James Brown & His Famous Flames

Biography

The Famous Flames was an R and B vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd that performed with James Brown during the early years of his career. On recordings such as "Please, Please, Please", "Try Me", "Think"," I Dont Mind ","Shout and Shimmy", "Bewildered", "Oh Baby, Dont You Weep", and "Ill Go Crazy" the groups smooth backing harmonies contrasted strikingly with Browns own rough, impassioned delivery, and their synchronized dance steps were a prominent visual feature of his live shows. The Famous Flames performed with Brown on many of his live and studio albums, including his breakthrough Live at the Apollo, and appeared with him in the films The T.A.M.I. Show and Ski Party. They also made appearances on television programs including American Bandstand and Where the Action Is (both hosted by Dick Clark) and two episodes of The Ed Sullivan Show.

The Famous Flames appeared less and less often on record as Browns music moved beyond his original R and B style and into the realm of funk; he later claimed that "[t]hey were a good stage act, but they couldnt really sing all that good." Their last studio recording with Brown was "Maybe the Last Time", the B-side of his 1964 proto-funk single "Out of Sight". They continued to appear with him on stage until 1968. After briefly leaving him in the late 60s, Byrd continued with Brown in a supporting vocal role into the 70s and beyond. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.