Bobby Bennett obit

Bobby Bennett of The Famous Flames Obit 

He was not on the list.

Bobby Bennett was born Robert J. Bennett on June 27, 1938 in Burlington, North Carolina. The son of Robert and Inez Bennett, he was raised in Burlington's Rauhut Street in Alamance County, 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 group, the Harmonizing Five and traveled with them locally and to many East Coast and southern states from Maryland, DC and Virginia 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 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 and The Famous Flames at the Rocklin Place in New York City 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.

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, James Brown 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 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", "This Old Heart" 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 The Famous Flames". 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.