Fred Wesley returned in December 1970 to become musical director of the JBs, playing with the Collins Brothers on the Funk anthem 'Soul Power' recorded in January 1971. Even without Bootsy and Catfish Collins, the JBs embarked on a Funk odessey that would last until the demise of the People Label around 1975.

Starting with the classic JBs singles 'Gimme Some More' and 'Pass The Peas' from the first JBs album 'Food For Thought' released in 1971, Fred Wesley played a major part in creating the most ferocious and sophisticated Funk of all times. He played his funky trombone on several singles released under the name Fred Wesley and the JB's from the second and third JB's albums 'Doing It To Death' and 'Damm Right I Am Somebody' in 1973 and 1974. Fred Wesley served as the outlet of the Funk envisioned by James Brown' and as such quote The JBs were the complete musical expression of James Brown's mind - and thus, the black man's soul unquote (Rickey Vincent, Funk, 1996). Fred Wesley left James Brown in 1975 to form the horn section for Parliament and Bootsy's Rubber Band together with Maceo Parker and Richard "Kush" Griffith, adding a flavour to Clinton's sound that made the P-Funk sound a phenomenal success in the following years, including the release of two excellent albums for Atlantic credited to Fred Wesley and the Horny Horns, 'A Blow for Me, A Toot for You' in 1977 and 'Say Blow By Blow Backwards' in 1979, both produced by Clinton and Bootsy.