Bootsy's Rubber Band

Stretchin' out

Bootsy's Rubber Band is the funk and soul vehicle of the bassist and singer William "Bootsy" Collins, who joined the Parliament-Funkadelic camp in 1972 on Funkadelic's America Eats Its Young. Before that, in 1968, he had formed the Pacemakers with his brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins, Frankie "Kash" Waddy and Philippe Wynne, and in March 1970 the Pacemakers became James Brown's backing band, the J.B.'s, for eleven months, playing on "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine", "Super Bad" and "Soul Power". After the success of Parliament's Mothership Connection, George Clinton secured Collins a Warner Bros. deal; sources date the Rubber Band's formation to 1975 or 1976. Collins's mother explained the nickname: because you looked like a Bootsy.

Stretchin' Out in Bootsy's Rubber Band (Warner Bros., 1976) was produced by Collins and Clinton and recorded in 1975 and 1976 at United Sound Systems in Detroit. Wikipedia dates it January 30, 1976 and the official George Clinton site August 6, 1976, so we leave the date open. It reached 59 on the Billboard 200 and 10 on the R&B chart. Ahh... The Name Is Bootsy, Baby! (January 15, 1977) reached 16 and number 1 on the R&B chart, the first P-Funk album to do so according to Albumism; Bootsy? Player of the Year (1978) reached 16 and spawned the R&B number 1 "Bootzilla", and This Boot Is Made for Fonk-N (1979) reached 52. The first two are certified Gold. Rolling Stone's Mikal Gilmore said the 1977 and 1978 albums honed his sense of the absurd into a more playful, childlike style.

Ultra Wave and Sweat Band followed in 1980, The One Giveth, the Count Taketh Away in 1982 and What's Bootsy Doin'? in 1988 with Bill Laswell. In 1990 the Rubber Band toured the world as Deee-Lite's backing band, and Bootsy's New Rubber Band formed in 1994. Collins was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Parliament-Funkadelic in 1997, received the Bass Player Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 and the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame honor in 2016; Rolling Stone ranks him fourth among the greatest bassists. In January 2019 he said he would no longer play bass in concerts. Setlist.fm shows 71 setlists for the Rubber Band.