1/18/07

Remembering the Godfather: Musings of a musical maestro
By Brian Jarvis

Submitted Photo
Fred Wesley demonstrates his form on the trombone. The accomplished musician used to belt out notes alongside James Brown and recently attended his funeral.

Playing trombone for James Brown before his promotion to bandleader only to be topped by a stellar solo career, Fred Wesley has lived a life to which most aspiring musicians can only dream.

“It was spectacular,” Wesley said. “James Brown was a great entertainer and just being onstage with him was a lot of fun. You should’ve seen him back in the ‘60s and ‘70s. He definitely was the hardest-working man in show business. The show itself was well rehearsed and precise. I used to take pride in playing the right notes at the right time and watching him getting the cues and signals right.”

Playing under Brown’s tutelage was only one chapter in Wesley’s career – albeit a memorable one – before going on to jam with George Clinton, Aretha Franklin and other artists too numerous to mention, including a stint with American Idol’s House Band.

Wesley still ran into Brown periodically, however, and even recorded fresh tracks for him as recently as last year. Naturally he attended Brown’s funeral in December, though Wesley freely admits the two were never close.

“Brown was a hard taskmaster and kept a lot of people upset all the time. He would give fines for uniforms being out of whack or being late onstage,” said Wesley before adding with a smile, “but I never missed a note.”

Which is not to say he didn’t incur a few fines – most notably when performing so hard that his lips would bleed and then trickle down onto his uniform.

“He used to keep everyone on their toes,” Wesley sighed. “It was difficult to work for him, but when we hit the stage, we took pride in doing the right thing.”

“We’re very fortunate to have had him because his music will live forever,” Wesley added. “James Brown was the greatest innovator. He didn’t know too much music theory, but he was totally creative and changed the melodies and rhythms to fit his style. It came out of his head and whatever he felt; everyone else caught on and followed his lead. He used to create new songs as we went along on the road.”

As expected, the five-hour funeral at the James Brown Arena in Augusta, Georgia drew a crowd of thousands. Wesley even performed a song of his own – “I Know You Got Soul,” a tune he recorded with Bobby Bird.

“It was a good funeral and I think Brown would have been happy with it, even the performance of the band,” Wesley said. “Reverend Al Sharpton was the perfect man to give the eulogy, and when they threw the cape over the coffin I thought it was very appropriate. There were a lot of people I didn’t expect to see, but I realized that everyone wanted to pay tribute to the Godfather. We shared stories and talked about inside stuff that only we knew, and how different the show is today.”

Though playing with Brown was undoubtedly the chance of a lifetime, carving out his own legacy in the aftermath has had its share of challenges.

“I am not James Brown,” Wesley said. “I worked closely with him for seven years and I’m very proud of that. I get a lot of accolades. But I had very little creative input. It was James Brown’s music, not my music. Some people get me confused as being him or an advocate of him. I have my own life and my own music.”
A father of five, Wesley moved to Manning 15 years ago at the urging of his wife Gwen, herself a former singer with the Philadelphia-based group and one-time James Brown opener, Honey & the Bees.
“That’s when life started,” Gwen laughed. “That’s when the world began, when I met Fred Wesley. I was 21 years old and I stopped counting.”

Having churned out a steady list of jazzy CDs over the years, Wesley penned his autobiography “Hit Me, Fred” in 2002; his second book is in progress.

“It’s about taking responsibility for where the music is today,” Wesley said. “I heap it on my fellows for where the music industry is now. We were the first to say, ‘Free your mind and your butt will follow.’”

A die-hard performer to this day, Wesley maintains an exhaustive schedule that will take him to Charleston and New Orleans beginning in February before voyaging overseas to France, Belgium, Budapest and London. He even has his own website: fredwesley.com. More than one critic has called him the best trombone player alive.

“I feel good,” Wesley said. “When I’m playing uninhibited, my music is the best feeling in the world.”