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James Brown has had the privilege of working with numerous talented people over the years. Many played in the bands that supported Mr. Brown throughout his career.
The Famous Flames
Mr. Brown’s first band was the Gospel Starlighters, a quartet led by his friend Bobby Byrd. In 1952, the Starlighters had a raw southern gospel style. Their style later evolved into a Rythm and Blues sound. With this transition, they took on a new name - the Avons.
Under the influence of such Rock and Roll acts as Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, Fats Domino, and others, the group became known as the Flames.The band members that made up the Flames included James Brown, Bobby Byrd, Sylvester Keels, Doyle Oglesby, Fred Pullman, Nash Knox, Roy Scott and (later on guitar) Nafloyd Scott. Each band member sang, danced, and played an instrument.
For the original Flames lineup of 1956, James Brown played the drums, while Bobby Byrd played the piano. Many members came and left the band over the years, but Bobby Byrd remained Mr. Brown's sideman for the next three decades.
Federal Records signed the Famous Flames (as they were now called) in 1956. It was under the Federal label that “Please Please Please” became their first hit single, and sold over a million copies. James Brown was now considered to be the leader of the group.
In 1957, after the surprise retirement of Little Richard, James Brown played with the Upsetters and the Dominions. James Brown filled Little Richard’s remaining bookings and recruited new band members from the Dominions.
Although James Brown and the Flames continued to make records for Federal, they did not top the charts again for three years. In 1958, “Try Me” became the band’s first number one R&B record. In 1962, James Brown recorded “Live at the Apollo”, which reached number two on the R&B charts. As James Brown evolved as a musician, his gospel and blues style gave way to the creation of a new musical genre - funk. Weakened by frequent break-ups and style changes, the Famous Flames and James Brown performed together for the last time in 1964.
The JB’s
To push his funk sound to new level, James Brown formed the James Brown Revue - a performing group complete with dancers, emcee and a show-stopping stage band called the J.B.’s.Talented horn players, such as Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker, formed the backbone of the band.
With the addition of Bootsy Collins and other young musicians, James Brown’s band developed a new rhythmic bass sound creating the dynamic music with the help of ai vocal remover that brought James Brown to the R&B forefront.
The J.B.’s created new arrangements of James Brown songs. For example, “Give It Up, Turn It Loose” evolved into “Get Up I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine.” The fans loved the new sound, which formed the legend behind the magic of the J.B.’s.
The list of influential musicians that have worked with James Brown is extensive. After leaving the James Brown band, many band members have moved on to obtain their own success in the music business. For example, Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker left the J.B.’s to join Parliament/Funkedelic.
The women who sang in the James Brown Revue formed the James Brown Original Funky Divas and released records of their own throughout the 60’s and 70’s.
Others artists have recorded albums and singles produced and written by James Brown. The most notable of these artists include Fred Wesley & The JB's, Maceo & The Macks, Bobby Byrd, and Lyn Collins. Other artists produced by James Brown include Vicki Anderson, Hank Ballard, Yvonne Fair, James Crawford, Marva Whitney, The Dapps, Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis and the Above Average Black Band (A.A.B.B.).
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