Bootsy (born William Collins, October 26, 1951, Cincinnati) is a
funk/
R&B bassist/singer/bandleader. He formed his first group, the Pacesetters, in 1968, featuring Phelps "Catfish" Collins (his brother; guitar), Frankie "Kash" Waddy (drums), and Philippe Wynne. From 1969 to 1971, the group functioned as
James Brown's backup band and was dubbed
the J.B.'s.
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In 1972,
Bootsy joined
George Clinton's
Parliament/
Funkadelic. He launched
Bootsy's Rubber Band as a spinoff of P-Funk in 1976, the band including his brother Phelps, Waddy, Joel "Razor Sharp" Johnson (keyboards), Gary "Mudbone" Cooper (drums), and Robert "P-Nut" Johnson (vocals), along with "the Horny Horns." (He was sometimes billed alone as
Bootsy, and sometimes as William "Bootsy" Collins.)
Signing to Warner Bros., he enjoyed the first of his 15
R&B singles chart entries in 1976 with "Stretchin' Out (In a Rubber Band)." His most successful singles were "The Pinocchio Theory" (1977) and the chart-topping "Bootzilla" (1978). He also released six albums on Warners through 1982, including the gold-sellers
Ahh...The Name Is Bootsy, Baby! (1977) and
Bootsy? Player of the Year (1978), then took a six-year recording hiatus, and returned on Columbia in 1988 with the appropriately named
What's Bootsy Doin'? In 1989,
Bootsy was a member of the Bootzilla Orchestra on
Malcolm McLaren's album
Waltz Dancing. In 1990,
Bootsy was a featured guitarist and bassist with the
dance music trio
Deee-Lite. Bootsy's New Rubber Band released Blasters of the Universe on August 2, 1994. Fresh Outta 'P' University followed four years later. Numerous
Collins live shows and reissues appeared as the 21st century opened, and in 2006 the bassist actually released a
Christmas album, Christmas Is 4 Ever, on Shout Records. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
