Catfish Collins

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Catfish Collins (born Phelps Collins, 1944 - ) is a rhythm guitarist mostly known for his work in the P-Funk collective. Although frequently overshadowed by his brother, Bootsy Collins, Catfish played on many important and influential records by Parliament, Funkadelic, and Bootsy's Rubber Band.

In 1968, the Collins brothers, along with Kash Waddy and Philippe Wynne, formed a group called The Pacesetters. Later the Pacesetters where hired by James Brown to accompany his vocals, at this they became known as The JB's. Some of Browns previous band members had walked out because of money disputes. During their tenure in the JB's, they recorded such classics as "Super Bad", "(Get Up I Feel Like Being A)Sex Machine", "Soul Power", and "Give It Up or Turn It Loose". By 1972, Collins and the rest of the JB's had quit James Brown. The Collins bothers and Kash Waddy formed the House Guests and shortly after joined Funkadelic and contributed to the Funkdelic album "America Eats It's Young". Four years later, Collins joined Bootsy's Rubber Band, which included Waddy, Joel "Razor Sharp" Johnson (keyboards), Gary "Muddbone" Cooper (drums), and Robert "P-Nut" Johnson (vocals), along with The Horny Horns. Catfish is credited with playing the most widely known rhythm guitar part in R&B with his work on the 1978 Parliament classic "Flashlight". Collins has also played on albums by Deee-Lite, Freekbass, and H-Bomb. On his early work with James Brown and Funkadelic, Catfish uses a Vox Ultrasonic with built in effects.