Bobby Byrd ought to be much more famous. He gave James Brown his big break and wrote most of his hits but never became a household name.

It’s no exaggeration to say that without him, James Brown might never have made it out of Georgia – or jail, where he was serving time for robbery.

It was Byrd who sponsored Brown’s parole after the pair met playing baseball (against each other) outside the juvenile detention centre, where Brown had earned the nickname “Music Box” for his voice.

That same year, 1952, Byrd formed an a capella gospel group, initially called The Zioneers, who after a few more name changes – The Gospel Starlighters, The Five Royals, The Avons, The Toccoa Band – switched styles to R&B and became The Flames and, eventually, The Famous Flames.

Brown, following his release on parole – he promised the judge he would “sing for the Lord” – first joined Byrd’s sister Sarah’s vocal group The Ever-Ready Gospel Singers.

Before long Byrd poached him for his own group and in 1956 they released Please, Please, Please (a title given to them by Little Richard) under the name James Brown And The Famous Flames.

From then on Brown became the star and the man who brought him into the group – indeed, started the group – was relegated to a role as backing singer. But Byrd was more than that.

Operating as JB’s right-hand man, he performed an invaluable function in the James Brown show, warming up the crowds as a solo singer before retreating to the sidelines as one of The Famous Flames.

He also got to record numerous solo singles, most of them produced by Brown, between the early Sixties and early Seventies, using his backing musicians – and sometimes Brown himself.

Not this one though, which was written and produced by Florida duo Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke (composer of the great Betty Wright’s Clean Up Woman) and released in 1974, a year after Byrd parted company with Brown.

His last gig a few months before he died in 2007 – performing at Brown’s own memorial service.