Fred Wesley (born July 4, 1943) [1] is an American trombonist who worked with James Brown in the 1960s and 1970s, and Parliament-Funkadelic in the second half of the 1970s. Wesley was born the …

Legendary bandleader, trombonist and author Fred Wesley is one of the forefathers of funk still setting the standard with his jazz-funk band The New JBs.

Fred Wesley was born in 1943, the son of a high school teacher and big band leader. Like Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis, his first love was jazz, until he joined the Ike And Tina Turner Revue in 1962.

With Brown, Fred became “the world’s most famous sideman, orchestrating the sinuous grooves and contributing the bold, surgically precise solos that defined the language of funk.” He helped take funk …

Aug 17, 2012 · Wesley’s 35-year career includes playing with and arranging for a wide variety of other artist such as Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, Randy Crawford, Vanessa Williams, The SOS Band, …

Aug 24, 2025 · Best known for his work with James Brown and the JBs, Fred Wesley has built his career in funk and jazz. From 1968 through 1975, Wesley was music director, arranger, trombonist and a …

Join in as trombonist Fred Wesley sits down with Mr. Christopher and Michael Bland to discuss his time with James Brown, Parliament Funkadelic,The JB’s, and a wealth of stories from his upbringing to …

Fred Wesley (born July 4, 1943) is an American jazz and funk trombonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as Parliament-Funkadelic in the second half of the …

As the longtime musical director for soul legend James Brown's renowned backing unit the J.B.'s, trombonist Fred Wesley was the world's most famous sideman, orchestrating the sinuous grooves …

Fred Wesley is known for R&B, Funk, Soul, and Jazz-Funk. Wesley's contributions to classic funk include Black Caesar, Slaughter's Big Rip-Off, and The Payback.