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. 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.