THE JBs
Soul legend James Brown had two different sets of backing musicians under his employ by the time most of his then current band walked out on him during a pay dispute in 1970. Brown immediately formed a new group in March of that year, and christened them The JBs. During their time with him, The JBs lineup included future legends of funk & R&B music such as Bootsy Collins, Bobby Byrd, Jabo Starks, Fred Wesley, and numerous others. The group would remain with Brown for the entirety of the 1970s, and into the mid-1980s, when they were renamed The Soul Generals.
The JBs were an interesting anomaly among backing groups. In addition to providing the backdrop of Brown's own brand of funky soul music both in a live and studio setting, the group recorded their own music separate from their employer. (Though Brown himself would occasionally perform with them on organ or synthesizer.) As The JBs became known for providing the intense funk backing of hits like "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine", "Soul Power", and "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing", many of their own compositions became hits, including Billboard hits like "Doing It To Death", "Pick Up The Pieces One By One", and "Everybody Wanna Get Funky One More Time".
In 1972, The JBs made their album debut in the form of Food For Thought, which was released on James Brown's own label People Records. Considered a gold standard among funk albums, Food For Thought not only contained classic singles such as "Pass The Peas", "Gimme Some More", and the instrumental track "The Grunt", it has gone on to become a staple of sampling among hip-hop producers. Legendary artists and groups such as Wu-Tang Clan, Eric B & Rakim, A Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy, and many more, have drawn inspiration from the album's many funky songs.
Boston boutique Get On Down seeks to spotlight Food For Thought's greatness with an extra special deluxe reissue. Not only is the album presented on premium 150 gram vinyl, (For the first time in many years) but it comes housed in a 70s-style Stoughton jacket, housed in an 8-gauge custom bag, emblazoned with an embossed People Records logo. As if that wasn't enough, packaged along with the album is a bonus 7" repressing of the original "The Grunt" single, on purple vinyl!
Coming soon from Traffic Entertainment Group.
