Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Billy Bass Nelson dead at 75
Billy Bass Nelson, the founding bassist of pioneering funk music collective Parliament-Funkadelic, has died aged 75.
The news was announced via the Facebook page of the band’s leader, George Clinton, on January 31st, where he simply confirmed Nelson’s passing before adding: “Rest in eternal peace and funk.”
No further details were provided, and no official cause of death has been revealed for the bassist at this time.
Nelson, whose real full name was William Nelson Jr, was a longtime friend of Clinton’s when they came together to form a musical duo while working in a New Jersey barbershop. Their original plan was to be signed by Motown, and they went on to spend the late 1960s releasing a string of singles under the name The Parliaments.
They were relatively successful in this respect, with their 1967 single ‘I Wanna Testify’ scoring a hit in the charts, reaching number 20 in the main pop chart as well as number three in the R&B leagues.
However, it was later down the line that the band evolved to encompass a rhythm section and, in a dispute with their record label, changed their name to Parliament-Funkadelic.
Under this moniker, Nelson played on the band’s first three albums, Funkadelic and Free Your Mind … and Your Ass Will Follow, both from 1970, and Maggot Brain, released in 1971.
Thereafter, the bassist quit the band in 1975 owing to a financial issue with Clinton, but rejoined them at various stages over the years, including to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, as well as pursuing a number of other projects.
Nelson founded the band OG Funk in the early 1990s, and over the years, also played with a litany of artists such as The Temptations, The Commodores, Lionel Richie, and Smokey Robinson.
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