Born William Collins on October 26, 1951 in Cincinnati, Ohio, the eccentric funk bass player is better known by his stage name Bootsy Collins. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee had been a member of The Pacemakers (no relation to Gerry & The Pacemakers) in 1970 with his brother Catfish. They were recruited by James Brown to play in his band but their tenure was brief and they left the band less than a year later. Shortly thereafter, Bootsy and Catfish were hired by George Clinton to play in two bands: Funkadelic and Parliament. Bootsy’s talent on the bass and his outrageous behavior made him the focal point of Parliament and, to a slightly lesser extent, Funkadelic. While those two bands were under the creative control and supervision of Clinton, Collins wanted to lead a band and formed Bootsy’s Rubber Band with guitarists Catfish Collins, Gary Shider and Michael Hampton, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, and the Horny Horns brass section (featuring trombonist Fred Wesley and saxophonist Maceo Parker) among many other friends and acquaintances. The band’s first album, Stretchin’ Out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band, was released in 1976. That debut was followed by Ahh… The Name Is Bootsy, Baby! (1977), the Billboard R&B chart topper Bootsy? Player of the Year (1978) and This Boot Is Made for Fonk-n (1979). The band’s biggest hit single was 1978’s “Bootzilla”. As the ‘70s came to a close, Clinton’s P-Funk empire came crashing down and all of the band’s split up. Bootsy’s Rubber Band resurfaced in several guises over the years, but they never achieved the success they had experienced in the ‘70s. Bootsy Collins continued to be involved with many different musical projects over the years. Since the band’s late ‘70s disintegration, original members of the Rubber Band have passed away including Phelps ‘Catfish’ Collins (August 6, 2010), Gary Shider (June 16, 2010), and Bernie Worrell (June 24, 2016).
