Fred Thomas is an American
bassist best known for his work with singer
James Brown for over thirty years.[1] He performed on many Brown's
funk and
R&B hits of the 1970s. His last recording is on the 2018 album We Came to Play.
Career
Thomas grew up in the US state of
Georgia. He moved to
New York City in 1965 and co-founded his own band with guitarist Hearlon "Cheese" Martin. He was the bassist as well as the lead vocalist of the group. He said: "I did my own thing, which is to keep a nice bottom in the
pocket. I never bothered with any fancy stuff because I always did the singing in my bands, and you can't be fancy and sing".[2][3]
In 1971
James Brown saw the band at
Smalls Paradise club in
Harlem. Brown was in search of new musicians for his own band. He did an impromptu performance with the band and decided to hire the whole group.[2][3] Thomas said his band used to cover Brown's songs and that joining Brown was a smooth transition for them. He recorded on Brown's releases during 1970s.[2] The first album titled Hot Pants was in 1971.[4] He also recorded on releases by
The J.B.'s.[5] Many of these recordings were later
sampled in
hip hop music, such as "
Pass the Peas", "
Gimme Some More", and "
Escape-ism".[6]
Thomas performed with Brown for more than thirty years, longer than other bassists in that position. He recorded on several R&B number one hits such as "
Hot Pants", "
Make It Funky", and "
Papa Don't Take No Mess".[2] In a 2005 interview he expressed satisfaction with his work, stating: "I've been involved in one of the biggest, most legendary acts in the world. It's gone on for a long time – 33 years, on and off – and I feel good about the musicians I've played with".[2]
^Per liner-notes by
Alan Leeds, Thomas performed on: "
Doing It to Death", "
Hot Pants Road", "
Pass the Peas", "
Gimme Some More", "Givin' Up Food for Funk", "Same Beat", "Damn Right I Am Somebody", "Breakin' Bread", "(It's Not the Express) It's the J.B.'s Monaurail", "If You Don't Get It the First Time...".[14]