Introduction to the Bassists of P-Funk
| July, 2005
The P-Funk bomb is the most explosive device ever dropped on the planet’s collective musical consciousness, and its shockwave continues to resonate through all things bass. Anyone who has played bass in a dance band is familiar with songs like Parliament’s “Flashlight” and “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker),” Funkadelic’s “One Nation Under a Groove” and “Cosmic Slop,” and group leader George Clinton’s solo smash “Atomic Dog”—classic funk tunes with widely divergent bass styles. Less commonly known are the bassists behind those styles, and how they influenced the sound and direction of the P-Funk collective over a history of nearly 40 years.
From the late 1950s doo-wop days in Clinton’s Plainfield, New Jersey barbershop, to the collective’s current hip-hop ways, P-Funk has always reflected and affected the entire musical and sociological landscape. Many credit (or perhaps blame) Parliament, Funkadelic, and the many P-Funk offshoots for the evolution—or bastardization—of funk and soul, and for the advent of disco and the rise of hip-hop. To be sure, without P-Funk, there would be no Red Hot Chili Peppers and no Prince, so it’s fitting that Prince, Chili Peppers bassist Flea, and other guest stars appear on P-Funk’s upcoming CD, HLDYHTBBYA (How Late Do You Have to Be Before You’re Absent).
The P-Funk story, and the story of its bassists, is complicated. For starters, the group’s name has changed, often for legal reasons. They were the Parliaments, then Funkadelic, then Parliament and Funkadelic. By the mid ’70s, Parliament/Funkadelic comprised a loose collection of musicians—including multiple bassists—whose abundant studio sessions ended up on albums by both bands, with Clinton tending to put the more mainstream, horn-oriented tracks on Parliament records, while reserving the edgier, guitar-oriented tracks for Funkadelic. Then there were the offshoots: the Brides Of Funkenstein, Parlet, Fred Wesley’s Horny Horns, and bassist Bootsy Collins’s Rubber Band.
On the surface, the group currently billed as George Clinton Presents The P-Funk Allstars is a traveling circus. As many as 30 musicians, dancers, and singers in such stagewear as bridal gowns, giant diapers, and prosthetic noses may grace the stage at any given time, with Clinton serving as ringleader during the marathon-length performances. Deeper still, the music, the show, and the band have a definite structure, with members old and new forming a distinct hierarchy based on tenure and talent.
Most bassists are aware of William “Bootsy” Collins, whose contributions to James Brown were as significant as those to P-Funk. Some may even be aware of Billy “Bass” Nelson, Cordell “Boogie” Mosson, Rodney “Skeet” Curtis, and Lige Curry. But few understand exactly how their arrivals and departures from Parliament/Funkadelic led to profound musical changes. It’s an exercise in futility to try to mark every move, so what follows is a collection of recollections direct from the mouths of these principal players. Read On.
