Fred Wesley
"If I had taken the gig I was offered with Art Blakey, that would have changed my life. But then again, I was on a life-changing course at the time with James Brown."
Starting out wanting to be the next J.J. Johnson, Fred’s life took another turn. Starting with Ike and Tina Turner, then James Brown, then Parlament, Fred made his own unique mark on trombone playing.
As the original funk trombone player, Fred talks about life with James Brown, historic moments he witnessed from the bandstand, and making it in the music business.