Bootsy Collins has announced his first memoir, arriving March 23, 2027. Written with pop culture historian Caseen Gaines, the fittingly titled Funked Around, Found Out traces the 74-year-old funk legend’s storied five-decade career.
The book will explore how the Cincinnati-born bass guitarist—along with his brother, Phelps “Catfish” Collins—started as the Pacemakers, went on to join James Brown’s band as the JB’s, and ultimately split off to play with George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic collective.
Beyond career highlights, Funked Around, Found Out promises some dishy tidbits, like the time Collins was targeted by a member of Florida’s Black Mafia Family after a one-night stand, and an incident when the LAPD confused Parliament-Funkadelic for escaped convicts and conducted a “detailed cavity search.” The book will also include details about Collins’ occasionally challenging friendship with Clinton and his tumultuous relationship with mentor James Brown, who famously fined him and other members of the JB’s when they didn’t play to his standards. To top it off, Funked Around includes a “funky” foreword from Collins’ longtime friend and collaborator Snoop Dogg.
The book is “the straight up, real deal,” the bassist writes in a statement. “If I’m lyin’, I’m dyin’, and I ain’t ready to go yet.”
