Fred Wesley played the trombone as a key member of James Brown’s band.
Wesley was a pivotal trombonist in James Brown’s bands during the 1960s and 1970s. His precise, punchy playing helped give Brown’s soul and funk recordings their characteristic brass impact, often complementing the saxophone work of Maceo Parker. Wesley also became a bandleader, musical director, composer, and arranger for the J.B.’s.
He played on important Brown-associated recordings including “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud,” “Mother Popcorn,” and “Funky Drummer.” His arranging and leadership were especially important to the J.B.’s, whose records extended Brown’s rhythmic style into instrumental funk. “Doing It to Death,” credited to Fred Wesley and the J.B.’s, sold more than a million copies.
Wesley’s musical career later expanded beyond Brown’s organization. He joined George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic projects in the 1970s and the Count Basie Orchestra in 1978, and he led several groups of his own. Although trombone is sometimes overshadowed in popular discussions by Brown’s singers, drummers, and saxophonists, Wesley’s brass voice was central to the band’s sound.