elder brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins, Frankie "Kash" Waddy, and Philippé Wynne, Collins formed a funk band, The Pacemakers, in 1968.[4] In March 1970, after most of the members of James Brown's band quit over a pay dispute, The Pacemakers were hired as Brown's backing band and they became known as The J.B.'s.[7] (They are often referred to as the "original" J.B.'s to distinguish them from later line-ups that went by the same name.) Although they worked for Brown for only 11 months, the original J.B.'s played on some of Brown's most intense funk recordings, including "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine", "Bewildered (1970)", "Super Bad", "Soul Power", "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing", and two instrumental singles, the much-sampled "The Grunt" and "These Are the J.B.'s". In regards to his tenure working for James Brown, Collins stated:
Personal life[edit]
In March 2011, Collins and his wife visited Franklin L. Williams M.S #7's Little Kids Rock program, donated a bass, gave the children a bass lesson, and rapped with them while they played the blues. He is now an honorary board member of the organization.[28] Collins is an honorary member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.[29]
In an April 2011 interview with The Guardian, Collins stated that, at one point in his life, he took LSD every day for over two years.[30]
Filmography[edit]
In 2005, Collins appeared with Madonna, Iggy Pop, Little Richard, and The Roots' Questlove, in an American TV commercial for the Motorola ROKR phone.
Collins was featured in the 2002 film Standing in the Shadows of Motown.
Collins voiced the character Boötes Belinda in the Loonatics Unleashed episode "The Music Villain".[33]
In 2009, Collins appeared in the Everybody Hates Chris episode "Everybody Hates Tasha".
Collins played an alien version of himself in the R-rated Williams Street spring break special Freaknik: The Musical on Adult Swim in March 2010.
On April 15, 2011, he appeared on Later... with Jools Holland, performing a memorable snippet of funk with Jools.
In the fall of 2011, Collins began being featured in a TV commercial for Old Navy in which he is making "boots" made by Bootsy to be sold at Old Navy.
He was also featured on an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba! on the Nick Jr. Channel
Collins guest starred as himself at the end of "Mid-Season Finale", an episode of The Patrick Star Show, a spin-off of Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants, in 2022.
Collins is the voice of Jimi Hendrix in the 2010 documentary, Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child, which is based on Hendrix's own words from letters, interviews and other printed materials.[34][35]
Tour[edit]
In June 2011, Collins played the 10th Annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.[36]
Collins hosted Detroit Music Weekend's Funk Festival on August 26, 2023.[37][38]