The J.B's

The J.B's - Pass The Peas (1987)
One of my most popular clips. Showing Maceo Parker (saxophone), Fred Wesley (Trombone) and more at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 1987.

The "original" J.B.s
The J.B.s were formed in March 1970 after most of the members of Brown's previous band walked out on him over a pay dispute. (Brown's previous bands of the 50s and 60s had been known as The James Brown Band and The James Brown Orchestra.)

The J.B.s initial lineup included bassist William "Bootsy" Collins and his guitarist brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins, formerly of the obscure R&B outfit The Pacesetters; Bobby Byrd (guitar) and John "Jabo" Starks (drums), both holdovers from Brown's 60s band; three inexperienced horn players, Clayton "Chicken" Gunnells, Darryl "Hasaan" Jamison, and Robert McCollough; and conga player Johnny Griggs.

This version of the J.B.s played on some of Brown's most intense funk recordings, including "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine", "Super Bad", "Soul Power", "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing" and the recording that provided the musical foundation for early Hip Hop, Give It Up (Or Turn It Lose).

They also accompanied Brown on a European tour (during which they recorded the long-delayed live album Love Power Peace), performed on the Sex Machine double LP, and released two instrumental singles, the much-sampled "The Grunt" and "These Are the J.B.s".

Other lineups
In December 1970 trombonist Fred Wesley rejoined James Brown's organization to lead the J.B.s. Other former Brown sidemen including Maceo Parker and St. Clair Pinckney eventually followed his lead, while the Collins brothers and most of the rest of the "original" J.B.s left Brown to join George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic collective. The J.B.s lineup shifted frequently thereafter until the group disbanded in 1976 following the departures of Wesley and Parker.

The JB Horns
During the 1980s and 90s Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley intermittently toured under the name The JB Horns, sometimes with other former Brown sidemen such as Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis in tow. The JB Horns recorded several albums for the Gramavision label which were later reissued by Rhino Records. They also recorded an album under this name with producer Richard Mazda called I Like It Like That. - Wikipedia