His name is mentioned in the same breath as the big stars of soul and funk. Whether Ray Charles, Count Basie, Maceo Parker, Tina Turner, The Jackson Five, James Brown, Prince or Usher, Fred Wesley has accompanied them all. The fact that he was James Brown's musical director and composer for seven years is only a minor matter. With James Brown and the head of the backing band, the JBs, Fred Wesley was "the most famous sideman in the world, orchestrating the smooth grooves and contributing the bold, surgically accurate solos that defined the language of funk" (Rolling Stone magazine).
Together with Maceo Parker, he played a key role in taking funk to the next level. Wesley is cited as a pioneer of modern funk, rap and hip hop in the documentary "Soul Power", as well as in "When We Were Kings", which won an Oscar, and in countless other documentaries about funk music. He has composed countless hits. Wesley is not only the author of highly acclaimed memoirs such as "Hit Me, Fred: Recollections of a Side Man", but also one of the most sampled brass players in the world. Among the artists who have sampled his pieces are Prince, Steve Wonder and Michael Jackson. Today, Fred Wesley shares his wealth of musical knowledge with young musicians and music students in educational institutions around the world.

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