When Bootsy Collins met Larry Graham: “He handed me his bass, and I said, ‘Don't even try it. You play the bass, and I'll just watch’”

Bootsy Collins performs with The Roots on March 23, 2011. Larry Graham and the Graham Central Station played during the Berks Jazz Fest in the Grand Ballroom of the DoubleTree by Hilton

Bootsy Collins isn’t an easy character to make star struck. There’s probably only a handful of people on the planet who would make him feel in awe, but the first time he met Larry Graham will live with him forever.

"I first saw Larry around the time I was with James Brown," said Bootsy. "I thought, 'How is this cat playing with his thumb?' When I got with Funkadelic, Larry invited me to his place to jam. He handed me his bass, and I said, 'Don't even try it. You play the bass, and I'll watch.' He's the ultimate slap machine. I will never be able to do that technique as well as he does.”