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 ...