Billy Bass Nelson, Original Funkadelic Bassist, Dies at 75

Billy Bass Nelson, the original bassist for Funkadelic, died on Saturday. He was 75, and his death was announced by the Facebook page for George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, which did not provide a location or cause; Mr. Nelson had been in hospice care. Mr. Nelson was recruited by George Clinton while Clinton worked as a barber in New Jersey and rose from sweeping floors to become Funkadelic’s first bassist.

He came up with the name Funkadelic in 1967 to reflect a melding of funk and psychedelic rock and had been part of the group that grew out of Clinton’s Parliaments backup band. His playing and writing are evident across Funkadelic’s early records, including the first three albums, Funkadelic (1970), Free Your Mind … and Your Ass Will Follow (1970) and Maggot Brain (1971).

He co-wrote and sang on several tracks, including “Super Stupid,” and embraced the band’s theatrical live shows, adopting an oversize diaper stage look; “I had these long braids, bare chested, the diaper and my combat boots,” he told LA Weekly in 1996. After a financial dispute with Mr.

Clinton, Mr. Nelson left soon after Maggot Brain and went on to play backup for other groups, most notably the Temptations — his bass work featured on their 1975 hit “Shakey Ground.” He occasionally rejoined Clinton but the two never fully resolved their differences. Mr. Nelson was one of 16 members of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

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