Obituaries

Phelps ‘Catfish’ Collins dies

By | Published on Wednesday 11 August 2010

Parliament and Funkadelic guitarist Phelps ‘Catfish’ Collins has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 66.

Collins and his younger brother William (better known as Bootsy Collins) first became known when their band The Pacemakers were hired as James Brown’s backing band. They changed their name to The JBs and appeared on many of Brown’s biggest hits, including ‘Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine’. In 1972 the brothers joined George Clinton’s Funkadelic and Parliament funk bands. Phelps also played in a number of other bands and contributed to various musical projects both with and without his brother.

Bootsy Collins’ wife Patti told the Cincinnati Enquirer: “He was a father figure to my husband. He’s the reason why Bootsy is who he is”.

Meanwhile, Bootsy himself said in a statement: “Catfish was my brother, my father and most of all my best friend. My world will never be the same without him. Be happy for him, he certainly is now and always has been the happiest young fella I ever met on this planet”.

Phelps Collins is survived by two children, Carmen and Phelps The Third, his brother Bootsy and sister Brenda.



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