Vicki Anderson (born Myra Barnes; November 21, 1939 – July 3, 2023) was an American
soul singer best known for her performances with the
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
Revue. She recorded a number of singles under both her birth and stage names. She was the widow of
Bobby Byrd and mother of musician
Carleen Anderson.
Life and career
Myra Barnes was born in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
. She joined Brown in 1965, replacing
Anna King, and stayed for three years as his main female singer, until she was replaced by
Marva Whitney
Marva Whitney (born Marva Ann Manning; May 1, 1944 – December 22, 2012) was an American funk singer commonly referred to by her honorary title, Soul Sister #1. Whitney was considered by many funk enthusiasts to be one of the "rawest" and "brass ...
in 1968. She rejoined in 1969 after Marva departed, staying for a further three years until 1972, after which
Lyn Collins took over from her. Brown claimed in his autobiography that Anderson was the best singer he ever had in his revue.
In 1970, she released fuky song "The Message from the Soul Sisters." A single on James' I-Dentify label by Momie-O appeared in 1975 featuring a cover of
Rufus' hit "
Once You Get Started
"Once You Get Started" is a horn-driven funk number written by musician Gavin Christopher, and recorded and released by the band Rufus featuring Chaka Khan in late 1974. The song is led mostly by Khan, though fellow group member Tony Maiden cont ...
" and
Bobby Womack's "Stop On By". Anderson toured the UK with the James Brown Funky People Revue in the late 1980s and again with husband
Bobby Byrd, the founder of
The Famous Flames, in the mid-1990s.
Anderson married Byrd in the mid-1960s, and was the mother of UK-based
Carleen
Carleen is a village in the parish of Breage, Cornwall, England, about north of the village of Breage on the road to Godolphin Cross.
Carleen Wesleyan Chapel opened in 1883 and was later renamed Carleen Methodist Church; it closed in 1990. Ca ...
, who released albums from the 1990s.
Anderson died on July 3, 2023, at the age of 83.
Mrs. Vicki Anderson-Byrd
/ref>
See also
* Marva Whitney
Marva Whitney (born Marva Ann Manning; May 1, 1944 – December 22, 2012) was an American funk singer commonly referred to by her honorary title, Soul Sister #1. Whitney was considered by many funk enthusiasts to be one of the "rawest" and "brass ...
* Yvonne Fair
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Vicki
1939 births
2023 deaths
Singers from Houston
African-American women singers
American soul singers
American funk singers
James Brown vocalists
King Records artists