Bursting out of the stratosphere by way of Cincinnati, Ohio, Collins has been embraced by the hip-hop generation for his creative fearlessness, his musicianship, showmanship, and positive energy. Collins may be the baddest brother to pick up a bass, since … well, we can’t think of anyone else that bad.
He and his brother, Phelps “Catfish” Collins, formed a band in the late 1960’s called The Pacemakers, which would play together for various artists for many years, including the James Brown and P-Funk eras. The group built its reputation as “the original JB’s.” A then-teenage Bootsy was a favorite of the legendarily difficult-to-please Brown, but ultimately, he and the band chafed at Brown’s contentiousness and left.
Despite a heavy run of drug use and an accident that almost cost him the use of his arm, Collins’ story is not a sad one, by any means. The 58-year-old has settled down outside of Cincinnati in a gorgeous lakefront home with his wife, Patricia. (If their mutually-sequined appearance at the recent Soul Train Music Awards taping is any indication, she definitely has no problem with a man whose wardrobe probably takes up more room in the closet than hers.)
For the record – pardon the pun – Collins says he’s only about 6’3, but if you thought the man was 7 foot tall, don’t be upset with yourself. He’s definitely a giant of the funk.
—
BlackAmericaWeb.com: Your impression of James Brown on “UnSung” is so hilarious. Did he know that you could capture him that well?
BOOTSY COLLINS: He made such an impression on me at that very young age, and I just never forgot it. I had to go into his bag because I know it inside out. He knew his business, and he was so on top of his music and his game, but at the same time, where I was coming from, you see things as a kid that you think are funny that ain’t funny to older people. when I got the chance to talk about it later on, I did. He had no idea that I was dong that kind of stuff. I didn’t really start doing that until probably 10 or 12 years ago. I tried it, and whoever I was doing it in front of said, ‘Dang, you sound just like him.’ So, when I do something and I talk about him, I’m just going to go into his voice. I started doing that, and people started liking it.
Your older brother, Catfish, was a big influence on you. You stole his guitar to try to be like him and eventually moved on to bass when he needed a bass player for his band. But he’s not in “UnSung.” Is he still alive?
Catfish is still alive. He kinda don’t like to be in interviews. He’s like eight years older than me. He got really wore out before I got into the game and quit playing on the road [years ago.] He’s a home party person; he don’t like no strings attached. I always had him responsible for the band ‘cause I couldn’t take care of all that stuff, and it just took a toll on him. He didn’t ever want to let me down. …..
