Hit Me, Fred: Recollections of a Sideman by Fred Wesley

by Fred Wesley

Hit Me, Recollections of a Sideman by Fred Wesley. Duke UP,2005

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

Reviews

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this book because James Browns music was the soundtrack of my youth. I'll never forget the thumping bass line to Mother Popcorn emminating from the speakers of the record shop that literally trancended anything musical I had heard before...It awakened that Deep South and African part of me that until that moment I didn't know existed...what a rush...Fred Wesley didn't play on that record but he did write, conduct, arrange and promote many other James Brown classics. I had heard many stories of the maniacal ways in which J.B. created his incomparable body of work but I wanted to get it from the sidemans mouth and Fred Weslay has a story to tell...he also takes you on a tour of the world of Parliment/Funkadelic in the process.
This is not an artful book or would it be of interest to someone not a fan. But to a student of the times and music who lived it..the revelations and insights are indepensible.

[shawm moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

After further review...

I bought this book a while ago and I admit that the first time I read it I just skimmed through it, mostly just interested in his James Brown and George Clinton affiliations. But recently I reread it and while I will always respect Mr Wesley as a musician, he was incredibly critical of his peers, particularly at the end of the book when he made ridiculously immature comments about Otis Redding, James Brown and others. Plus there were more than a few downright lies, for example he stated that Brown only had 3 or 4 albums to his credit prior to signing with polydor in 1970. One look at spotify debunks that. The fact is, Mr Wesley, you endured many years of humiliation and disrespect from James Brown but as a grown man (or anyone else for that matter) you allowed yourself to

[Jassonn Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book of a great sideman

I love the honesty and unpretentiousness of Fred and the cool way Rickey put it together. Lots of stories but too much on jb and not enough Bootsy and the Pfunk

[Jacob Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two passages from Hit Me, Fred:

*

“When you were in the midst of one of those horror rehearsals or recording sessions or self-proclaiming conversations with James Brown, you felt pain, excruciating fatigue, and intense boredom, which led to supressed anger and hate. I wonder to this day why nobody ever bolted, telling him to his face how ridiculous those rehearsals were and just walking out. And to my knowledge, nobody ever did. I came close many times, but there was always some reason – economic, political, or psychological – that I didn’t. Sometimes, oddly, I think that I simply didn’t want to risk hurting his feelings. He was so definite in the way he spoke to you that you got the feeling that he really believed the ridiculous stuff he was saying and you didn’t want to embarrass him. Also, the few times I did challenge what he had said, he got so loud and so much farther away from reality that I gave up, because I knew he would never admit to seeing my point. It was like being held hostage by real, strong, loud, unbeatable ignorance.”

*

“Everything was going along fine, until one day I went into the office and Ernie was doing a union contract for an album by a new artist named Prince. There was nothing strange about doing a contract for a band that we did not actually play with. We did a lot of work documenting and legalizing projects for bands that did their own producing, arranging, and recording and paid themselves however they saw fit. But even self-contained bands had to file union contracts to properly document the project and make it legal. The odd thing about this particular contract was that all the instruments were played by the same person: Prince. We kind of chuckled at the time, not knowing that this particular contract marked the beginning of the end of the recording business as we knew it. Every instrument that was not a synthesizer was also played by Prince. Synthesized horns, synthesized strings, and percussion. The real bad thing about the album was that it was very funky and sounded very good.

I went from making a comfortable living doing horn and string arrangements and other odd assignments to scuffling, trying to make it on just the odd assignments. Horns and strings became obsolete in less than one year. Everyone who ever thought that they could do music was piecing together decent albums by using synthesized sounds for almost all the instruments. Not only strings and horns, but drums, bass, and a plethora of keyboard sounds. Guitar players were the only real musicians who still got calls to do sessions. And there was a marked decrease in guitar calls, because many of the producers were themselves guitar players and jumped at the chance to do their own drums, bass, keyboards, horns and strings. Like Prince, most of the new producers were also singers. Music that would formerly have required a large studio, a competent engineer, a small army of great musicians, and lots of money was now being produced in people’s bedrooms by would-be musicians who worked at the post office during the day. That was the real hurting part of the whole situation: most of these new producers didn’t really have a musical background. What they had was a love for music and the ability to read and understand the manual. As the price of synthesizers and sequencers went down, more and more people with less and less real musical knowledge or talent became geniuses in the music business. The situation left us real musicians floundering around, trying to convince record-company executives and ourselves that this was just a passing fad and that the public would demand real music again soon.

Deep down in our old-school hearts, we knew that this was it. I personally remember when my father used to tell me that bebop was just a passing fad, that big band was the perennial jazz music, and that swing would last forever. I remember when my peers and I thought that rock and roll was just a little crazy thing that would fade out with Little Richard’s make-up. I had no idea that forty years later I would still be hearing “wop bop a loo bop ba lop bam boom.” History has dictated that trends move forward, never backward, although present-day music, with its sampled and rare grooves and ‘70s and ‘80s nostalgia, would somewhat dispute that theory.”

*

[Donald Cobb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating story about one of the most gifted musicians in history. Well told in plain folk talk, with a rough street edged no nonsense way of speaking. Fred Wesley’s tale of ups, downs, drug fueled debauchery that almost destroyed him is gripping. The up close and personal view of the abuse he suffered from James Brown’s well documented megalomania is a story of endurance. The one drawback is it seems the experience slightly embittered him. He became a much valued sideman and producer, but not the star. His comments that Quincy Jones and Otis Redding would not have made it if he was a record executive shows some jealousy. If that were true, he would’ve been one of the many record company hacks that turned their back on great talent (look up Decca Records and the Beatles). Regardless, if you are a fan of great musicians and the story of their journey, this book is a great read. I definitely recommend it.

[Don Gorman · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2 1/2). This is a hard to find book. I have been looking for it for about 3 years but was not willing to spend $200 or more to read it. I finally got lucky and acquired it through a multi-library agreement. This music memoir has a different feel. Fred Wesley really gives you a sense of what it is like to try and make it in the music business. Seemingly endowed with huge talent, he is stymied by a variety of circumstances many times. Once you get past the interminable listing of fellow sidemen, the stories are very interesting, especially the stints with James Brown. We really get the inside scoop on how things went in that organization. I would have liked to have read a little more about how he (sort of) kept his family together through his struggles but this is a music memoir, not a personal one. Another brick in the wall of my music education. Reasonable stuff.

[Wesley Lebakken · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good book with an interesting story, but sometimes hard to get into because of all the name dropping and terminology if you’re not familiar. a great insight to the world of a musician though that i enjoyed throughout!

[Marius · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book Mr. Fred Wesley takes us through all the hurdles of being a working musician, specifically a black working musician who started their career in the 60’s. The subtitle of the book already hints at this goal, and this is part of what makes it such an interesting read. As he states repeatedly, he might be very talented and a very important figure in music, but he is not a star. This makes him come across refreshingly down to earth compared to similar memoirs from musical stars. He had to work hard to keep food on the table, constantly shifting from gig to gig, something many working musicians can most likely relate to. And some moments described such as being inspired by music for the first time or playing in a band for the first time is even relatable for amateurs like me.

It is kind of disappointing to read that one of the greatest funk players isn’t really a fan of the musical genre he helped create, but points for honesty. He is actually extremely honest about all the challenges of his career, including ones he brought upon himself, which I greatly appreciate.

I loved getting an inside look into his experience with James Brown, Parliament, Count Basie and JB horns, learning about all the players, motivations and events that lead to the creation of so many legendary albums and performances. But I am mostly glad that there is a detailed and honest record of the career of such an important musician, one which future musicians can use as inspiration.

[Mixter Mank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with plenty of fantastic stories about James Brown (who was truly insufferable to work for) and the George Clinton P-Funk crowd. But even without these two high profile gigs, Wesley's led an eventful life in the music industry, and this book is a compelling account of it. The final chapter is an excellent reflection on stardom, written by a man who spent a lifetime working in the shadows of it.

[Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the shit. Fred Wesley is the best funk trombonist ever to live and this is a stupendous expose of the ups and downs of life on the road with the Godfather of Soul and devoting your entire life to making sweet soul music.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd been wanting to read this one for a while. Really helps put the pieces together in the funk universe, a great compliment to The One, and GC's autobiography. brutally honest, as Bootsy can attest in his review on the back cover.

[Colin Gleason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fred tells it as it is... Always with respect given to the various luminaries he has worked for, but in his own words and a brave spirit to call it as he saw it.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing honest book...Fred tell it like it is...recommended!