The Original Famous Flames
®
JAMES BROWN and THE FAMOUS FLAMES
What critics & music industry people have said.
®
Bobby Bennett of
The Famous Flames
®
“I want them 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".
L-to-R) BOBBY BENNETT, 'BABY' LLOYD STALLWORTH, BOBBY BYRD, and
JAMES BROWN.
Recognition
Goldmine Magazine
"The group's DYNAMIC LIVE PERFORMANCES never failed in bringing audiences to STATES OF FRENZY !!"
​
Click Here to read full article from Goldmine
By Bill “Topkat” Gordon
as told to Phill Marder
Michael Jackson
"James Brown is a genius, you know when he's with The Famous Flames...UNBELIEVABLE !!"
The New Yorker
"Arguably the most electrifying performance in the history of postwar American music."
Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones
(In reviewing James Brown & The Famous Flames' landmark 1964 appearance in the motion picture "The T.A.M.I. Show)
"The BIGGEST mistake we ever made in our career was following James Brown & The Famous Flames "
Smokey Robinson of The Miracles
"If JAMES BROWN was the "Hardest Working Man in Show Business", The FAMOUS FLAMES were the Hardest Working GROUP !!"
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
"Consummate entertainers, the Famous Flames never failed to light the stage up with their explosive chemistry and flair for showmanship."
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Debating who belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a pastime that's been around as long as the hall itself. Who's better than who is in? Who influenced whom? Who did what first? Yeah, yeah, yeah. We've heard it all before. Well, there's no debating the Famous Flames".
Universal Music
The albums "Pure Dynamite! Live At The Royal Theater" and "Live At The Garden", from 1964 and 1967 respectively, offer up further proof as to why (James) Brown and his dynamic vocal group The Famous Flames were one of the BEST concert acts on the PLANET !!"
Bobby Bennett of The Famous Flames
"Although James Brown became the undisputed leader, the Famous Flames...played a significant role in his success. The Famous Flames not only sang but also were part of the frenetic choreography that made Brown’s live performances so spectacular. Brown’s years with the Famous Flames represent his greatest period of impact as a driving force in soul music and renown as a live performer. In fact, Brown himself was initially one of the Flames before busting out to become the Godfather of Soul."
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame CEO Terry Stewart
(Responding to the INCORRECT rumor that The Famous Flames were an instrumental BAND instead of the VOCAL GROUP that they actually were.)
"They were a group of singers, performers, and dancers that created the complementary elements of one of the greatest stage shows of all time."
Rick Rubin - Producer
“The single GREATEST rock ’n’ roll performance EVER captured on film.”
Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones
(About James Brown and The Famous Flames' landmark 1964 performance in the 1964 concert film, "The T.A.M.I. SHOW."
“During an incredible set from James Brown and his Famous Flames, all the ACTS went as crazy as the AUDIENCE out front. We now knew what James Brown meant and were petrified at the prospect of following him."
Universal Music
(on James Brown & The Famous Flames appearance on the 1964 AIP Film "The T.A.M.I. Show)
"(Brown) is, justifiably, a charter inductee of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (1986) His Famous Flames – Bobby Byrd, Bobby Bennett, Baby Lloyd Stallworth, and Johnny Terry – were inducted into the Rock Hall during this year’s ceremonies" (2012)
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
"Although James Brown became the undisputed leader, the Famous Flames...played a significant role in his success. The Famous Flames not only sang but also were part of the frenetic choreography that made Brown’s live performances so spectacular. Brown’s years with the Famous Flames represent his greatest period of impact as a driving force in soul music and renown as a live performer. In fact, Brown himself was initially one of the Flames before busting out to become the Godfather of Soul."
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
"Although James Brown became the undisputed leader, the Famous Flames...played a significant role in his success. The Famous Flames not only sang but also were part of the frenetic choreography that made Brown’s live performances so spectacular. Brown’s years with the Famous Flames represent his greatest period of impact as a driving force in soul music and renown as a live performer. In fact, Brown himself was initially one of the Flames before busting out to become the Godfather of Soul."
Digital Dream Door
"The combination of the gospel-derived harmonies of the (Famous) Flames and the intense leads of Brown made the group the UNDISPUTED LEADERS of the Soul movement and THE MOST EXPLOSIVE ACT IN ALL OF ROCK !!"
Bobby Bennett of The Famous Flames
" James Brown was the most FAMOUS of the Flames, but we were ALL Famous Flames.”