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Bobby Byrd (August 15, 1934, Toccoa, Georgia – September 12, 2007, Loganville, Georgia) was an African American funk/soul/R&B/gospel musician and songwriter, best known as James Brown's longtime sideman and co-vocalist on songs such as Licking Stick - Licking Stick, Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine and Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved. Byrd also recorded many solo funk tracks, most famously I Know You Got Soul (1971), which have been sampled by musicians including Public Enemy, Eric B. & Rakim, Ice Cube, LL Cool J and A Tribe Called Quest. He was the original leader and founder of The Famous Flames, the vocal group with which James Brown first became famous. Byrd is actually the man who discovered James Brown. Image File history File links Gnome_globe_current_event. ... // The following is a list of notable deaths in 2007. ... is the 227th day of the year (228th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... For other uses, including related musical genres, see Funk (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... Gospel music is a musical genre characterized by dominant vocals (often with strong use of harmony) referencing lyrics of a religious nature, particularly Christian. ... For other persons named James Brown, see James Brown (disambiguation). ... A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he is not formally a member. ... Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine (also known as just Sex Machine) is a song recorded by James Brown in 1970 and released as a two-part single on King Records. ... For other uses, including related musical genres, see Funk (disambiguation). ... For the Eric B. & Rakim song see I Know You Got Soul (song) I Know You Got Soul is a song recorded by Bobby Byrd with James Browns band The J.B.s. ... Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a hip hop group from Long Island, New York, known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media, and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... Eric Barrier (Eric B.) and William Griffin (Rakim), were a hip-hop duo known as Eric B. & Rakim. ... OShea Jackson (born June 15, 1969) better known by his stage name, Ice Cube, is an American rapper, actor and film director. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... A Tribe Called Quest is a critically acclaimed and highly-influential American hip-hop group, formed in 1988. ...

Bobby Byrd and James Brown met in a Georgia youth detention facility. Brown was an inmate, Byrd was not. Byrd's local baseball team played the prison team of which Brown was a member. It was Bobby Byrd's family that sponsored his release and took him in afterwards.

Byrd was leader of a vocal group called The Avons when Brown joined in the mid-1950s. The Avons later became The Flames, then The Famous Flames, before they were repackaged with Brown as the frontman. James Brown and the Famous Flames, with Byrd as a member, recorded many hit songs, including Please, Please, Please,"Try Me", Think, Bewildered, Oh Baby, Don't You Weep, I'll Go Crazy, and many more. Brown and The Flames were also known for their powerful on stage performances across the United States in venues such as the Apollo Theatre in New York,(where they recorded the million-selling " Live At The Apollo" LP) the Regal in Chicago,and The Royal Theatre in Baltimore (where they recorded the 1964 Top 10 Pop live album "Pure Dynamite: Live at the Royal}, among numerous other concert venues, and on film in the 1964 concert film the T.A.M.I. Show, where Brown, Byrd, and the other Famous Flames (Bobby Bennett and "Baby Lloyd" Stallworth) upstaged The Rolling Stones. Byrd also appeared with Brown and the group in the 1965 Frankie Avalon motion picture Ski Party, Dick Clark's American Bandstand, and twice on The Ed Sullivan Show. Byrd was the only member of The Flames to remain with Brown when the group disbanded in 1968. The Famous Flames was an R&B vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd that performed with James Brown during the early years of his career. ... Please, Please, Please is a 1956 single by James Brown & the Famous Flames. ... Entrance February 2005 This article is about the London theatre. ... “Rolling Stones” redirects here. ... Ski Party is a B-movie, directed by Alan Rafkin, and released in 1965 by American International Pictures (AIP). Almost all of Ski Party is set on the slopes, and not on the sand, and AIP mainstay Annette Funicello has a tiny role. ... Dick Clark, host of American Bandstand American Bandstand was a long-running dance music television show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989. ... The Ed Sullivan Show was an American television variety show that ran from June 20, 1948 to June 6, 1971, and was hosted by former entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. ...

He was married to soul singer Vicki Anderson, another James Brown collaborator. His step-daughter is Carleen Anderson. Vicki Anderson (born Myra Barnes) is a soul singer best known for her performances with the James Brown Revue. ... R&B singer Carleen Anderson was introduced to music at an early age, as both her mother (Vicki Anderson) and stepfather (pianist Bobby Byrd) toured throughout the 60s and 70s with the great James Brown. ...

In October 2004 Bobby Byrd's songs I Know You Got Soul and Hot Pants were featured on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack, playing on fictional radio station Master Sounds 98.3. Also, in September 2005 his song Try It Again appeared on the soundtrack of Indigo Prophecy. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the fifth video game in the Grand Theft Auto series. ... The soundtrack of the computer and video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which is set in 1992 at the West Coast state of San Andreas, required that the games radio stations reflect the music tastes of the time and area, in addition to covering current events in the... Fahrenheit (Known as Indigo Prophecy in the US) is a videogame due for release in October 2005. ...

On September 12th 2007, comforted by wife Vicki Anderson and a large, close family, Byrd died of cancer, he was 73.

External link

• Bobby Byrd at MusicBrainz