William Earl “Bootsy” Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American musician and singer-songwriter.

Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s, and later with Parliament-Funkadelic, Collins’s driving bass guitar and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk.He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.

William “Bootsy” Collins was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 26, 1951. His brother Phelps “Catfish” Collins was also a musician.Bootsy Collins has maintained a strong connection with Cincinnati. He has said that his mother named him “Bootsy” saying “I asked her why and she just said, “Because you looked like a Bootsy.” I left it at that.