Bobby Byrd
| Bobby Byrd | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bobby Howard Byrd |
| Also known as | "Byrd" |
| Born |
August 15, 1934 , U.S. |
| Origin | Toccoa, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | September 12, 2007 (aged 73) Loganville, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Years active | 1955–96 |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | |
Bobby Howard Byrd (August 15, 1934 – September 12, 2007) was an American R&B/soul singer, songwriter, bandleader, talent scout, record producer, and musician, who played an integral and important part in the development of soul and funk music in association with James Brown. Byrd began his career in 1952 as member of the gospel group the Gospel Starlighters, who later changed their name to the Avons in 1953 and the Five Royals in 1954, before settling with the name the Flames in 1955 prior to Brown's joining the group; their agent later changed it to The Famous Flames. Byrd was the actual founder of The Flames and is credited with the discovery of James Brown. As group founder, and one of the longest-serving members of the group, Byrd was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame posthumously in 2012. Byrd was also a 1998 recipient of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award. Byrd helped to inspire the musical aspirations of James Brown, who launched his career with Byrd.
Byrd was born in , to a religiously devout family, where they were respected members of the church congregation and active in their neighborhood there. Byrd started being active in his local church choir with the group, the Zioneers, later making a name for himself as member of the Gospel Starlighters, which included his sister Sarah. At a time when church elders disapproved of secular singing, the band members would leave their home state and perform in South Carolina as the R&B group the Avons, eventually they left gospel behind and went on as the Avons. The original group consisted of Byrd, who played piano, organ and sang lead vocals; and Nafloyd Scott, Fred Pulliam and Doyle Oglesby.
In 1952 Bobby Byrd formed and sang with a gospel group called the Gospel Starlighters. During a friendly baseball match at a juvenile prison, he met a young James Brown who was serving time there on robbery charges. Byrd befriended him and arranged for Byrd's family to oversee Brown's parole. This began a personal and professional association that lasted until 1973.
Although Byrd would eventually have over twenty years as a solo performer, it is his association with Brown for which he is chiefly remembered. Contrary to belief, the group had already changed its name to the Flames when Brown asked Byrd for a spot in the group, with Brown first settling as a drummer. Eventually Brown was driven to perform as lead singer, as he felt lead vocalists got more attention from women. Byrd recognized early that Brown was unique and that it would be impossible to control him: "I didn't need him in competition, I needed him with me, that's why I worked so hard to get him over to my group." In 1956, Clint Brantley signed on as the group's manager. With Johnny Terry and Nash Knox on board, the group became "The Famous Flames" and won a deal with Ralph Bass' Federal label, which was a subsidiary of Syd Nathan's King label, in February 1956. Their first record, "Please, Please, Please", which Byrd said he wrote with Johnny Terry, featured a lead vocal by James Brown and was issued with the billing, "James Brown and the Famous Flames", which did not go well with the rest of the group. After three sessions, the original Flames broke up. At the final session Byrd and Brown wrote the rhythm and blues dancer "Can't Be the Same", which was one of many collaborations with Brown for which Byrd failed to gain credit.
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