James Brown is featured in the new biopic Get On Up. In '80s and '90s, Terry Gross talked with his biographer and two musicians who played in his band. And in 2005, she talked with Brown himself.
Funk bassist and psychedelic soulster Bootsy Collins is known for his solid grooves and flashy style. Collins got his start at Cincinnati's famed King Records, where he began as a session musician before joining James Brown's band, The JBs.
Musician William "Bootsy" Collins — Bootsy Collins got his start with James Brown, defining what Rolling Stone called "the finger-popping funk bass style." Collins went on to work with George Clinton as part of the Parliment-Funkadelic tribe, then formed Bootsy's Rubber Band. He's put out more than 30 albums; his latest is Christmas Is 4 Ever. This interview originally aired on Oct. 10, 1994.