Fred Thomas of the J.B.'s

Fred Thomas of the J.B.'sFred Thomas of the J.B.'sFred Thomas of the J.B.'s
Home
Learn with Fred
Upcoming Shows
Contact

Fred Thomas of the J.B.'s

Fred Thomas of the J.B.'sFred Thomas of the J.B.'sFred Thomas of the J.B.'s
Home
Learn with Fred
Upcoming Shows
Contact
More
  • Home
  • Learn with Fred
  • Upcoming Shows
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Learn with Fred
  • Upcoming Shows
  • Contact

About Fred

James Brown's bassist over 36 years

Fred Thomas occupies a very special niche in the history R&B. As James Brown’s principal bassist since 1971 (the “Make if 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", Lyn Collin's "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 "Soul Power" (2008) documentary of James Brown's 1974 concert in Zaire, and in the many James Brown "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.

Subscribe

Sign up to hear from us about specials, sales, and events.

Video

Living in NYC

a Fred Thomas original recorded at Sisserou Studios.

Get on the Good Foot

Recorded and certified Gold in 1971! With Fred's iconic bass line and break. Check out this Soul Train performance.

Sex Machine

Summer 2022 with the James Brown Band in Whistler , British Columbia.

I've Been Loving You Too Long

Spring 2022 at The Falcon in Marlboro, NY 

Copyright © 2023 Fred Thomas of the J.B.'s - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by GoDaddy

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept