Bootsy Collins, renowned bassist and Soul/Funk avatar in his own right, tells his story about James Brown.
"James started my career and it's the least I can do to try to keep his legacy, his music and his memory alive," Bootsy says from his Cincinnati studio.
"Coming up in a home with just a mother and no father in the house, he was like a father figure and he would always discipline me like a son. You know, getting those long lectures after the show on the plane ride ... there were so many memories, there's not one that sticks out.
"People got down on him for being hard and strict, but for me it was a good thing. I knew I needed it. I was just a wild kid out on the street doing crazy things. If I hadn't gotten that, when I got with Parliament/Funkadelic I would have really been a mess. And I was a mess anyway. So it all came back. I learned the ABCs, like being in the Army."
Almost a year to the day since his Christmas Day passing in 2006, Brown continues to inspire love and respect. Given his local Cincinnati ties through his involvement in King Records, it's little surprise that those feelings run deep here.
And given his pivotal role as Collins' first employer when the aspiring bassist was just a skinny teenager hanging around the King offices looking for a break, it is equally unsurprising that it would be Collins and his wife Patti who would conceive and organize a personal and heartfelt tribute to one of the most important and influential musical figures of the past half century.
On Saturday, the Madison Theater in Covington becomes the center of the Soul universe with "A Tribute Fit for the King of King Records: Mr. Dynamite, James Brown," featuring an array of talent whose personal as well as professional lives were touched by the stellar presence of James Brown.
For an event that is at present the only scheduled celebratory tribute to the Godfather of Soul -- on a day that vacationing Mayor Mark Mallory will proclaim, via video, "James Brown Day" in Cincinnati -- the Collinses have assembled a broad and renowned lineup to honor Brown's talent and memory. The Soul Generals, Brown's backing band on the road for the last two decades and now led by his guitarist son Daryl, will perform the incendiary set that they've been doing since earlier this year when they collectively decided to remain a band to perpetuate the James Brown legend.
The tribute will also feature a rare reunion of the JBs, including Bootsy on bass, his brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins on guitar and the Original Funky Drummers John "Jabo" Starks and Clyde "Funky Drummer" Stubblefield, plus emcee Danny Ray. This portion of the evening will be hosted by Public Enemy frontman Chuck D.
Original Fabulous Flames keyboardist Bobby Byrd, often credited with discovering Brown and who passed away himself just two months ago, will be represented by his widow Vicki Anderson, who will sing a song with the Generals, and two of his children, including son Bart, who will perform with his group.
The always entertaining and outrageous Freekbass will round out the local contingent, while former In Living Color funnyman and stand-up comedian Tommy Davidson and renowned stand-up Michael Collier will also be appearing. But perhaps the most unexpected guest of the evening will be former Guns 'n' Roses guitarist Buckethead, who will unleash his patented guitar pyrotechnics to pay tribute to Brown.
"Each group will give the crowd a taste of what they do and then they will tribute Mr. Brown," Patti says. "Of course, when Bootsy and the Soul Generals come out, that will be all James Brown music."
The tribute to Brown will also serve as the official announcement of and introduction to the Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation, a recently-formed nonprofit organization with the express intent of publicizing and preserving the area's illustrious musical past while exposing its diverse present and its incredible future potential.
In addition to Bootsy and Patti Collins, who serves as Business Affairs Director for Bootzilla, the foundation's founding members include Shake It Records co-owner Darren Blase, local music historian Christopher Burgan, Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce PR spokesman Raymond "Buz" Buse, Bootzilla Corporate Affairs Director and former P&G exec Russell Driver, local musician and Councilman John Cranley aide Marvin Hawkins, Brand Momentum President and former Cincy USA marketing chief Sean Rugless and local musician and Cincinnati State Development Director Elliott Ruther.
"The Foundation has stemmed from the love of King Records and wanting to embrace King and its heritage," Patti Collins says. "We also want to embrace the local area in the Tristate, because we have an incredible amount of music that's here and we want to share that with the world.
"We filed our foundation about a month ago, and we will announce it at the actual show. Partial proceeds from the event will go to the foundation, and we'll have a table set up with a sign with our vision and mission statement and people can donate if they like.
"By restoring King Records, whether it's that building on Brewster Street or we go to the Freedom Center and open a new wing and put that music and history in there, we want to revive that and show where it came from. A lot of James' hits were recorded right here in Cincinnati, and we're going to tell it."
While the Collinses had been mulling over the idea of some kind of tribute to Brown for months, the pair snapped into action after a chance meeting with Willie Brown, who used to publicize Brown's local concerts by driving through neighborhoods with a loudspeaker on his truck.
"Bootsy and I spoke about this a few months after Mr. Brown passed and we mulled it around a little bit, but we just didn't get to develop it," Patti says. "Then we were at a restaurant about two months ago and saw (Willie) and he said, 'Patti and Bootsy, I need to talk to you. We've got to do something to honor Mr. Brown.' And this gentleman is in his eighties.
"Bootsy and I looked at each other and said, 'OK, we've got to do something.' That really put things in motion. The next day we started calling and e-mailing people."
As is usual with an event of this magnitude, scheduling became problematic for some performers and celebrities who were originally contacted to participate. Guitarist Slash and film director Spike Lee were both still working at press time to juggle their itineraries to put in an appearance at the tribute, and a good many more who couldn't adjust their calendars will be sending along best wishes by way of videos to be shown on the screen at the Madison.
Although the scope of the event has shifted since the Collinses put things in motion, the focus has remained consistent from the start.
"We knew that it was going to grow by people calling us. People are still calling us," Patti says. "But it's always been about the music and letting the world know that we're not going to let this music die. We knew that when we put this together it was going to flower into something beautiful.
"What we had in our hearts to do is coming together and we knew it would, because we have a purpose, and we're not doing it for ourselves, we're doing it for others. And that makes all the difference in the world."
"A Tribute Fit for the King of King Records" is also being set up to accommodate a variety of attendees, from a younger crowd who might want to dance and mingle to the older audience who might be more interested in remaining seated and enjoying the music. The evening's festivities are being both sound-recorded and filmed for potential CD and DVD releases next year.
Perhaps most importantly, the tribute event is being planned with the idea of making it an annual tradition. Although there are negotiations underway to do a similar production on a different scale around the time of the anniversary of Brown's May birthday (possibly at New York's Apollo Theater), the hope for the Cincinnati tribute is to continue to make it a December event.
While the Collinses are fully devoted to the idea of keeping James Brown's music alive for this generation -- through the tribute and the ongoing efforts of the foundation -- they're equally passionate about exposing this music to the next generation and inspiring them to learn about the past while shaping the future.
"People are going to feel that music and they're going to leave with the thought, 'Wow, maybe I should get my child involved in music or read a book about James Brown or about Rosemary Clooney and how she started her career and how it made her who she was," Patti says. "And it's universal. You can communicate with someone who can't even speak your language. It's all about the music."
As Bootsy notes, Brown gave him his first musical break and he is committed to keeping James Brown's torch lit in the 21st century.
"We're losing history," he says. "Historical icons and our whole historical values are being swept away. If I can do one little part to keep the James Brown legacy alive, that will be my little part. I'd probably want to do this even if I hadn't been with him, but knowing how serious he was about the music, for what he's done for American music, it's the least I can do.
"The way it is now, every act you see, they come out and say, 'Throw your hands in the air!' And it's like, yeah, I'll throw my hands in the air when you do something! James Brown was always about the work and getting down for the people and, to me, that's what it's all about.
"I want to do my part and try to keep a little piece of that alive. I'm not trying to save the world; I'm just trying to keep this music and this feel alive.
"I was with some young kids the other day, signing autographs at Shake It Records, and they were bringing their basses and guitars in, and I was just applauding them for keeping music alive. That's what we're missing, that communication. They were talking to me like I was another person, and that's all I am. It means so much.
"My slogan is 'Say It Loud, An Instrument for Every Child,' and that's gonna be our campaign. This tribute is just a start and a door opener."
