“I Know You Got Soul” was written by Brown, Byrd and Charles Bobbitt. It was produced by Brown and released on King Records. It peaked at #30 on the Billboard R&B singles chart. In the late 1980s, the song found a new audience when it was embraced by the hip-hop community via sampling. It was sampled by a slew of rap artists, including Public Enemy (“Fight The Power), Eric B. & Rakim (“I Know You Got Soul”), Ice Cube (“Jackin’ For Beats”) and Kid ‘N Play (“Gittin Funky”). And it was sampled on Brown’s 1988 hit “Static,” which featured R&B/hip-hop group Full Force. In all, “I Know You Got Soul” has been sampled on 150 songs. An extended 4:42 version of “I Know You Got Soul” was included on the 1988 compilation album James Brown's Funky People (Part 2).
Other notable Bobby Byrd tracks include “Keep On Doin’ What You’re Doin'," “Hot Pants – I’m Coming, I’m Coming, I’m Coming” and “Funky Soul #1.”
Brown and Byrd had a long history that dated back all the way to the beginning of Brown’s professional music career—and even before that. The two met in 1952 during a baseball game outside of a juvenile detention center in Toccoa, Georgia where Brown was serving time for burglary. Byrd, who was from a religious family, was playing for his local baseball team in a friendly game against the prison team in which Brown was the pitcher. The two teens hit it off as they shared a mutual love of music. Byrd’s family successfully petitioned for Brown’s early release and opened their home to him.
Byrd was a member of an a cappella group called the Gospel Starlighters. The group later changed its name to the Avons when it adopted a more secular R&B-based sound; they soon changed their name to the Five Royals and finally to the Flames. Brown joined the group as their drummer in 1954, but it wasn’t long before he took over lead-singing duties. The group made a name for itself as a great live act that boasted amazing stage chops and an extremely charismatic front man. Due to their growing popularity and dynamic live shows, the group began calling themselves the Famous Flames. The headstrong Brown eventually relegated the other members to his background singers, and the group renamed itself one final time to James Brown and the Famous Flames.
The group released their first single “Please, Please, Please” on Federal Records in 1956. It became a big hit on the U.S. R&B singles chart, peaking at #6. The track served as a powerful launching pad for Brown’s incredible recording career, which spanned over four decades. Byrd and Brown maintained a professional relationship until 1973. In his association with Brown, Byrd had a number of different roles, including background singer, organist, collaborator, hype man, songwriter and arranger. Byrd was featured prominently on classic tracks such as “Soul Power” and “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine.” And his cowriting credits include Talkin’ Loud & Sayin’ Nothin,” "Licking Stick – Licking Stick,” “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine,” “Get Up, Get in It, Get Involved” and “Lost Someone.”
Byrd is one of the unsung heroes of funk music; his significant contributions to the genre are often underappreciated or completely overlooked. He cowrote some of Brown’s seminal hits that helped push the funk genre forward. And let’s not forget, the world may have never been blessed with Brown’s great talent had it not been for Byrd and his family’s generosity. They recognized Brown’s gifts and potential early on and provided him an environment where those gifts could flourish. He might have fallen back into a life of crime had Byrd not entered his life.
Byrd was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame posthumously in 2012 as a member of the Famous Flames. He was also a 1998 recipient of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation’s Pioneer Award.
"I Know You Got Soul" at Amazon
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