13 People Who Made James Brown a Star

James Brown

With Alex Gibney's new documentary, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, now on airing on HBO, it’s a great time to learn about the fascinating personalities who helped the Godfather of Soul find his unique look and sound.

Bobby Byrd

Born Richard Wayne Penniman in 1932 — just five months before Brown — Little Richard introduced the Famous Flames to manager Clint Brantley, who sent the group to a local radio station in Macon, Ga., to record the demo for “Please, Please, Please” in 1955. Little Richard had inspired the tune, whose performance would come to define Brown’s fevered stage style, when he wrote its title on a table napkin.

Little Richard

Originator of one of the most distinctive alto-sax sounds in modern American music, Parker joined the James Brown Revue in 1964, left it in 1970 and returned in 1974. His piquant riffs and solos grace numerous JB classics, among them “Licking Stick” and “Papa Don’t Take Any Mess.” Parker left Brown again in 1975 to join Parliament-Funkadelic. He has since forged a noteworthy solo career.

Syd Nathan

After Brown’s back-up band abruptly quit in 1970, bassist Bootsy Collins stepped forward, along with his older brother and guitarist Phelps “Catfish” Collins, to form a new backing band, the JBs. Bootsy stayed with Brown for a brief 11 months, but it was long enough to give us such definitive tunes as “Super Bad,” “Sex Machine” and “Soul Power.”

Maceo Parker

In his 1986 autobiography, The Godfather of Soul, Brown cites Anderson as the best singer in the ever-morphing James Brown Revue, formed in 1960. Anderson joined the Revue in 1965, replacing Anna King as Brown’s main female singer, only to leave it three years later but rejoin it in 1969. Her powerful pipes stand out on “The Message From the Soul Sisters,” “You’ve Got the Power” and “Super Good.” Anderson married singer Bobby Byrd, another member of Brown’s Revue.

Fred Wesley

Renowned for her exhilarating singing, Whitney helped power the James Brown Revue beginning in the mid-1960s. Under Brown’s guidance, she scored a handful of hits such as “Unwind Yourself,” “Things Got to Get Better (Get Together),” and “It’s My Thing (You Can’t Tell Me Who to Sock It To).” The latter was Whitney’s 1969 response to the Isley Brothers’ hit “It’s Your Thing.”

Bootsy Collins

A stalwart saxophonist, arranger, composer and music director of Brown’s band from 1965 to 1969, Ellis cowrote a string of hits that included “Cold Sweat” and “Say It Loud — I’m Black and I’m Proud.” He later became an arranger for CTI/KUDU records, and worked with the likes of George Benson, Esther Phillips and Van Morrison.

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Vicki Anderson

With Alex Gibney's new documentary, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, now on airing on HBO, it’s a great time to learn about the fascinating personalities who helped the Godfather of Soul find his unique look and sound.

Yvonne Fair

With Alex Gibney's new documentary, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, now on airing on HBO, it’s a great time to learn about the fascinating personalities who helped the Godfather of Soul find his unique look and sound.

Marva Whitney

With Alex Gibney's new documentary, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, now on airing on HBO, it’s a great time to learn about the fascinating personalities who helped the Godfather of Soul find his unique look and sound.

Lyn Collins

With Alex Gibney's new documentary, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, now on airing on HBO, it’s a great time to learn about the fascinating personalities who helped the Godfather of Soul find his unique look and sound.

Pee Wee Ellis

With Alex Gibney's new documentary, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, now on airing on HBO, it’s a great time to learn about the fascinating personalities who helped the Godfather of Soul find his unique look and sound.

Clyde Stubblefield

With Alex Gibney's new documentary, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, now on airing on HBO, it’s a great time to learn about the fascinating personalities who helped the Godfather of Soul find his unique look and sound.

Al Sharpton

With Alex Gibney's new documentary, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, now on airing on HBO, it’s a great time to learn about the fascinating personalities who helped the Godfather of Soul find his unique look and sound.

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With Alex Gibney's new documentary, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, now on airing on HBO, it’s a great time to learn about the fascinating personalities who helped the Godfather of Soul find his unique look and sound.