Billy Bass Nelson, Founding Architect of P-Funk, Dies at 75
The world has lost another music legend. William “Billy Bass” Nelson, who pushed funk music to new boundaries with George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, has passed away at 75. Rumors of his passing last week were untrue, though he was in hospice. His death was confirmed on Clinton’s Facebook page.
“We have now received official confirmation,” the statement read. “Rest in eternal peace and Funk, Billy Bass Nelson (January 28th, 1951-January 31st, 2026), bassist/guitarist for Parliament-Funkadelic.”
Nelson was born in Plainfield, New Jersey and worked for Clinton at a barber shop as a teenager. Clinton was a member of the vocal group, the Parliaments, and they scored the 1967 hit, “(I Wanna) Testify” (which Nelson helped co-write), Clinton hired him as a guitarist in the backing band. He would switch to bass once Eddie Hazel was recruited to play lead guitar.
“The backing band was originally unnamed, but Nelson later coined the name ‘Funkadelic’ to reflect the style (funk) and connect it with the then-burgeoning psychedelic music scene,” Clinton’s website explains.
Clinton would lose the rights to use the name The Parliaments, and ended up signing the entire ensemble to Westbound Records under the name Funkadelic. Nelson contributed heavily to the first three Funkadelic albums: 1970’s Funkadelic and Free Your Mind… and Your Ass Will Follow, and 1971’s Maggot Brain.
Financial disputes led to Nelson leaving the band in 1971, though he would rejoin briefly in 1975. After his departure, he went to work for Motown and played on tracks for The Temptations, The Commodores, Chairmen of the Board, Lionel Richie, and more. He would reenter the P-Funk orbit in 1994 – the same year he released a solo album called Out of the Dark under the project name O.G. Funk.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 as a member of Parliament-Funkadelic.
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Billy Bass Nelson.
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
