Profession

The “authentic” J.B.’s

The J.B.’s have been shaped in March 1970 after many of the members of Brown’s earlier band walked out on him over a pay dispute. (Brown’s earlier bands of the Nineteen Fifties and Nineteen Sixties had been referred to as The James Brown Band and The James Brown Orchestra.) The J.B.’s preliminary lineup included bassist William “Bootsy” Collins and his guitarist brother Phelps “Catfish” Collins, previously of the obscure funk band The Pacemakers; Bobby Byrd (founding father of the unique Well-known Flames singing group) (organ), and John “Jabo” Starks (drums), each holdovers from Brown’s 60s band; three inexperienced horn gamers, Clayton “Rooster” Gunnells, Darryl “Hasaan” Jamison, and Robert McCollough; and conga participant Johnny Griggs. This model of the J.B.’s performed on a few of Brown’s most intense funk recordings, together with “Get Up (I Really feel Like Being a) Intercourse Machine”, “Tremendous Dangerous”, “Soul Energy”, and “Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothing”. Additionally they accompanied Brown on a European tour (throughout which they recorded the long-delayed reside album Love Energy Peace), carried out on the Intercourse Machine double LP, and launched two instrumental singles, the much-sampled “The Grunt” and “These Are the J.B.’s”.

Later configurations

In December 1970 trombonist Fred Wesley rejoined James Brown’s group to steer the J.B.’s. Different former Brown sidemen together with Maceo Parker and St. Clair Pinckney ultimately adopted his lead, whereas the Collins brothers and many of the remainder of the “authentic” J.B.’s left Brown to hitch George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic collective. Wesley and Parker left in 1975. Brown continued to invoice his backing band because the J.B.’s into the mid-Nineteen Eighties, when he modified their identify to the Soul Generals, or Soul G’s.

Recordings

Along with backing Brown on stage and on file throughout this period, the J.B.’s additionally recorded albums and singles on their very own, typically with Brown acting on organ or synthesizer. Their albums have been usually a mix of heavy funk tracks and a few extra jazz-oriented items. Practically the entire J.B.’s recordings have been produced by Brown, and most have been launched on his personal label, Individuals Information. The band scored various chart hits within the early Seventies, together with “Go the Peas”, “Gimme Some Extra”, and the #1 R&B hit, “Doing It to Dying”. Credited to “Fred Wesley & the J.B.’s”, “Doing It to Dying” offered over a million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA in July 1973.^[3]

Among the J.B.’s releases have uncommon traits. The 1974 album Breakin’ Bread is exclusive, in that many of the songs have a Fred Wesley spoken memory dubbed onto the start of the music, every time over a canned backing monitor. It’s in sharp distinction to James Brown’s real-time dominance of the proceedings on the traditional Doing It to Dying LP. An analogous oddity is encountered on the opposite 1974 album, Rattling Proper I Am Someone, the place 20-second extensions of that album’s track-2 jam (every together with James Brown’s trademark shriek) have been spliced onto the beginnings of many of the different songs. Below the identify A.A.B.B., the group launched a single, “Decide up the Items One by One”, which reached #108 on the U.S. chart in 1975.^[4] Each the music and the identify—which stood for “Above Common Black Band”—have been a tribute to and tongue-in-cheek reply to the then-popular Scottish funk group, the Common White Band (Also called AWB) and its #1 hit single, “Decide Up the Items”.^[4] The J.B.’s last single for Brown’s Individuals label, 1976’s “All people Wanna Get Funky One Extra Time”, encompasses a uncommon hornless association.

As funk music gave method in reputation to disco within the Seventies, the group’s materials and preparations modified accordingly, however their chart success declined together with Brown’s personal.

Like most of James Brown’s music, the recorded output of the J.B.’s has been closely mined for samples by hip hop DJs and file producers.

The JB Horns

Through the Nineteen Eighties and Nineties, Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley intermittently toured below the identify The JB Horns, typically with different former Brown sidemen equivalent to Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis in tow. The JB Horns recorded a number of albums for the Gramavision label which have been later reissued by Rhino Information. Additionally they recorded an album below this identify with producer Richard Mazda known as I Like It Like That.

The JB Horns are additionally related to The Attractive Horns, staple members of P-Funk and Bootsy’s Rubber Band, which was led by Fred Wesley and included Maceo, in addition to Rick Gardner and Richard “Kush” Griffith on trumpets.

Reunion

A model of the J.B.’s together with Fred Wesley, Bootsy Collins, Pee Wee Ellis, Bobby Byrd, and Clyde Stubblefield assembled to file the 1999 “reunion” album Convey the Funk on Down, devoted to the reminiscence of St. Clair Pinckney. The album was launched in Japan by P-Vine Information, and in 2002 it was reissued within the U.S. by Intuition Information.

A reunion of the unique J.B.’s rhythm part, with Bootsy and Phelps Collins, Clyde Stubblefield, and Jabo Starks, and supplemented by Bernie Worrell, recorded the Superbad film soundtrack. They went on to carry out the primary tribute live performance remembering James Brown.

Discography

Albums

• These Are The JB’s (1970 – launched in 2014)^[5]
• Meals For Thought (1972)
• Doing It to Dying (1973)
• Rattling Proper I Am Someone (1974) – as “Fred Wesley & the J.B.’s”
• Breakin’ Bread (1974) – as “Fred & the New J.B.’s”
• Hustle with Velocity (1975)
• Jam II Disco Fever (1978)
• Groove Machine (1979)
• Convey the Funk On Down (1999)
• The Misplaced Album (2011) – credited to “The J.B.’s with Fred Wesley”

as The JB Horns

• Pee Wee, Fred and Maceo (1989)
• Funky Good Time / Dwell (1993)
• I Like It Like That (1994)

Singles

• 1970
  • “The Grunt, Pt 1” / “Pt2”
  • “These Are the J.B.’s, Pt 1” / “Pt 2”
• 1971
  • “My Brother, Pt 1” / “Pt 2”
  • “Gimme Some Extra” / “The Rabbit Acquired The Gun”
• 1972
  • “Go the Peas” / “Sizzling Pants Highway”
  • “Givin’ Up Meals For Funk, Pt 1” / “Pt 2”
  • “Again Stabbers” / “J.B. Shout”
• 1973
  • “Watermelon Man” / “Alone Once more (Naturally)”
  • “Sportin’ Life” / “Soiled Harri”
  • “Doing It to Dying” / “All people Acquired Soul”
  • “You Can Have Watergate” / “If You Do not Get It The First Time…”
  • “Similar Beat, Pt 1” / “Pt 2”
• 1974
  • “Rattling Proper I Am Someone, Pt 1” / “Pt 2”
  • “Rockin’ Funky Watergate, Pt 1” / “Pt 2”
  • “Little Boy Black” / “Rockin’ Funky Watergate”
  • “Breakin’ Bread” / “Funky Music is My Fashion”
• 1975
  • “Makin’ Love” / “Rice ‘n’ Ribs”
  • “(It is Not the Specific) It is the J.B.’s Monaurail, Pt 1” / “Pt 2”
  • “Thank You for Lettin’ Me Be Myself and You Be Yours Pt 1” / “Pt 2”
  • “C.O.L.D.” (A.A.B.B.)
• 1976
  • “All Aboard The Soul Funky Practice” / “Thank You for Lettin’… Pt 1”
  • “All people Wanna Get Funky One Extra Time, Pt 1” / “Pt 2”
• 1977
  • “Music For The Individuals” / “Crossover” – because the J.B.’s Worldwide
  • “Nature, Pt 1” / “Pt 2” – because the J.B.’s Worldwide
• 1978
  • “Disco Fever, Pt 1” / “Pt 2” – because the J.B.’s Worldwide

CD compilations

• Funky Good Time: The Anthology (2 CD) (1995)
• Meals for Funk (1997)
• Go the Peas: The Better of the J.B.’s (2000)

See additionally

• Abnuceals Emuukha Electrical Symphony Orchestra
• Booker T. & the M.G.’s
• Compass Level All Stars
• The Funk Brothers
• Hello Rhythm Part
• The Love Limitless Orchestra
• The Memphis Boys
• MFSB
• Muscle Shoals Rhythm Part
• The Nashville A-Crew
• Salsoul Orchestra
• The Part
• Tower of Energy Horn Part
• The Wrecking Crew