Robert J. Bennett (June 27, 1938 – January 18, 2013), better known as Bobby Bennett, was an American singer, songwriter, choreographer, comedian, and musician, noted for being a member of the vocal group

The Famous Flames The Famous Flames were an American Rhythm and blues, Soul vocal group founded in Toccoa, Georgia, in 1953 by Bobby Byrd. James Brown first began his career as a member of the Famous Flames, emerging as the lead singer by the time of their firs ...

from 1958 to 1968. During his time in the group, he served as a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, comedian, emcee and dancer in the James Brown Revue. He was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

as a member of The Famous Flames in 2012.

Biography

Early life and career

Bobby Bennett was born Robert J. Bennett on June 27, 1938 in

Burlington, North Carolina Burlington is a city in Alamance and Guilford counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the principal city of the Burlington, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Alamance County, in which most of th ...

. The son of Robert and Inez Bennett, he was raised in Burlington's Rauhut Street in

Alamance County Alamance County (), from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved September 18, 2012. is a county in North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 171,415. Its county se ...

, where it was called "Glencoe Road", and graduated from Jordan Sellars High School in 1957. According to his wife, Sandra, Bennett sang with the

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

group, the Harmonizing Five and traveled with them locally and to many East Coast and southern states from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

, DC and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

all the way to Florida. Following graduation, Bennett received a four-year sports scholarship to attend A&T University in Greensboro. During his time in college, Bennett majored in Agricultural Studies. In the spring of 1958, Bennett left college for a summer break, finding work in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

to earn funds for the following school year. Following this, he visited New York to see his old friend, J. C. Davis whose band, The Bucket-Heads, was playing for

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 hono ...

and

at the Rocklin Place in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

as Davis had become Brown's first bandleader. Bennett and Davis were school buddies who did shows together while attending high school. Bennett eventually became Davis' valet.

The Famous Flames

While attending the performance, Bennett found out from Davis that one of the Famous Flames, Robert Gram, was leaving the show to get married and wasn't going to return. Davis insisted that Bennett should try out for the position because Davis felt that Bennett had the voice and talent. Auditions started at the Teresa Hotel in New York City. Bennett beat out twenty other hopefuls to get the position and became a full-fledged member of the Famous Flames in 1958, causing Bennett to permanently drop out of college. During the time Bennett joined,

had not yet established himself as a dominant force in music and was himself considered still just a member of the Famous Flames. Brown's manager, Ben Bart, had caused a rift in the original lineup of the group after suggesting the group perform under the "James Brown and The Famous Flames" billing following the success of their first hit, " Please, Please, Please". When Bennett joined, the Famous Flames consisted of Brown, "Baby Lloyd" Stallworth and Johnny Terry. Contrary to popular belief, The Famous Flames were not backup musicians.They were a singing group. Founder Bobby Byrd, who had left in May 1957, wasn't a member at the time Bennett joined. Byrd's departure caused Brown to take control of the group, with the help of Ben Bart. Byrd would occasionally show up to mentor the act. Under Brown's insistence, Byrd rejoined the group as a member just before they were set to open for

Little Willie John William Edward "Little Willie" John (November 15, 1937 – May 26, 1968) was an American R&B singer who performed in the 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for his successes on the record charts, with songs such as " All Around the World" (1 ...

at their first appearance at The Apollo Theater on April 24, 1959. One of Bennett's first recordings as a Famous Flames member was with the song, "Good, Good Lovin'", which became a regional hit. Between 1960 and 1964, Bennett would participate in several hit recordings with the Flames including " Think", " Bewildered", " I Don't Mind", " Shout and Shimmy", " I'll Go Crazy", "

Oh Baby Don't You Weep "Oh Baby Don't You Weep" is a song recorded in 1964 by James Brown and The Famous Flames. Based upon the spiritual "Mary Don't You Weep", it was recorded as an extended-length track and released as the first two-part single of Brown's recordin ...

", "

This Old Heart "This Old Heart" is a song written by James Brown and recorded by Brown and The Famous Flames. Although they performed it in a rhythm and blues style, it originated as a country song. Released as a single in 1960, it charted #20 R&B and #79 Pop. ...

" and others. Despite the frequently incorrect crediting of James Brown as the sole artist on these songs, they were recorded and made hits by the ''entire group'', "James Brown ''and''

". Bennett, along with the other Famous Flames, also wrote or co-wrote several songs with the group. By the early 1960s, the Famous Flames had established themselves as the top-ranked R&B group of the time, both on record and on tour. Following their success, it was suggested that the group record a live album. The group's explosive, high energy live performances across America rarely failed in bringing audiences to states of frenzy. Their tight harmonies and explosive dance routines increased their popularity as they performed in venues such as The Regal Theater in Chicago, The Royal Theatre in Baltimore, the Cleveland Arena in Cleveland, the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. and the Apollo in New York City. Despite King Records president Syd Nathan's protests that live albums didn't sell, Brown financed his own money to release the '' Live at the Apollo'' album in 1963, which eventually reached # 2 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

Pop Album Chart, and sold over a million copies, a feat unprecedented for a R&B album at that time. Like most of the material featuring the Famous Flames, they weren't credited with Brown on this album,(but they were included in the album's intro by Fats Gonder), though later reissues in the CD era would credit the group alongside Brown later on. The group started experiencing mainstream success following the Apollo album and by 1965 had appeared in TV shows such as ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'', the

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting '' American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 19 ...

-hosted shows, ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pr ...

'' and '' Where the Action Is'' and other shows, both nationally and regionally. The group also began touring globally, performing in venues such as

The Olympia ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

in Paris,

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in London and also appeared on the UK music show, ''

Ready Steady Go! ''Ready Steady Go!'' (or ''RSG!'') was a British rock/pop music television programme broadcast every Friday evening from 9 August 1963 until 23 December 1966. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan wanted a light ente ...

'' The group's popularity had become so massive that Bennett later said they couldn't leave their hotels to go sightseeing because "we were getting mobbed by people." The group also appeared in two Hollywood motion pictures, '' The T.A.M.I. Show'', which was a 1964 All-Star concert film, taped at the

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center at 1855 Main Street in Santa Monica, California, owned by the City of Santa Monica. It was built in 1958 and designed by Welton Becket and as a concert venue, it has a seating cap ...

on October 28 and 29, 1964 in which the group upstaged headliners

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

; and 1965's '' Ski Party'', a Frankie Avalon vehicle in which James Brown and The Flames were humorously cast as the "white bread" resort's all-black ski patrol. Both features were filmed by

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

. Bennett contributed along with James and the other Flames on more hit live albums including the ''Billboard'' Top 10 Pop hit album ''

Pure Dynamite! Live at the Royal ''Pure Dynamite! Live At The Royal'' is a 1964 live album by James Brown and The Famous Flames. Originally issued on King Records, it was the live follow-up to Brown's 1963 '' Live at the Apollo'' LP, and like that album, reached the Top 10 of ...

'', where Bennett was responsible for the group's comedic stage routines, and '' James Brown and the Famous Flames Live at the Garden'', though the actual show was at Cherry Hill's

Latin Casino The Latin Casino was a Philadelphia-area nightclub that first opened in 1944 at 1309 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Many top entertainers performed at the Latin including Harry Belafonte, Jimmy Durante, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, ...

. Bennett also contributed to studio albums such as ''Think!'' and '' Showtime''. The group's last studio recording with Brown was "

Maybe the Last Time "Maybe the Last Time" is a song written by James Brown (under the pseudonym Ted Wright) and recorded by Brown and the Famous Flames in 1964. It was released as the B-side of "Out of Sight" and was also included on the ''Out of Sight'' album. Brown ...

", released as the

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to Brown's rock'n'roll hit, "

Out of Sight ''Out of Sight'' is a 1998 American crime comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Scott Frank, adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1996 novel of the same name. The first of several collaborations between Soderbergh and actor Georg ...

" in 1964. In addition to recording for King Records, Bennett (and fellow Famous Flame "Baby Lloyd" Stallworth) also recorded several solo James Brown-produced singles for other labels, including the now defunct

Loma Records Loma Records was an American subsidiary record label of Warner Bros. Records managed by Bob Krasnow, then later Russ Regan. Its name was derived from Eloma, a cleared copyright Warner owned. History In March 1964, Warner Bros. president Mike Mai ...

, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records, where he recorded "Soul Jerk Pts. 1 & 2", under the billing, Bobby Bennett & The Dynamics. As the group's fortunes increased, however, James Brown began to think in terms of solo success, apart from the Flames, helping to bring dissension within the group, which Bennett confirmed in an interview with the

Cleveland Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of M ...

in 2012. Bennett noted the change, stating, "in the beginning, we all rode around in a

station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...

, with each of us taking turns doing the driving." As the success grew, their mode of transportation changed. While some of the members had moved up to bus, Brown rode around in either by a

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed ...

or a Learjet; Bennett noted this as being "the beginning of the separation of James Brown and the Famous Flames". The group's label, King Records, was of no help as they only posted Brown's image on the covers of their albums instead of the ''entire group'', and also failed to sometimes mention the group's name in covers they did appear in, including the ''Pure Dynamite'' and ''Showtime'' albums. Brown had also taken control of the group's finances, allegedly taking the lion's share of profits from live performances and studio recordings for himself, while the rest of the group was put under a salary. When the other Flames balked at this process, Brown responded by using them less on his records, later stating that they "couldn't sing well". The Famous Flames continued to back Brown until further arguments over monies and royalties and the stress of being on the road led to Lloyd Stallworth walking out first in 1966 . Bennett also eventually left the James Brown Show in 1968. With their name on several releases between 1965 and 1968, but no Flames singing on record, much of the public, who had never seen the group perform live, mistakenly believed that the Famous Flames were Brown's band, instead of the

vocal group A vocal group is a performing ensemble of vocalists who sing and harmonize together. The first well-known vocals groups emerged in the 19th century, and the style had reached widespread popularity by the 1940s. Types Vocal groups can come in s ...

they actually were.. The last single in which the Famous Flames received label credit was " Licking Stick" (King 6166) in 1968. Only Byrd participated in the recording with Brown, beginning a period in which the duo sung duets on several hits including " Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine", " Soul Power", "

Make It Funky "Make It Funky" is a jam session recorded by James Brown with The J.B.'s. It was released as a two-part single in 1971, which reached No. 1 on the U.S. R&B chart and No. 22 on the U.S. Pop chart. Publication This was his first song to be submit ...

", " Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing" and " Get Up, Get into It, Get Involved". Byrd didn't receive label credit on these songs. Because of this and other reasons, mainly financial disputes, Famous Flames founder, Bobby Byrd too, finally left for good in 1973.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2012

On April 14, 2012, Bobby Bennett was inducted retroactively with the rest of The Famous Flames, into the

. When the group's lead singer, James Brown, was inducted into the Hall of Fame's inaugural class in 1986, the other members of his group, Famous Flames members Bennett, Bobby Byrd, Johnny Terry, and Lloyd Stallworth, were not inducted. This caused a 26-year controversy, and puzzled many of the group's fans. Finally, in 2012, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame formed a special committee to discuss certain deserving pioneering groups that were not inducted with their lead singers in the Hall of Fame's initial years of inductions . As a result of this committee's decision, The Famous Flames, including Bennett, were one of the six groups automatically inducted into the Hall of Fame, without the need for nomination and voting, under the premise that they should have been inducted with James Brown back in 1986. Bennett, the sole surviving member of the Famous Flames at age 74, accepted on behalf of the group. In an interview with the Rock Hall on the eve of The Flames' induction, Bobby said: "James (Brown) was a Flame. Bobby Byrd was a Flame. Lloyd Stallworth was a Flame, and Bobby Bennett (who's still here), was a Famous Flame also." "We performed all over the world. "We were the best out there: best dancers, best singers, we were good". Everyone else opened for us:

The O'Jays The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor ...

Four Tops The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet from Detroit who helped to define the city's Motown sound of the 1960s. The group's repertoire has included soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes. Founded as the ...

, Temptations, Smokey Robinson &

The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential group ...

, Gladys Knight and The Pips,

Patti La Belle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". ...

(and The Bluebelles). Everybody has worked with James Brown and The Famous Flames. We were the stars of every show that was out there". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame awarded Bobby Bennett, and the other members of The Famous Flames, Bobby Byrd, Lloyd Stallworth, and Johnny Terry, posthumously on April 14, 2012. In a 2012 interview with '' Goldmine'', the famous

Oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as w ...

music magazine, Bobby Bennett, the last surviving member of the Famous Flames, when asked how he'd like the group to be remembered, said: "I want (people) to know one thing,” replied Bennett. ''“We'' were the Famous Flames… James Brown was a Famous Flame, Bobby Byrd was a Famous Flame, Lloyd Stallworth was a Famous Flame and Bobby Bennett was a Famous Flame…wherever we played, ''we'' were the Famous Flames. We were never the band, ''never''. We were the 3 guys who danced (and sang) with him and the 3 guys who performed with him at every concert. ''We were not no 'band. We were the group that worked hard on stage and did a wonderful performance on stage for the whole public." Bobby's statement about The Famous Flames being a ''singing group'' and ''not'' "backup musicians" was also confirmed by Flames lead singer James Brown in a 1982 interview on The David Letterman Show. Bennett died at his home in Maryland on January 18, 2013, of complications of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

, less than one year after the group's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. Ten days later, on January 28, 2013, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website issued an article paying tribute to him. He is survived by his wife of many years, Sandi, and their children. Actor/choreographer Aakomon Jones played Famous Flame Bobby Bennett in the James Brown biofilm " Get on Up", which opened in U.S.theatres on January 8, 2014. He also served as choreographer for the film. In 2020, Bobby Bennett was posthumously inducted with the rest of The Famous Flames' members Baby Lloyd Stallworth, Bobby Byrd, and Johnny Terry into the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame, some seven years after the induction of Flames lead singer

into the same organization.

References

External links

*
The Official ''Facebook'' Page of The Famous Flames-by Bobby Bennett's widow Sandi Bennett

* ttp://redkelly2.blogspot.com/2007/09/bobby-byrd-keep-on-doin-what-youre-doin.html ''"Keep On Doin'What You're Doin"'' Bobby Byrd, James Brown, and The Famous Flames
The Famous Flames' Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Site

The Famous Flames on the ''Future Rock Hall website

* [http://ourrockandrollhalloffame71305.yuku.com/topic/1691/members---FAMOUS-FLAMES--MIDNIGHTERS---MIRACLES-SNUBBED?page=1 The Famous Flames-James Brown's Original Singing Group 1953-1968- blog from Charles Crossley's "Top of The Charts" Yuku website] *
''Goldmine Magazine'' interview with ''Bobby Bennett'', the last surviving member of 2012 ''Rock and Roll Hall of Fame''-inducted vocal group, ''The Famous Flames''- by Bill Gordon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Bobby James Brown vocalists The Famous Flames members 1938 births 2013 deaths People from Burlington, North Carolina King Records artists Loma Records artists African-American male dancers African-American dancers American male dancers American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters American soul singers American male singers Deaths from diabetes Singer-songwriters from North Carolina African-American male singers