The gospel/rhythm and blues group that spawned James Brown and Bobby Byrd, back in the early 50s; James' pre-funk hits were done with groups nominally known as "The Famous Flames" (or "James Brown and..."), but there were more lineup changes than a varsity game. "Please, Please, Please", "Try Me", "Night Train", and more; way above-average, but still somewhat generic stuff. They also did James' Live at The Apollo recordings. Ended 1964, but the funk seeds were planted.