Bootsy Collins

Praxis was the name of an ever-changing musical project, led by prolific producer Bill Laswell. Praxis combine elements of different musical genres... such as funk, jazz, hip-hop and heavy metal into highly improvised music. First appearing in 1992 with the critically acclaimed Transmutation , Laswell, guitarist Buckethead, keyboardist Bernie Worrell and drummer Brain have defined the direction of the band over the last 15 years. The group worked with many other artists such as Serj Tankian from System of a Down, Iggy Pop, and Les Claypool of Primus fame. Bill Laswell initially used the name Praxis for an experimental solo EP recorded for Celluloid Records in 1984, simply named "1984". The band's debut album, Transmutation , released in 1992 was well received by critics and spawned the group's only single, the Bootsy Collins sung "Animal Behavior". Their next studio album, Sacrifist, released two years later featured John Zorn and Mick Harris from Painkiller. The obscure mix of death metal was not as acclaimed as their debut. The same year saw the album Metatron which included the song "Wake the Dead".
more

The J.B.'s were James Brown's band during the first half of the 1970s. On record the J.B.'s were sometimes billed under various alternate names such... as The James Brown Soul Train, Maceo and the Macks, A.A.B.B., The First Family and The Last Word. In addition to backing Brown the J.B.'s played behind Bobby Byrd, Lyn Collins and other singers associated with the James Brown Revue, as well as performing as a self-contained group. The J.B.'s were formed in March 1970 after most of the members of Brown's previous band walked out on him over a pay dispute. The J.B.'s initial lineup included bassist William "Bootsy" Collins and his guitarist brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins, formerly of the obscure funk band The Pacemakers; Bobby Byrd and John "Jabo" Starks , both holdovers from Brown's 60s band; three inexperienced horn players, Clayton "Chicken" Gunnells, Darryl "Hasaan" Jamison, and Robert McCollough; and conga player Johnny Griggs. This version of the J.B.
more

Science Faxtion is an American experimental metal band that formed in California in 2007. Comprising multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Bootsy... Collins, vocalist and guitarist Greg Hampton, guitarist Buckethead, drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia and DJ Tobe "Tobotius" Donohue , the band has released the album Living on Another Frequency in October 2008.
more

Casablanca Records was an American record label started by Neil Bogart, who partnered with Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris, and Buck Reingold in 1973, and based in Los Angeles. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records to start the... venture. Casablanca had become one of the most successful labels of the 1970s, signing and releasing albums by such acts as Kiss, Donna Summer, The Village People, Cher, and Parliament featuring George Clinton. The label's film division, Casablanca Filmworks, had hits with the movies The Deep and Midnight Express. In 1977, PolyGram Records acquired a 50 percent stake of Casablanca for $15 million, and then in 1980 it purchased the other 50 percent. Also in 1980, one of the label's biggest acts, Donna Summer, left for another record company as she and Casablanca could not come to terms on her musical direction in the new decade. That same year, PolyGram pushed Bogart out of Casablanca due to what it viewed as the label's overspending and accounting irregularities.
more

Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies... are independently owned. Rob Cavallo currently serves as Chairman of the company. Warner Bros. Records was originally established in 1958 as the recorded music division of the American movie studio Warner Bros. Pictures. For most of its existence it was one of a group of labels owned and operated by larger parent corporations. The sequence of companies that controlled Warner Bros. and its allied labels evolved through a convoluted series of corporate mergers and acquisitions from the early 1960s to the early 2000s. Over this period, Warner Bros. Records grew from a struggling minor player in the industry to become one of the top recording labels in the world. In 2003 these music assets were divested by their then owner Time Warner and purchased by a private equity group. This independent company currently trades as the Warner Music Group , of which Warner Bros.
more

Westbound Records is a Detroit-based record label founded by Armen Boladian in 1970. It had a distribution deal with Janus Records from 1970 to 1975, but then it switched distribution to 20th Century Records during 1975 and 1976, but again switched distribution to Atlantic Records from 1976 to... 1979. The label's most successful act was Funkadelic and its biggest hit was "The Americans" recorded by local news reporter Byron MacGregor in 1974. Westbound was also home to the Ohio Players before they went to Mercury Records and the label had a top 15 hit with "Funky Worm." The label's last national hit was 1983's "You Brought the Sunshine" by the Clark Sisters. The label is still owned by Boladian and with its office in the Detroit suburb of Southfield on West Ten Mile Road. Boladian licensed the Westbound catalogue to Ace Records. Westbound also had a sister label called Eastbound Records.
more