/
RSS Feed
Fred Thomas occupies a very special niche in the history of R&B. As James Brown’s principal bassist since 1971 (the “Make It Funky” era), he participated in one the most prolific periods in the Godfather of Soul’s incredible career as a member of Brown’s band, the J.B.’s.
Fred can be heard on hits such as: “Hot Pants”, “Papa Don’t Take No Mess,” “Make it Funky,” “Get on the Good Foot,” “Doing it to Death,” “I’m a Greedy Man,” “I Got Ants in My Pants,” “There it Is,” “Stoned to the Bone,” and instrumental classics like “Pass the Peas” and “Gimme Some More.” His lines heard on songs like Bobby Byrd’s “I Know You Got Soul” and Lyn Collins’ “Think” have been sampled numerous times.
He’s on the seminal Live at the Apollo Vol. 3 (Revolution of the Mind) and can be seen in the “Soul Power” (2008) documentary of James Brown’s 1974 concert in Zaire, and in many of Brown’s “Soul Train” appearances.
In his band, Fred Thomas is front and center singing, playing bass and tearing into a mix of blues and soul classics and the JB hits he recorded on. His first of three singles as solo artist were released in May 2024: “Living in New York City” (May 3), followed by “Nothing’s Gonna Change (My Love for You)” (May 17) and “For a Lick and a Promise” (May 31). More info about Fred found here.
Further James Brown-related listening:
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.