Fred Wesley


Fred Wesley is an American trombonist who worked with James Brown in the 1960s and 1970s, and Parliament-Funkadelic in the second half of the 1970s.
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Biography

Wesley was born the son of a high school teacher and big band leader in Columbus, Georgia, and was raised in Mobile, Alabama. As a child, he took piano and later trumpet lessons. He played baritone horn and trombone in school, and when he was around 12, his father brought a trombone home, whereupon he switched to trombone.
During the 1960s and 1970s, he was a pivotal member of James Brown's bands, playing on many hit recordings including "Say it Loud – I'm Black, and I'm Proud," "Mother Popcorn" and co-writing tunes such as "Hot Pants." His slippery riffs and precise solos, complementing those of saxophonist Maceo Parker, gave Brown's R&B, soul, and funk tunes their instrumental punch. In the 1970s, he also was band leader and musical director of Brown's band the J.B.'s, and did much of the group's composing and arranging. His name was credited on 'Fred Wesley & the J.B.'s' recording of "Doing It to Death," which sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in July 1973. He left Brown's band in 1975 and spent several years playing with George Clinton's various Parliament-Funkadelic projects, even recording a couple of albums as the leader of a spin-off group, The Horny Horns.
Wesley became a force in jazz in 1978 when he joined the Count Basie Orchestra. He released his first jazz album as a leader, To Someone, in 1988. It was followed by New Friends in 1990, Comme Ci Comme Ca in 1991, the live album Swing and Be Funky, and Amalgamation in 1994.
In the early 1990s, Wesley toured with his colleagues from the James Brown band, Pee Wee Ellis and Maceo Parker, as the JB Horns. With the departure of Ellis, the band became the Maceo Parker Band. Wesley was featured as a trombonist with Parker until 1996 when he formed his own band, The Fred Wesley Group, now known as Fred Wesley and the New JBs.
Wesley recorded an album with San Diego soul-jazz luminaries The Greyboy Allstars in 1994 called West Coast Boogaloo, and toured with the band in 1995, 1996 and again in 2012.
Wesley's career includes playing with and arranging for a wide variety of other artists including Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, Randy Crawford, Vanessa Williams, The SOS Band, Cameo, Van Morrison, Socalled and rappers De La Soul, to name a few. Many other artists have sampled his work. In 2002 Wesley wrote Hit Me, Fred: Recollections of a Sideman, an autobiography about his life as a sideman. Also in 2002 he recorded an album entitled Wuda Cuda Shuda.
Wesley was an adjunct professor in the Jazz Studies department of the School of Music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro from 2004 to 2006, and now works with students as a visiting artist at numerous other schools, including Berklee College of Music and Columbia College of Chicago. In addition to performing with his own band, he tours as part of a collaboration called Abraham Inc. along with Klezmer artist David Krakauer and Klezmer/hip-hop artist Socalled.
In 2007, Wesley accepted an invitation to contribute to Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino. He participated with Lenny Kravitz, the Rebirth Brass Band, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Pee Wee Ellis and Maceo Parker to contribute their version of Domino's "Whole Lotta Lovin'."
In 2010, Wesley contributed to Kings, the fourth album by Israeli funk and groove ensemble the Apples. Specific sessions on the album were dedicated to working with Wesley, one of the group's heroes.

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With George BensonGood King Bad Pacific Fire Space
With James BrownSay It Loud I'm Black and I'm Proud Sex Machine Funky Drummer It's a New Day – Let a Man Come In Hot Pants Love Power Peace Soul Power CD of JB In the Jungle Groove CD of JB II Motherlode Slaughter's Big Rip-Off Star Time The Payback Get On the Good Foot Revolution of the Mind: [Live at the Apollo, Volume III|Revolution of the Mind] Hell Reality Funk Power 1970: A Brand New Thang Make It Funky Say It Live and Loud: Live in Dallas 08.26.68 Get On Up The James Brown Story Get Down with James Brown: Live at the Apollo Volume IV Live at Home with His Bad Self Live at Home with His Bad Self: The After Show
With George ClintonComputer Games You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish R&B Skeletons in the Closet Hey Man...Smell My Finger
With Bootsy CollinsStretchin' Out in Bootsy's Rubber Band Ahh...the Name Is Bootsy, Baby! Bootsy? Player of the Year This Boot Is Made for Fonk-N Ultra Wave F-Encounter The One Giveth, the Count Taketh Away What's Bootsy Doin'? Jungle Bass Blasters of the Universe Fresh Outta 'P' University Live in Louisville 1978 Christmas Is 4 Ever Tha Funk Capital of the World
With Hank CrawfordHank Crawford's Back I Hear a Symphony Cajun Sunrise
With Deee-LiteWorld Clique Infinity Within Sampladelic Relics & Dancefloor Oddities
With Pee Wee EllisA New Shift What You Like Live and Funky The Spirit of Christmas
With J.B. HornsDoing It to Death Pee Wee, Fred & Maceo Funky Good Time/Live I Like It Like That Bring the Funk On Down
With Maceo ParkerRoots Revisited For All the King's Men Mo' Roots Life on Planet Groove Horn Riffs for DJ's Horn Riffs for DJ's Volume 2 Southern Exposure Maceo Funkoverload My First Name Is Maceo Live in Funky Good Time Roots Revisited The Bremen Concert Life On Planet Groove Revisited
With ParliamentMothership Connection The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome Live Motor Booty Affair Trombipulation Tear the Roof Off 1974–1980 Mothership Connection Newberg Session Dope Dogs
With Bernie WorrellAll the Woo in the World Blacktronic Science Pieces of Woo: The Other Side
With others