Funky16Corners

Bobby Byrd – Back From the Dead

By Larry, April 5, 2012 4:24 pm

Bobby Byrd

~~Listen/Download Bobby Byrd – Back From the Dead~~

Greetings all.

The end of another week is here, and so is your weekly helping of soulful goodness in the form of the Funky16Corners Radio Show. We take to the airwaves of the interwebs this – and every – Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you can’t be there at the time of broadcast you can always fall by the blog and grab the show (or any of the previous 100 episodes) in MP3 form.

The tune I bring you today comes from late in the career of one of my favorite funky singers, Mr Bobby Byrd.

Though he is best known as a part of the James Brown galaxy of stars, Byrd recorded today’s selection under the auspices of Henry Stone’s Florida-based TK label.

Byrd recorded some of the finest non-James Brown JB-related 45s of the 60s and early 70s.

Among them was the epic, hard charging and undeniably ass-kicking ‘I Know You Got Soul’ (later flipped and reworked by no less than Eric B and Rakim) ‘Hot Pants – I’m Coming, I’m Coming’ as well as all manner of right-hand-man-isms alongside the Godfather himself (‘What you g’on play now? Bobby I don’t know, by whatsoever I play it’s got to be funky!).

Byrd was an original member of the Famous Flames, a pianist and a great, rough-edged singer.

It’s almost impossible to separate Bobby Byrd from the mighty James Brown, but that that’s what happened in 1973 when Byrd left the fold and went out on his own.

He recorded for a few different labels before ending up on the TK subsidiary International Brothers in 1974.

‘Back From the Dead’, co-written and produced by none other than Clarence Reid is a slightly slicker confection than folk used to his King sides might expect. It is a little jarring to hear Byrd working outside of the familiar James Brown aural landscape, but he works well with the proto-disco of the TK crew.

You also get to hear Bobby drop gems like

‘Like a vampire from a horror movie, girl you gave me something groovy!’
‘Brought me back from the dead!’

Whether or not the title of the song was supposed to be prophetic is tough to say. Byrd either entered or orbited near the Top 40 more than half a dozen times during the James Brown years. After leaving his last two charting singles (of which ‘Back From the Dead’ was the final one) hit #82 and #57 respectively.

Bobby Byrd (who was married to another JB stalwart, Vicki Anderson) passed away not long after Brown in September of 2007.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll be back on Monday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.