finetune artist: Bobby Byrd

b. Robert Howard Byrd, 15 August 1934, Toccoa, Georgia, USA, d. 12 September 2007, Loganville, Georgia, USA. Beginning his musical career in church choirs, pianist and vocalist Byrd formed the Gospel Starlighters in the late 50s, until he chanced upon the talents of a young James Brown, who at the time was serving time in jail. Brown was subsequently enlisted into Byrd's next group, the R&B-orientated Furious Flames. Despite Brown taking over as the group's frontman, Byrd remained as his sideman until the mid-70s, notably appearing as co-vocalist on the classic "Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine". Like Brown, Byrd gravitated through gospel to blues, soul, and finally funk in his own solo career, enjoying most of his success in the mid-60s. His first hit came for Smash Records, a duet with Anna King entitled "Baby Baby Baby', which made number 52 in Billboard"s soul chart in 1964. The following year "We Are In Love" reached number 14 in the same chart. Afterwards, he moved towards funk, spurred on by Brown's success in that medium. However, he achieved only one further Top 20 hit, "I Need Help (I Can't Do It Alone)", for King Records. Reaching number 14 on the soul listings, it featured vocals from Gig Kinard and Roberta Dubois.

Listen to Bobby Byrd at Finetune.

(2006) Sayin' It And Doin' It

I Know You Got Soul
Hot Pants (I'm Coming, Coming, I'm Coming)
Doin' The Do
Hot Pants... I'm Coming I'm Coming
Back From The Dead

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