Posted on 01/27/2026 2:03:48 PM PST by nickcarraway
Founding Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Billy Bass has died of unspecified causes at the age of 74, two days shy of his 75th birthday.
P-Funk bandleader George Clinton shared the news on social media Monday morning. Earlier this month, Clinton noted that the group was keeping Bass "in our thoughts and in our hearts," again without mentioning any specifics.
As a teenager, Bass (real name: William Nelson) worked for Clinton at a barbershop. He was recruited to back his boss's vocal group, then known as the Parliaments. In his 2014 autobiography, Clinton recalled how Bass helped him write the band's first big hit single, 1967's "(I Wanna) Testify."
"It comes from an afternoon in the barbershop with the other guys, shooting the shit, and Billy Bass Nelson banging on the guitar," Clinton explained.
"He was just strumming simple chords, and I was singing a lyric that had been stuck in my head for a while: 'I just want to testify what your love has done for me.' Billy and I sang that and let the words settle around us.
"The more we played this new song, the more I knew it would work, not only on the radio but also live. It was so infectious, and even there in the barbershop I could tell that there were so many turnarounds you could do once you got to vamping."
When legal problems kept Clinton from using the Parliaments name, he shifted the group's direction, emphasizing electric guitars under a new band name reportedly coined by Bass: Funkadelic.
In the documentary One Nation Under a Groove, Bass recalls how the heavy psychedelic rock of Funkadelic crystalized at a show where they opened for Vanilla Fudge. When Funkadelic's gear was lost on the way to the show, the headliners came to the rescue.
"These guys were like superstars, right? But they were real nice and agreed to let us use their equipment as long as we didn't tear it up," Bass explained. "They had this state of the art stuff. None of us had ever played on any equipment like that. It was so large it was ridiculous. That was the night that we found our niche."
Bass went on to perform on the group's first three groundbreaking albums: 1970's Funkadelic and Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow and 1971's Maggot Brain, as well as a newly rechristened Parliament's 1970 debut Osmium. In addition to bass, Bass handled lead vocals for a song or two on each of the Funkadelic albums.
As Clinton's official website notes, Bass was the first of many musicians to leave the P-Funk organization over financial disagreements, but he returned for a brief appearance on 1975's Let's Take it to the Stage.
After performing alongside the Commodores, Chairmen of the Board, Fishbone, Jermaine Jackson, Parlet, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson and Lenny Williams, Bass returned to Parliament-Funkadelic for various tours beginning in 1994.
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
Billy Bass played in a truly great band.
RIP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmmzbVM5BMw&list=RDTmmzbVM5BMw&start_radio=1
And here I thought Bootsie Collins was the bass guy
Nelson was with the band for the first few years, until he left in 1971 over finances. During that time, Collins spent a year playing for James Brown. Then Collins joined the band when Nelson left.
“And here I thought Bootsie Collins was the bass guy”
Bootsie joined in the 70s after he left James Brown.
Bill Bass was founding member and you can see/hear him play at the link I provided above.
Great bass player in a truly great band.
One of my Sunday School kids
“Yeah, I played in an orchestra and one of the bass guys used to be in a band. Bootsie somebody”
Me: “You played with BOOTSIE COLLLINS??!!”
I had the P-Funk Live album and the one with Flashlight on it. Also, Bootsy’s Rubber Band.
Rest In Peace, Billy Bass.
Cosmic Slop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsIqDxssLYg
Best comment
“No drugs were harmed during the making of this video”
I used to work with a guy who was a guitarist. He told me that he played rhythm guitar for the Commodores. (He was backstage. The guitarist could sing but didn’t play well). He also mentioned he played with Funakadelic for a short time. (I assume studio work.)
I saw them way back in the day at a venue on the south side of Chicago.
I swear I was the only white dude in the place. They played an amazing show and I got my young dumb white ass out of there the minute it was over.
L
Saw a great blues harmonica player on the South Side of Chicago in the early ‘90s, perhaps Junior Wells.
My very white brother and me and his gorgeous Samoan first wife were the only non-blacks in attendance.
My brother was hit on by the bassist: “You’re very interesting!”
I stood in line for the single-hole bathroom when a guy came out. So I tried the door. It was locked. A few minutes later, another guy came out.
I saw Junior at Buddy Guy’s place.
Some great acts went through that place.
L
Sounds about right. My brother was living there, I was visiting. A very black neighborhood, but I don’t recall being freaked out by the black dudes; but the gay dudes! Oh my!
Legends is in the south loop. 700 S Wabash.
It is, or was anyway, a relatively safe part of the city. It’s not as gay as Boystown but it’s still pretty gay.
L
I think Alice Cooper had to do that back in the day as well. His guitarist was stoned.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.