The JB's | Artist
The J.B.'s were an American funk band formed 1970 in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Bootsy Collins (bass), Catfish Collins (guitar), Bobby Byrd (vocal, organ), John Starks (drums), Clayton Gunnells (trumpet), Darryl Jamison (trumpet), Robert McCollough (saxophone), John Griggs (congas) and Fred Wesley (trombone). Many other notable players passed through the ranks over time, including Maceo Parker (saxophone, flute) and Bernie Worrell (keyboards). The band was initially formed as James Brown's backing band from 1970 through the early 1980s. They also played behind Bobby Byrd, Lyn Collins and other singers associated with the James Brown Revue, and performed and recorded as a self-contained group. On records the band was sometimes billed under alternate names such as Fred Wesley and the JBs, The James Brown Soul Train, Maceo and the Macks, and Fred Wesley and the New JBs. In December 1970, trombonist Fred Wesley led the J.B.'s. and other former Brown sidemen, including Maceo Parker and St. Clair Pinckney, eventually followed his lead, while the Collins brothers and most of the rest of the original J.B.'s left Brown to join George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic collective. In addition to backing Brown on stage and on record during this era, the J.B.'s recorded on their own, sometimes with Brown performing on organ or synthesizer. Their albums were generally a mixture of heavy funk tracks and some more jazz-oriented pieces. Nearly all of the J.B.'s recordings were produced by Brown, and most were released on his own label People Records. Standout albums include Doing it to Death (1973), Damn Right I am Somebody (1974), Hustle With Speed (1975), The Lost Album (2011), plus the 2014 archival release These Are The J.B.'s, and the 1972 compilation Food For Thought. As funk music gave way in popularity to disco in the 1970s, the group's material and arrangements changed accordingly, but their chart success declined along with Brown's own. Like most of James Brown's music, the recorded output of the J.B.'s has been heavily mined for samples by hip hop DJ's and producers.
Artist Website: wikipedia/The_J.B.'s
Featured Albums: The JB's
Related Artists: Parliament, Bootsy's Rubber Band, George Clinton, James Brown, Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Lyn Collins
Video Clips: James Brown & The JB's, Doing it to Death, My Thang
