This Day In History: October 26th
Aside from being pioneers in their genres, musicians Mahalia Jackson and Bootsy Collins wouldn’t seem to have many similarities between them. However, the gospel legend and funk artist happen to share the same date of birth. Both singers were born on October 26!
First to enter the world was Mahalia Jackson who was born on October 26, 1911, in New Orleans, Louisiana. She started singing at just four years old in Mount Moriah Baptist Church but also took a liking to secular artists such as Ma Rainey. Jackson relocated to Chicago as a teenager and joined the Johnson Gospel Singers at Greater Salem Baptist Church. This gave her the opportunity to work with gospel composer Thomas Dorsey.
She recorded songs during the 1930s but her career did not take off until the release of “Move On Up a Little Higher” in 1947. The song propelled Jackson to superstar status and made her an international figure. It sold millions of copies and became the highest-selling gospel single in history.
By the end of the 1950s, Jackson was making television and film appearances in programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show and Imitation of Life (1959). In addition to being a powerful vocalist, Jackson was also a supporter of the Civil Rights Movement. She performed at the March on Washington in 1963 and was considered a friend of Martin Luther King Jr.
Mahalia Jackson had her final concert in Germany during the 1970s. She died of a heart attack on January 27, 1972.
William Earl “Bootsy” Collins was born October 26, 1951, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to parents Nettie Collins and Phelps Collins Sr. His music moniker was given to him by his mother, who told him she’d given him the nickname simply “Because you looked like a Bootsy.’ I left it at that.”
Collins would follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Phelps “Catfish” Collins, who played guitar and also introduced him to the delights of rock and roll. It would be a recording of Lonnie Mack that would change his childhood ambitions, putting him firmly on the path to a career in the music industry. The brothers began playing at Cincinnati’s King Records studio. In the late 60s, legendary soul singer James Brown entered the studio searching for a bass player and was impressed by Bootsy’s ability. Bootsy landed his first major feature on Brown’s “Lickin’ Stick.”
Bootsy would become a part of Parliament-Funkadelic with George Clinton and Bernie Worrell and is known as one of the artists who founded the P-funk sound. Outside of his impeccable guitar-playing skills, he helped pen several of Brown’s songs in the late 60s and early 70s. Along with his brother, Waddy and Philippé Wynne, Collins formed a group called The Pacesetters in 1968 and played as Brown’s band, helping to churn out some of Brown’s biggest hits, including “Get Up Sex Machine,” “Super Bad,” “Soul Power,” and “Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothing.”
Collins soon returned to Cincinnati and formed House Guests with his brother Phelps Collins, Rufus Allen, Clayton “Chicken” Gunnels, Frankie “Kash” Waddy, Ronnie Greenaway and Robert McCullough. It was not until 1976 that Collins would form Bootsy’s Rubber Band, a separate touring unit of Clinton’s P-Funk collective alongside Waddy, Catfish, Joel Johnson, Gary “Mudbone” Cooper, Robert Johnson and The Horny Horns. That year, he released his debut solo album, “Stretchin’ Out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band,” which featured the popular song “I’d Rather Be with You.”
Bootsy has collaborated with a slew of mainstream artists, such as Deee-Lite, Herbie Hancock, Cyndi Lauper, Keith Richards, Snoop Dogg, and Victor Wooten.
Collins, known for his flamboyant style, has been recognized with various honors, including being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. He is also a recipient of the Bass Player Lifetime Achievement Award.
