Little Known Black History Month: The JB's

James Brown and his backing band, The J.B.’s, were responsible for some of the funkiest tracks to ever hit the airwaves. With an aggressive style that shifted the tide in the presentation of of Black music, Brown’s band and its sound was imitated by lesser groups but never duplicated.

The J.B.’s grooves have been heavily sampled by hip-hop, R&B and pop producers, adding to some of the biggest hits of the modern era. The J.B.’s formed in 1970 after Brown’s original backing band split with the singer over a paymen dispute. Much of the J.B.’s core was centered on horn players Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis, Maceo Parker, and eventual bandleader, Fred Wesley.

The gentlemen have spent time in the 60’s incarnation of Brown’s backing band, but they weren’t the only holdovers from the old crew. Bobby Byrd, a singer and organist, was part of the original J.B.’s. The Pacemakers – guitarist Phelps “Catfish” Collins, and his bassist brother William “Bootsy” Collins from Cincinnati joined him.

Rounding out the band’s personnel were drummer John “Jabo” Starks, guitarist Hearlon “Cheese” Martin, saxophonists St. Clair Pinckney and Jimmy Parker, and bassist Fred Thomas.

While the Collins brothers left, the core largely remained for a potent musical period that defined Brown and the band’s career. From 1970 to 1975, James Brown and the JB’s released several powerful soul anthems. Tracks like “Sex Machine,” “Soul Power,” and the band’s first single, “The Grunt” all became signature tracks that captured their essence.

Wesley was largely seen as the mastermind of the sound, with Brown’s influence and freewheeling ways evident in the loose nature of the many singles that sprung from their collaboration. The J.B.’s did plenty away from Brown as well, forming side projects such as Fred Wesley and the J.B.’s, Maceo and the Macks, The Last Word, The First Family, and many other incarnations.

Also part of the band, yet often overlooked, were trumpeters Jerone “Jassan” Sanford, Isiah “Ike” Oakley, and Russell Crimes.

The group scored a pair of top 40 R&B hits with “Pass The Peas” “Gimme Some More” and a #1 hit with “Doing It To Death,” a million-seller.

Though the JB’s had their creative differences, they found ways to work out the personality kinks to continue recording together. But Brown’s commercial appeal had begun to wane and by 1974, the J.B.’s found themselves in a creative rut. By 1975, they were officially done, by most accounts.

But there were some peaceful reunions, the most recent resulting in a recording released in 2002 titled Bring The Funk Down.

It included Bootsy Collins, Parker, Byrd, Starks and several others. Many of the band’s members continue to tour to this day, pulling their performances directly from the sound they helped formulate.

Photo of Fred Wesley by Alex Const