Bobby Byrd was born in South Carolina on August 15th, 1934. The Byrd family helped James Brown to be released from prison in 1952 and he subsequently joined Bobby Byrd's gospel group, The Gospel Starlighters. The band evolved into the Flames and changed their style to R&B.

Renamed The Famous Flames, the group recorded their first hit "Please Please Please" for the King/Federal label in 1956. By 1958, the Famous Flames topped the R&B charts with "Try Me" for the first time. In 1962, one of seven nights at the Apollo Theatre in New York was released as James Brown "Live at the Apollo" album which becomes the first black concert album to top the pop charts. Their success enabled Bobby Byrd to release several singles under his own name, starting in 1963 with "I Found Out" for the Smash record label. The single "We're in Love" reached #14 on the R&B charts in January 1965 and was followed by several more releases on the Smash and King labels. Being kind of overshadowed by the presence of James Brown on stage, Bobby Byrd played organ and provided backup vocals, often acting as Master of Ceremony to introduce the audience to the star of the show, James Brown. Nevertheless, with the help of the Godfather and their backing band, Bobby Byrd became a star in his own right in the second half of the 60s.