Fred Thomas of The JBs

Fred Thomas occupies a very special niche in the history of R&B. As James Brown's principal bassist since 1971 (the "Make it Funky" era), he participated in one of the most prolific periods in the Godfather of Soul's career as a member of Brown's band, the J. B.'s.

He 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"
- instrumental classics like "Pass the Peas" and "Gimme Some More"

His bass lines on songs like Bobby Byrd's "I Know You Got Soul" and Lyn Collins' "Think" have been sampled numerous times.