From his early days pioneering funk in Cincinnati clubs alongside his brother Phelps “Catfish” Collins, to becoming part of James Brown’s iconic backing band The J.B.’s, Bootsy Collins has been shaping music history for decades. His influence deepened through his boundary-pushing work with Parliament-Funkadelic and his own group, Bootsy’s Rubber Band — both of which helped evolve the sound of funk and laid the groundwork for future generations of musical artists. Collins’ instantly recognizable voice has also graced hits like Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is In the Heart” (1990) and Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” (2000), cementing his presence in pop culture. Beyond his musical innovation, Collins’ larger-than-life persona — from his star-shaped sunglasses and glittering space suits to his custom star bass — became a signature style all its own. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and ranked No. 4 on Rolling Stone’s list of the greatest bass players of all time.
Collins tells CityBeat about his early days in Cincinnati clubs. “You had The Gold Lounge, Mr. Pitifuls; you had The Playboy, not the fancy Playboy, you had The Playboy, the rathole Playboy,” Collins says with a laugh. “That’s the first gig I ever had. Mr. B’s, Skipper’s. I mean, they had so many clubs, man, and it kept us working.” Collins and his brother’s band, The Pacemakers, played four or five nights a week around the city and across the river in the ‘60s. “So, it was a great time for musicians,” Collins says.
It was at one of those clubs where the Collins brothers were noticed and found their way to King Records, the legendary local record label and studio that was very much on their minds. They were fans of Brown and the music coming from King. “Over at King Records, you know, we always wanted to get in there and see him and they wouldn’t let nobody in, you know, so, until we earned it, we earned our way to get in there with the A&R guy Charles Spurling,” Collins says. “He came to see us at a club, The Viking Club. The Viking Club was on Vine Street and he came to see us and wanted us to come over to King Records to record some of his stuff because he was a writer and an artist, as well. So, that’s how we got in the door.”
Related
New Documentary Explores Legacy of King Records
Collins went back to King for part of the new record; the drum track played by Daru Jones, a drummer who has previously worked with Jack White, on “The JB’s Tribute Pastor P” was recorded in what was the old studio space. “We wanted to go over there and get some of that vibe, you know, because I recorded a lot of stuff over there. I hadn’t been over there since, so to see it and be a part of it coming back to life is like, man, it was a beautiful honor,” Collins says.
Recording at King brought the Collins brothers to the attention of Brown when they became his new backing band, the J.B.’s, in 1970. They went on to tour and record with Brown, playing on influential recordings like “Get Up, I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine” and “Super Bad.”
After less than a year with the band, the brothers quit and formed a new group, House Guests, documented by the 2019 archival release My Mind Set Me Free from Shake It Records, continuing their expanding power and groove before joining the George Clinton collective, Parliament-Funkadelic, in 1972.
Collins talks about the difference between working with Brown and Clinton. “Yeah, JB was more, you know, you gotta get in this groove and you gotta hold that groove and it was really a good time for timing and playing a groove and staying with it. With George, I got a chance to get loose and freed up and play what I actually, really felt, you know, and getting a chance to write stuff, do a track. You didn’t do that with James. You came up with parts and he would say he’s glad he thought of it,” Collins says, laughing.
Collins was able to stretch out and create with Clinton, earning writing credits. “We learned as we continued to grow. I started learning more about it when I was with George. And that’s where I started to find out that, ‘Oh, okay, this is a part of it. You mean just because I did the riff, I came up with a few keyboard ideas, I get writers?’ I mean, yeah. So, that’s when I started learning the difference and, you know, ‘Oh, you can really be a part of this thing.’”
Collins’ new album, Album of the Year #1 Funkateer, released on April 11, features all the trademark charm of Collins’ work over the years — the larger-than-life, spaced-out futuristic production, the rap before rap turns of phrase, the tidal wave of bass-driven groove. It feels, at once, like a lost Rubber Band recording and something altogether new.
His career is highlighted by notable collaborations and the new work continues that spirit. The album features appearances from Snoop Dogg, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) and Wiz Khalifa, among others.
“Those are some of the best times,” Collins says of collaborating with other artists. “Just working with other people, you learn a lot of stuff. Just being able to feel what each other is feeling, you know, is kind of like a miracle, to me. It allows you to grow, to continue to grow.”
Always looking forward, Collins even experimented with controversial artificial intelligence technology for the album track “I.Am.A.I.” “Well, I actually noticed that not only that it’s coming, it’s here already, but it’s coming in a big way,” Collins says of AI. “I just love to be a part of the new stuff, stuff that I know that you can’t stop. That idea is just so woven into our future, that no matter how much you dislike it, it’s coming anyway. So I said, ‘I just might as well write a song about it,’ you know? I got a chance to kind of combine a few things, old technology and new technology, and it just felt right.”
On his production style, Collins says, “I’m always listening for sounds, and when they come to me in my head, I try to find something that is similar or as close to it as possible. For me, it’s not just the plain sound of the guitar, although there are songs that rely on just plain acoustic sounds, which is great, you know, which is great. I dig it all, but when I hear these different sounds in my head, I try to go after it. And I just feel like people want to get away a lot of times, instead of just the norm. Anybody can plug and play, you know, but you give them more than what they’re funking for, you know?”
Collins also recognizes the importance of delivering a truly unique and authentic experience to listeners.
“That to me has always been a thing we’ve always done,” Collins says. “Just realizing it is a whole other thing. So, it’s a good feeling, it just makes you feel good to be able to take ‘em higher, you know? All of that is what I grew up on and grew up in — taking people higher — and you can do that with the vibrations of music and sound and bring peace and love…So, yeah, I wanted to put some of that in the album. It’s like, you know, we all need it.”
Collins defines funk as something that makes us all equal and, maybe, all things possible. “Funk is making something out of nothing,” he says.
Having some fun with it, he also describes it as a great equalizer. “You can’t get around it because funk was here before we were. We just found out that, okay? We were born between an ass and a peehole. So, how you gonna not be funky?” he says, laughing. “I mean, people go around acting like they’re all this and all that, like they didn’t come through a butthole and a peehole, you know — everybody did. So, that to me just tells me the whole story. Like, no matter what you say, I know the real deal and not the deal-dough.”
It’s in that spirit that he decided on the name for the record, taking power over the situation and having a little fun with it. “The main thing is, the reason I called it Album of the Year #1 Funkateer is because of personal rejections,” he says with a laugh. “You know, people always get rejected. It’s like, ‘You giving that mug a Grammy? Oh,’ you know? It’s like, being rejected so much, it’s funny. So, I said to myself, ‘Just give yourself a Grammy.’ Even if you don’t get no accolades, it’s still cool. Just have fun with it. That’s my part of having fun with it, is to give them more than what they’re funking for.”
Collins will make a handful of appearances at record stores in different cities this month for the record release, and will be honored at Motown’s 66th anniversary in August in addition to a “Funk Not Fight” rally as part of the Bootsy Collins Foundation he shares with his wife, Patti Collins, that aims to end violence in communities and schools around the country.
For more information about Bootsy Collins and to listen to his new album, visit bootsycollins.com.
This story is featured in CityBeat’s April 16 print edition.
Related Stories
Cincinnati City Council Approves Funding for King Records Preservation Project
Cincinnati Funk Legend Bootsy Collins to Release New Album
New Documentary Explores Legacy of King Records
This article appears in Apr 16-29, 2025.