RIP Catfish Collins

In early 1970 James Brown’s entire band got sick of his crazy bullshit and walked out.  In their place he hired the Pacemakers, a teenage funk band from Ohio featuring brothers William “Bootsy” Collins on bass and Phelps “Catfish” Collins on guitar.  Within a year most of that band, which had been rechristened the JBs, would also leave Brown (Bootsy was apparently canned for dropping acid before a show and wandering off in the middle of a song). Lucky for us in just 11 months they created some of the best soul and funk ever made.

Catfish Collins died this past Friday of cancer.  While never the star his younger brother was, Catfish’s sense of rhythm and attack helped define what funk guitar playing should sound like.  Case in point, “Super Bad”:

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Here is the man in action on tour in Paris, 1971:

Rest in Peace Catfish.