William Collins Popular Books
William Collins Biography & Facts
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American bass guitarist, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s before joining the Parliament-Funkadelic collective, Collins established himself as one of the leading names and innovators in funk with his driving basslines and humorous vocals. He later formed his own P-Funk side project known as Bootsy's Rubber Band. He was a frequent collaborator with other musicians from a variety of genres, including dance music (Deee-Lite's "Groove Is in the Heart"), electronic big beat (Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" and "The Joker"), and alternative metal (Praxis), among others. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic. In 2020, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Collins number 4 in its list of the 50 greatest bassists of all time. Early life Collins was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 26, 1951. He said that his mother nicknamed him "Bootsy". "I asked her why", he explained to a journalist, "and she just said, 'Because you looked like a Bootsy.' I left it at that." His brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins (1943–2010) was also a musician. He and Bootsy were once part of The Pacemakers. Collins has maintained a strong connection with Cincinnati. Career 1960s–1970s With his elder brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins, Frankie "Kash" Waddy, and Philippé Wynne, Collins formed a funk band, The Pacemakers, in 1968. In March 1970, after most of the members of James Brown's band quit over a pay dispute, The Pacemakers were hired as Brown's backing band and they became known as The J.B.'s. (They are often referred to as the "original" J.B.'s to distinguish them from later line-ups that went by the same name.) Although they worked for Brown for only 11 months, the original J.B.'s played on some of Brown's most intense funk recordings, including "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine", "Bewildered (1970)", "Super Bad", "Soul Power", "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing", and two instrumental singles, the much-sampled "The Grunt" and "These Are the J.B.'s". In regards to his tenure working for James Brown, Collins stated: He treated me like a son. And being out of a fatherless home, I needed that father figure and he really played up to it. I mean, Good Lord. Every night after we played a show, he called us back to give us a lecture about how horrible we sounded. [Affects James Brown voice] "Nah, not on it, son. I didn't hear the one. You didn't give me the one." He would tell me this at every show. One night, we knew we wasn't sounding really good – we were off – and he calls us back there and said, "Uh huh, now that's what I'm talkin' about. Y'all was on it tonight. Y'all hit the one." My brother and I looked at each other like, "This mother has got to be crazy." We knew in our heart and soul that we wasn't all that on that show. So then I started figuring out his game, man. By telling me that I wasn't on it, he made me practice harder. So I just absorbed what he said and used it in a positive way. After parting ways with James Brown, Collins returned to Cincinnati and formed House Guests with his brother Phelps Collins, Rufus Allen, Clayton "Chicken" Gunnels, Frankie Waddy, Ronnie Greenaway and Robert McCullough. The House Guests released "What So Never the Dance" and another single on the House Guests label, as well as a third as The Sound of Vision on the House Guests label. Next Collins moved to Detroit, Michigan, after Philippé Wynne suggested joining The Spinners, for whom Wynne had been singing. However, following the advice of singer and future Parliament member Mallia Franklin, Collins made another choice. Franklin introduced both Collins brothers to George Clinton, and in 1972, both of the Collins brothers, along with Waddy, joined Funkadelic. Collins played bass on most of Funkadelic and Parliament albums through the early 1980s, garnering several songwriting credits as well. In 1976 Collins, Catfish, Waddy, Joel Johnson (1953–2018), Gary "Mudbone" Cooper, Robert Johnson and The Horny Horns formed Bootsy's Rubber Band, a separate touring unit of Clinton's P-Funk collective. The group recorded five albums together, the first three of which are often considered to be among the quintessential P-Funk recordings. The group's 1978 album Bootsy? Player of the Year reached the top of the R&B album chart and spawned the #1 R&B single "Bootzilla". Like Clinton, Collins took on several alter egos, from Casper the Funky Ghost to Bootzilla, "the world's only rhinestone rockstar monster of a doll", all as parts of the evolving character of an alien rock star who grew gradually more bizarre as time went on (see P-Funk mythology). He also adopted his trademark "space bass" around this time. 1980s–1990s Collins released two 1980 albums, his first "solo" album Ultra Wave, and Sweat Band, on George Clinton's Uncle Jam label with a group billed as Bootsy's Sweat Band. He also was credited for co-producing the debut of P-Funk spinoff Zapp. In 1984, he collaborated with Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads to produce "Five Minutes", a dance record sampled and edited from Ronald Reagan's infamous "We begin bombing in five minutes" speech. The record was credited to "Bonzo goes to Washington" (also referenced in the 1985 Ramones song "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg", derived from Reagan's starring role as Professor Peter Boyd in the 1951 comedy film Bedtime for Bonzo). After a nearly five-year hiatus, he had a comeback in 1988 (with some help from producer Bill Laswell). What's Bootsy Doin'? flaunted a new sound that foreshadowed the 1990s, such as the dance floor smash "Party on Plastic". Laswell introduced Collins to Herbie Hancock, resulting in Perfect Machine (1988). The techno-funk they recorded featured turntables for scratch appeal, and the smoothly-stylized vocals of Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner of chart-topping Ohio Players. These were the first of many collaborations between Laswell and Collins on many albums and projects, with the prolific producer using Bootsy mainly as a bassist but sometimes as a rhythm guitarist. In 1988, Collins appeared as a guest artist to play bass on Keith Richards and The X-Pensive Winos album Talk is Cheap. In 1989, Collins played bass on and produced several tracks of Malcolm McLaren's album Waltz Darling, credited to Malcolm McLaren and the Bootzilla Orchestra. In 1990, Collins collaborated with Deee-Lite on their biggest hit "Groove Is in the Heart", and he contributed additional vocals. Although he also appeared in the music video playing the bass, the bassline in the song is actually a sample of a Herbie Hancock song called "Bring Down the Birds". Bootsy's Rubber Band became the de facto backing musicians for Deee-Lite during a world tour. The Rubber Band also recorded the EP Jungle Bass, their first recording in 11 years. In 1992, he joined with guitarist Stevie Salas and.... Discover the William Collins popular books. Find the top 100 most popular William Collins books.
Best Seller William Collins Books of 2024
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The Strain
Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan“Part The Andromeda Strain, part Night of the Living Dead.” Salon.comThe visionary creator of the Academy Awardwinning Pan's Labyrinth and a Hammett Awardwinning author b...
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The Last Original Wife
Dorothea Benton FrankExperience the sultry Southern atmosphere of Atlanta and the magic of the Carolina Lowcountry in this funny and poignant tale of one audacious woman’s quest to find the love she de...
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Neverwhere
Neil Gaiman“Neil Gaiman is undoubtedly one of the modern masters of fantasy writing....For those who have not read Neverwhere, the new edition is the one to read, and is a fitting introd...
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Map of Bones
James RollinsIn this heartstopping novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author James Rollins, an elite team of exSpecial Forces soldiers turned scientific specialists must uncover a secret so...
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Freakonomics Rev Ed
Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. DubnerThe legendary bestseller that made millions look at the world in a radically different way returns in a new edition, now including an exclusive discussion between the authors and b...
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The Alice Network
Kate QuinnFeaturing an exclusive excerpt from Kate Quinn's next incredible historical novel, THE HUNTRESSNEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY BESTSELLER#1 GLOBE AND MAIL HISTORICAL FICTION BESTSEL...
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The 6th Extinction
James RollinsIn a masterful epic that combines timeless mystery and rippedfromtheheadlines scientific intrigue, New York Times bestselling author James Rollins takes humankind to its endpoint, ...
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The Woman in the Window
A. J. Finn“As the plot seizes us, the prose caresses us. . . [Finn] has not only captured, sympathetically, the interior life of a depressed person, but also written a riveting thriller that...
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Cemetery Road
Greg IlesDon’t miss the latest Natchez Burning novel, SOUTHERN MANSometimes the price of justice is a good man’s soul.The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Natchez Burning trilogy...
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Sandstorm
James RollinsA heartstopping novel of adventure and suspense from #1 New York Times bestselling author James Rollinsthe first in his critically acclaimed Sigma Force seriesA freak explosion in ...
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Pretty Girls
Karin SlaughterLee Child says it’s “stunning… certain to be a book of the year.”Kathy Reichs calls it “extraordinary… a major achievement.”Gillian Flynn says of Karin Slaughter: “I’d follow her a...
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American Sniper
Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen & Jim DeFeliceThe #1 New York Times bestselling memoir of U.S. Navy Seal Chris Kyle, and the source for Clint Eastwood’s blockbuster, AcademyAward nominated movie. “An amazingly d...
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Labor Day
Joyce Maynard“Joyce Maynard is in topnotch form with Labor Day. Simply a novel you cannot miss.” Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of My Sister’s Keeper a...
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And Then There Were None
Agatha ChristieA PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick One of the most famous and beloved mysteries from the queen of suspense, Agatha Christie! More than 100 million copies sold and now a L...
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The Kind Worth Killing
Peter SwansonA devious tale of psychological suspense perfect for fans of Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Trainand is soon to be a major movie directed by Agnieszka Holland.In a tantalizing setu...
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What She Knew
Gilly MacMillanTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERIn her enthralling debut, Gilly Macmillan explores a mother’s search for her missing son, weaving a taut psychological thriller as gripping and skillfu...
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The Girl with Seven Names
Hyeonseo LeeNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERAn extraordinary insight into life under one of the world’s most ruthless and secretive dictatorships – and the story of one woman’s terrifying struggle to...
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The Devil Colony
James RollinsFrom James Rollins, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sigma Force series, comes another electrifying combination of suspense, history, science, action, and ingenious ...
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The Hurricane Sisters
Dorothea Benton FrankHurricane season begins early and rumbles all summer long, well into September. Often people's lives reflect the weather and The Hurricane Sisters is just such a story.Once again N...
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Hidden Figures
Margot Lee ShetterlyThe #1 New York Times bestsellerThe phenomenal true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America’s greatest achievements in space...
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Beyond Belief
Jenna Miscavige Hill & Lisa PulitzerJenna Miscavige Hill, niece of Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige, was raised as a Scientologist but left the controversial religion in 2005. In Beyond Belief, she shares...
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The Hunting Party
Lucy FoleyTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“My favorite kind of whodunit, kept me guessing all the way through, and reminiscent of Agatha Christie at her best with an extra dose of acid.” Alex...
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The Kept Woman
Karin SlaughterWATCH WILL TRENT ON ABC! “Part True Detective, part The Girl on the Train. All parts gripping.” theSkimm The New York Times bestselling author of Pieces of Her returns with an elec...
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The Bone Tree
Greg IlesDon’t miss the latest Natchez Burning novel, SOUTHERN MANFrom #1 New York Times bestselling author Greg Iles comes the second novel in his Natchez Burning trilogywhich also include...
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Bloodline
James Rollins“One of the most inventive storytellers writing today”Lincoln Child, bestselling coauthor of Gideon’s Corpse “The modern master of the action thriller.”Providence JournalBulle...
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The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Neil GaimanA brilliantly imaginative and poignant fairy tale from the modern master of wonder and terror, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is Neil Gaiman’s first new novel for adults since hi...
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Pieces of Her
Karin SlaughterNow on Netflix! Starring Toni Collette and Bella Heathcote!Mother. Hero. Liar. Killer. How can you tell when all you have is...PIECES OF HERWhat if the person you thought you knew ...
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The Good Daughter
Karin SlaughterDon’t miss the next Will Trent thriller, This Is Why We Lied, coming this August! SOON TO BE A PEACOCK LIMITED SERIES STARRING JESSICA BIEL“The Good Daughter is like...
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Southern Man
Greg Iles“Greg Iles is one of America’s great storytellers." –Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author"A firstrate political thriller."–John Grisham, #1 New York Times bestselling...
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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Agatha Christie“This is Agatha Christie’s masterpiece, and if she never wrote another word, she’d have still gone down as the Queen.” –LOUISE PENNY, #1 New York Times bestselling author...
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American Sniper
Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen & Jim DeFeliceNOW A BLOCKBUSTER MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY CLINT EASTWOODNOMINATED FOR SIX ACADEMY AWARDS, INCLUDING BEST PICTUREThis special enhanced edition features more than 10 exclusive vid...
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Hunter Killer
Brad TaylorPike Logan tracks highlytrained Russian assassins to Brazil in this blistering, actionpacked thriller from New York Times bestselling author and former Special Forces Officer Brad ...
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The Bone Labyrinth
James RollinsA war is coming, a battle that will stretch from the prehistoric forests of the ancient past to the cuttingedge research labs of today, all to reveal a true mystery buried deep wit...
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Murder on the Orient Express
Agatha ChristieTHE MOST WIDELY READ MYSTERY OF ALL TIMENOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY KENNETH BRANAGH AND PRODUCED BY RIDLEY SCOTT!“The murderer is with uson the train now . . .”Just afte...
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Wicked
Gregory MaguireWhen Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her archnemesis, the mysterious Witch?...
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Same Beach, Next Year
Dorothea Benton FrankNew York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank returns to her magical Lowcountry of South Carolina in this bewitching story of marriage, love, family, and friendship that ...
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The Paris Apartment
Lucy FoleyDon't miss Lucy Foley's new book, The Midnight Feast, coming June 18th!THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“Told in rotating points of view, this TiltAWhirl of a novel brims with jangl...
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News of the World
Paulette JilesSoon to be a Major Motion PictureNational Book Award FinalistFictionIn the aftermath of the Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport a young captive of the Kio...
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The Eye of God
James RollinsIn The Eye of God, a Sigma Force novel, New York Times bestselling author James Rollins delivers an apocalyptic vision of a future predicted by the distant past. In the wilds ...
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The Murder at the Vicarage
Agatha ChristieThe Murder at the Vicarage is Agatha Christie’s first mystery to feature the beloved investigator Miss Marpleas a dead body in a clergyman’s study proves to the indomitable sleuth ...
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The Force
Don WinslowInstant New York Times BestsellerBest of 2017 included on bestof lists by the New York Times, NPR, Barnes & Noble, Publisher's Weekly, LitHub, BookPage, Booklist, Th...
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The Huntress
Kate QuinnDon’t miss the thrilling new novel from Kate Quinn, The Briar Club, coming July 9th! "...compulsively readable historical fiction…[a] powerful novel about unusual women facing some...
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The Rose Code
Kate QuinnDon’t miss the thrilling new novel from Kate Quinn, The Briar Club, coming July 9th! “The reigning queen of historical fiction” Fiona Davis, New York Times bestsell...
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Sweet Water
Christina Baker KlineFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train, and the critically acclaimed author of Bird in Hand and The Way Life Should Be, comes a novel about buried secrets an...
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Outlaw Platoon
Sean Parnell & John BruningA riveting story of American fighting men, Outlaw Platoon is Lieutenant Sean Parnell’s stunning personal account of the legendary U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division’s heroic stand ...
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Family Tree
Susan WiggsFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a powerful, emotionally complex story of love, loss, the pain of the pastand the promise of the future.Sometimes the greatest dr...
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The Guest List
Lucy FoleyDon't miss Lucy Foley's new book, The Midnight Feast, coming June 18th!A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICKTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST THRILLERS OF THE YEAR“I l...