Just when Fort Wayne, Indiana thought record store appearances would be dominated by Addison Agen, we get a surprise. On Wednesday, March 21, 2018, famed bass player Bootsy Collins will host a house party at Wooden Nickel Music, 3422 N. Anthony Blvd., Fort Wayne. The fun will begin at 6 p.m., with a scheduled end time of 8 p.m. Free refreshments will be available.
The event is designed to promote Collins’ new album, “World Wide Funk.” The album was released late 2017. Attendees must have a copy of the album. Wooden Nickel will have plenty of copies of the release on either CD or vinyl.
According to Wooden Nickel’s website, Collins will have his own deejay who will spin tunes while partygoers socialize and get their albums signed.
The significance of Bootsy Collins’ appearance
While Fort Wayne isn’t a small town, it doesn’t always register in terms of cultural import. And, even though the city is no stranger to famous acts coming to play one of its many venues, a meet-and-greet after a concert, for example, is often an expensive and time-consuming enterprise.
Depending on turnout, Collins’ event could also be a time-consuming enterprise. And it should be noted that the event is gaining interest on social media.
The significance of Collins’ stop in the Summit City is found in the fact that he is a legend. And he is coming to a locally owned business, on one of the older sides of town. The North Anthony area is a relatively quiet side of the city marked by older homes and small businesses. Schools with lengthy histories also dot the area.
So the idea of Collins coming to Fort Wayne and not having an expensive event on a trendier side of town is important. Collins is an icon of American music. The Cincinnati native and his late brother “Catfish” Collins began playing with James Brown after the singer started over with new musicians. The personnel shift is detailed in the documentary, “Mr. Dynamite.” Collins is credited with providing the classic basslines in Brown’s hits, for example, “Super Bad,” “Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothing,” and “Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine,” among others.
Since then, Collins has worked across musical genres and is known for his outlandish fashion sense and entertaining backup vocals. After leaving Brown’s band, Collins was introduced to George Clinton and along with others, joined Funkadelic.
His appearances in popular culture from a Tom Tom Club song (“Genius of Love”), to portraying a character in the famous video game franchise, Grand Theft Auto, and much more, further prove Collins’ legendary status.
In addition, fans of 1990s dance music might remember that Collins provided backing vocals for Deee-Lite’s retro-sounding and -looking, “Groove is in the Heart,” in the early 1990s. He was also in a short-lived metal-funk fusion band called Hardware.
In 1997, Collins and other members of Parliament-Funkadelic were inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame. It is an understatement to note that Collins’ appearance is a big deal.
Wooden Nickel notes on its social media page that the appearance is just that, an appearance, not a performance. Collins brings with him decades of musical history, and the event shouldn’t be missed.
