Upbringing
William Earl “Bootsy” Collins, was born October 26, 1951. Although there is not much information on his childhood, he grew up in Cincinnati and always had a passion for music. In the 60s he formed a band called the Pacesetters, which was successful enough to capture the attention of the godfather of funk himself, James Brown. The tight relationships that Collins formed with the members of his band brought blessings for all of them because they all soon become apart of the JBs, James Brown’s band.
Progression of Music Career
Bootsy Collins and some members of James Brown’s members continued their music careers outside of the JBs and formed a band entitled “Bootsy’s New Rubber Band”. The band released a few EPs and some of them reached Gold on the charts. The music they created consisted of a psychedelic funk. A smooth, groovy sound that had intriguing lyrics. Funk in itself was a free, groovy genre but Bootsy Collins took it to the next level by incorporating his humor into his music. Humor and funk mixed together elevate the sound that is being produced and it makes you want to groove out even more. Bootsy understood this concept and ran with it, making him extremely successful and relevant to this day.
Musical Contributions
Current
Bootsy Collins is currently still making music, either featuring on other artists songs or performing his original music. He is a staple in the genre of funk and will continue to be recognized in the genre in which he helped put on the map.