Billy Nelson, Parliament-Funkadelic Bassist, Dies at 75

William "Billy Bass" Nelson, the founding bassist of the influential funk collective Parliament-Funkadelic, died on Saturday at age 75 in Plainfield, New Jersey, where he was born and raised. The announcement came via a Facebook post from George Clinton, the group's frontman, who wrote, "Rest in eternal peace and funk." Nelson had been in hospice care, and no cause of death was disclosed.

Nelson met Clinton as a teenager in the 1960s while sweeping floors at Clinton's barbershop in Plainfield. Clinton, then pursuing a career in music, recruited the young Nelson into his doo-wop vocal group, the Parliaments. Nelson started as a guitarist in the backing band but switched to bass after the group gained traction with their 1967 hit "I Wanna Testify," which reached No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the R&B chart. He also helped recruit guitarist Eddie Hazel, whose extended solo on the 1971 track "Maggot Brain" became a cornerstone of the band's psychedelic sound.

Facing a dispute with their label, Revilot, over the Parliaments name, the group rebranded as Funkadelic in 1968. Nelson is credited with coining the name, which captured their blend of funk grooves and rock...