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The Famous Flames
James Brown and Flames.jpg
The Famous Flames (left to right: Bobby Bennett, Lloyd Stallworth, Bobby Byrd and James Brown) performing at the Apollo Theater in New York, 1964. Brown's band is on the right.
Background information
Also known as The Avons, The Toccoa Band, The Flames, James Brown and The Famous Flames, James Brown and His Famous Flames, The Fabulous Flames
Origin Toccoa, Georgia
Genres Rhythm and blues, soul, funk
Years active 1953–1968
Labels Federal, King, Smash
Associated acts James Brown, Bobby Byrd, Bobby Bennett, Baby Lloyd Stallworth, Johnny Terry

The Famous Flames were an American Rhythm and blues and Soul vocal group. They started in Toccoa, Georgia, in 1953. Bobby Byrd founded the group.

James Brown began his music career with the Famous Flames. He became their lead singer. Their first professional song was "Please, Please, Please" in 1956.

The Flames sang smooth backing harmonies. These were a great contrast to Brown's powerful singing. Their amazing dance moves were a big part of their live shows. They had many hit songs like "Try Me" and "Think". James Brown and the Famous Flames had many songs reach the Top 40. These were on the R&B and pop charts.

They also appeared in movies. These included T.A.M.I. Show (1964) and Ski Party. The Flames also helped write songs and create dance moves. In 2012, the Flames joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They were inducted alongside James Brown. The Hall of Fame called them "a group of singers, performers and dancers that created the complementary elements of one of the greatest stage shows of all time." In 2020, The Famous Flames were also added to The National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame.

People sometimes mistakenly think the Famous Flames were James Brown's band. This happened because their record companies sometimes mixed up their names. The group members did play instruments in their early days. But by 1959, Brown hired a separate touring band. From then on, the Flames mainly sang backup and danced. The band was called the James Brown Band. Later, they were known as the James Brown Orchestra.

The Start of The Famous Flames

James Brown started singing with a group called the Cremona Trio. This was when he was growing up in Toccoa, Georgia. In 1949, Brown was sent to a youth detention center. He had gotten into trouble. While there, he formed a group called the Swanees. Johnny Terry was also in this group. They made their own instruments. Brown even played a "mandolin" made from a wooden box. This earned him the nickname "Music Box."

In 1952, Brown met Bobby Byrd. They became friends. Byrd and his family helped Brown get released from the detention center early. Brown moved in with Byrd's family in Toccoa. He worked as a dishwasher. He also tried being a boxer for a short time.

Around this time, Bobby Byrd had a gospel group. It was called the Gospel Starlighters. After a year, the group wanted to play R&B music. They were worried about what church leaders would say. So, they performed R&B under a different name: The Avons.

In 1954, Brown went back to music. He joined a gospel group called the Ever Ready Gospel Singers. His old friend Johnny Terry was in it. But the group couldn't get a record deal. So, they broke up. Brown returned to Toccoa. Later in 1954, The Avons faced a sad event. Troy Collins, a member, died in a car accident. Byrd asked Brown to join the group and replace Collins.

At first, Byrd, Sylvester Keels, and Brown shared the lead singing. Johnny Terry also joined. He brought a guitarist, Nafloyd Scott. Fred Pulliam replaced Willie Johnson. Around this time, The Avons changed their name. They became The Toccoa Band. This was to avoid confusion with other groups named The Avons. Under their manager, Barry Tremier, the group started playing instruments. Brown played drums, and Byrd played piano.

Early Hits and Changes

By 1955, the group saw Little Richard perform. They decided to focus on R&B music. They changed their name again, to The Flames. While performing in Macon, Georgia, Clint Brantley, Little Richard's agent, gave them advice. He told them to add "Famous" to their name. That year, Doyle Oglesby and Fred Pulliam left the group. Nashpendle "Nash" Knox replaced them.

The group started writing their own songs. One was "Goin' Back to Rome" by James Brown. Another was "Please, Please, Please". Brown wrote it with Johnny Terry. Before Christmas 1955, Brantley had the group record a demo of "Please, Please, Please". It was for a local radio station. The song "Please, Please, Please" came together in two parts. First, Etta James said Brown carried a napkin with "please, please, please" written on it by Little Richard. Brown wanted to make a song from it. Second, Brown and Terry heard The Orioles' rock 'n' roll version of "Baby Please Don't Go". They got the melody from that song.

"Please, Please, Please" played on Macon radio stations. It became a regional hit by late 1955. The recording was sent to many record labels. Most passed on it. But two labels, owned by King Records, were interested. Ralph Bass of Federal Records signed the Famous Flames in February 1956. A month later, they re-recorded the song. When King Records founder Syd Nathan heard it, he didn't like Brown's vocals. He almost fired Ralph Bass.

"Please, Please, Please" was released in May 1956. By September, it reached number 6 on the R&B charts. The group performed the song constantly. This kept it on the charts for a year. By 1957, it had sold over 5,000 copies. The record eventually sold between one million and three million copies. Most of the original Flames' songs after "Please, Please, Please" were not as successful. The group changed managers. They were now with Ben Bart. Bart told the group to change their name to The Famous Flames with James Brown. Brown and Bart hired new members. These new members replaced the original Flames. The original group left because James Brown was getting top billing.

Growing Success

After other songs didn't become hits, the Famous Flames were almost dropped by Federal in 1958. Johnny Terry gave Brown a song called "Try Me". It was based on "For Your Precious Love" by Jerry Butler & The Impressions. This song became the Famous Flames' first number-one R&B hit in early 1959.

After this success, Brown fired the temporary group members. These members went on to form a new group called The Fabulous Flames. This group released a few songs but didn't become famous. Brown and Terry asked Bobby Byrd to come back. He did. They also added new Flames members: Bobby Bennett and Lloyd Stallworth. This was the longest-lasting lineup of The Famous Flames. They became a vocal group only. Brown, with Byrd's help, hired a band called The Bucketheads to play instruments. The group, now called James Brown and The Famous Flames, performed at the Apollo Theater in April 1959. This was Brown's first time performing there.

That year, Brown had his first solo hit, "I Want You So Bad." It reached the top twenty on the R&B charts. In 1960, Brown and the Flames had many successful songs. These included "Think", "Bewildered", and "I'll Go Crazy". By 1962, three versions of "The James Brown Show" were recorded. In 1962, the Famous Flames had a hit with "Shout and Shimmy". This was their version of The Isley Brothers' "Shout". "Shout and Shimmy" was a hit. James and The Famous Flames sang it on Dick Clark's American Bandstand.

Their 1963 live recording at the Apollo Theater was released as Live at the Apollo. It reached number-two on the pop album chart. It sold over a million copies. It stayed on the charts for fourteen months. This was a huge achievement for an R&B album back then. In 1964, the group became very popular. They appeared in the 1964 concert film, The T.A.M.I. Show. Brown & The Flames (Byrd, Bennett, and Stallworth) performed "Please, Please, Please". During the concert, Brown would fall to his knees. Bobby Bennett and MC Danny Ray would put a cape on him and walk him off. Then Brown would return to the microphone. This became a famous part of Brown's shows.

In 1964, the group recorded another successful live album. It was called Pure Dynamite! Live at the Royal. It also reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Pop Album chart. The Flames also helped record the 1964 studio album, Showtime. During this time, the record labels sometimes listed the group's name differently. This made many fans think the Famous Flames were Brown's backing band. But they were actually a separate vocal group. In 1964, James & the Flames had another top 40 hit. It was the song "Oh Baby, Don't You Weep". It reached number 23 on the pop chart. Later that year, they released their last recording together. It was "Maybe the Last Time".

James Brown's Solo Career and The Group's End

In 1964, James Brown and Bobby Byrd started their own company, Fair Deal. They wanted to promote their music to a wider audience. Brown signed a deal with Smash Records. This company would release his records. Brown released 8 albums from Smash Records. But after his first funk song "Out of Sight," King Records stopped him. He hadn't gotten their permission. After a year, King Records offered him a new contract. They couldn't afford to lose him. Brown had become their biggest star. The new contract gave him full control over his music.

When he returned to King, Brown recorded by himself. The Famous Flames did not sing backup on these new songs. But they still got credit on the records. They also kept performing live with Brown until 1968. In 1965, King released Brown's "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag". This became Brown's first number 1 hit as a solo artist on the R&B charts. It also reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. Other hit songs followed, like "I Got You."

The group performed in Hollywood movies like Ski Party. They also appeared twice on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1966. The group started performing overseas. They became very popular. Famous Flame Bobby Bennett said in an interview: "We were drawing crowds everywhere we went. Not just in America. We'd go to London or Paris and we couldn't even leave the hotel to go sightseeing because we were getting mobbed by people."

Brown's desire to be a solo artist caused problems within the group. They felt they weren't being paid fairly. Lloyd Stallworth left the Flames in early 1966. This left Brown, Byrd, and Bennett. Problems continued through 1966 and 1967. In 1968, Bobby Byrd and Bobby Bennett decided to start their own careers. The Famous Flames quietly ended. In 1968, King released the group's Live at the Apollo, Volume II. But they removed the Famous Flames' introduction. Years later, in 2001, the full introduction was put back on the CD.

Later Years and Legacy

Bobby Byrd reunited with Brown sometimes in the years that followed. But the Famous Flames never performed as a group again. Brown sometimes spoke negatively about their singing. But he also called them "a bunch of real fine quartet singers."

In 2003, Byrd and his wife, Vicki Anderson, along with Bobby Bennett and Lloyd Stallworth, sued Brown and Universal Records. They claimed they were cheated out of money from their songs. Byrd said he "still loved" Brown. He felt the problem was more with Universal Records.

Lloyd Stallworth passed away in 2001. Johnny Terry died in 2005. James Brown died on December 25, 2006. Bobby Byrd performed at Brown's funeral. Byrd died nine months later, in September 2007. Bobby Bennett, the last living member, lived to see the group inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. He passed away on January 18, 2013. The Famous Flames were also inducted into The National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. James Brown was inducted in 2013. The other Flames (Byrd, Bennett, Stallworth, and Johnny Terry) were inducted in 2020.

Group Members

Discography

  • 1958: Please Please Please
  • 1959: Try Me
  • 1960: Think!
  • 1961: The Amazing James Brown
  • 1962: "Shout and Shimmy"
  • 1962: "Excitement (Mr. Dynamite)"
  • 1962: "James Brown and His Famous Flames Tour the USA"
  • 1963: "Live at the Apollo"
  • 1963: "Pure Dynamite! Live at the Royal"
  • 1964: "Showtime"
  • 1967: "James Brown & The Famous Flames Live at The Garden"
  • 1968: Live at the Apollo, Volume II

Awards and Recognition

  • Grammy Hall of Fame:
    • "Live at The Apollo" (King Records, 1963) - James Brown & The Famous Flames (Inducted 1998)
    • "Please Please Please" - James Brown & The Famous Flames (Federal (King) Records, 1956 R&B Single) – Inducted 2001
  • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – The Famous Flames (Inducted 2012) James Brown (Inducted 1986)
  • Goldmine (magazine) Hall of Fame – James Brown & The Famous Flames (Inducted 2012)
  • Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
    • "Live at The Apollo" (1963) – James Brown & The Famous Flames (Awarded 2003)
  • United States Library of Congress-National Recording Registry
    • "Live at The Apollo" (1963) – James Brown & The Famous Flames (Awarded 2004)
  • Rhythm and Blues Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award (James Brown & The Famous Flames-1993)
  • Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award - (Bobby Byrd alone) - 1998.
  • National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame The Famous Flames (Inducted 2020) (James Brown inducted solo in 2013).
  • The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll
    • "Please Please Please" – James Brown & The Famous Flames (Federal (King) Records, 1956 R&B Single) (list compiled 2004)
  • Billboard – "Try Me" – James Brown & The Famous Flames
    • #48 Pop, #1 R&B, and the Best-Selling R&B Hit Song of 1958.

See also

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