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As the longtime musical director for soul legend James Browns renowned backing unit the J.B.s, trombonist Fred Wesley was the worlds most famous sideman, orchestrating the sinuous grooves and contributing the bold, surgically precise solos that defined the language of funk. Born July 4, 1943, in Columbus, Georgia, Wesley was raised in Mobile, Alabama. At age three, he studied classical piano under his grandmother, a music teacher, but much preferred the big-band music played by his father, Fred Wesley, Sr., who also chaired the music department at Mobile Central High School. Wesley, Jr. remained with the piano until middle school, first adopting the trumpet before moving to the trombone. He made his professional debut at age 12 in a big band led by his schools music teacher, E.B. Coleman, and soon was sitting in with local Rs trumpeter Waymon Reed, who told him Brown was seeking a new trombonist, Wesley accepted the offer.
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