The J.B.'s

Serving as James Brown's storied ensemble of backing players, the J.B.'s cultivated a justly celebrated identity as funk's most precise and rigorously rehearsed instrumental unit. Three horn players in particular became synonymous with the name: saxophonists Maceo Parker and Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis along with trombonist Fred Wesley, each of whom entered Brown's supporting lineup at different moments across the 1960s. Yet as an autonomous recording act the J.B.'s enjoyed a sharply delineated peak between 1970 and 1975 while Wesley held the musical director's post, even though Brown himself continued to exert considerable influence. On their own releases the group appeared under numerous alternate billing conventions, among them Fred Wesley and the J.B.'s, Maceo and the Macks, Fred and the New J.B.'s, the James Brown Soul Train, the Last Word, the First Family, and others. Although peripheral changes occurred, the central roster stayed relatively stable after 1971 until Brown's artistic decline triggered several key departures.

The inaugural official edition of the J.B.'s took shape in 1970 once Brown's notoriously exacting regular band, save organist and vocalist Bobby Byrd, abandoned him. In the ensuing crisis Brown enlisted Cincinnati's R&B outfit the Pacemakers, who had already supported Brown favorite Hank Ballard on the road. Guitarist Phelps "Catfish" Collins and bassist William "Bootsy" Collins formed the rhythmic foundation and appeared on the first J.B.'s single, the 1970 track "The Grunt." The Collins siblings would prove instrumental in steering Brown toward dense, groove-driven funk. Gradually a number of earlier Brown sidemen rejoined, among them Fred Wesley, who agreed in December 1970 to serve as musical director. Within months, however, the Collins brothers exited, leaving Wesley with only guitarist Hearlon "Cheese" Martin, drummer John "Jabo" Starks, and tenor saxophonist St. Clair Pinckney. This core quickly expanded through the addition of bassist Fred Thomas and saxophonist Jimmy Parker, who had never performed on alto before entering the group; a trumpet section soon followed, typically comprising Jerone "Jasaan" Sanford, Russell Crimes, and Isiah "Ike" Oakley.

Beginning in 1971 Brown started issuing J.B.'s material regularly on his People imprint, and the ensemble registered a pair of Top 40 R&B successes with "Pass the Peas" and "Gimme Some More." By 1972 former Brown guitarist Jimmy Nolen had returned beside Cheese Martin while conga player Johnny Griggs also rejoined. That year brought the release of the first full-length J.B.'s album, Food for Thought. With Wesley still the sole consistent soloist, Brown persuaded alto legend Maceo Parker to return in early 1973. Parker's initial recording upon rejoining was the extended jam "Doing It to Death," which featured guest vocals from Brown, reached the top of the R&B charts in its edited version, supplied the title for the second album, and marked the first single credited to Fred Wesley & the J.B.'s, confirming Wesley's unchallenged leadership. Concurrently the J.B.'s issued sides under the Maceo & the Macks banner, including the Top 20 R&B hit "Soul Power '74" and the 1974 album Us!!. Under their primary name the Wesley-led unit delivered another strong LP that same year, Damn Right I Am Somebody, which yielded three additional Top 40 R&B hits: "Same Beat," "If You Don't Get It the First Time, Back Up and Try It Again, Party," and the title track. The follow-up, Breakin' Bread, appeared later in 1974 under the Fred and the New J.B.'s designation even though the personnel remained largely unchanged, aside from John Morgan gradually assuming Starks' role as primary drummer.

By late 1974 Brown's commercial fortunes had begun to wane, a downturn reflected in the J.B.'s output as well. The First Family single "Control (People Go Where We Send You)," featuring Brown, Lyn Collins, and additional vocalists, fell short of expectations. With the 1975 album Hustle With Speed morale within the band had sunk and Wesley grew increasingly dissatisfied with Brown's abrupt loss of focus. On the Fourth of July Wesley departed to join George Clinton, soon followed by Maceo Parker. Bassist Thomas, drummers Starks (who entered B.B. King's band) and Morgan, guitarist Martin, and saxophonist Jimmy Parker gradually dispersed, leaving only Jimmy Nolen and Russell Crimes as steady presences on the final J.B.'s single, the 1976 release "Everybody Wanna Get Funky One More Time." Polydor then closed Brown's People label, thereby concluding the various side ventures he had overseen through the first half of the decade. Brown persisted in touring with shifting lineups of the J.B.'s, among them a late-1970s configuration known as the J.B.'s International, yet the original incarnation had effectively ceased to exist.

Occasional reunions occurred in subsequent years; Wesley, Parker, and Alfred Ellis, who had participated in only a handful of J.B.'s sessions, toured Europe with Bobby Byrd in 1988 and recorded the reunion album Pee Wee, Fred and Maceo the following year. They continued periodic touring and recording through the 1990s under the JB Horns moniker. A broader reunion materialized in 2002 with the album Bring the Funk On Down, which also featured Bootsy Collins, Bobby Byrd, and Jabo Starks, among others.