WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.419 Okay, I want you to close your eyes for a second. 00:00:01.540 --> 00:00:05.540 Picture the godfather of soul, James Brown. It's, 00:00:05.540 --> 00:00:10.240 say, 1964. The stage is hot, the lights are blinding, 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:13.679 and he is right there in the center. The cape 00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:16.079 gets draped over his shoulders, he's sweating, 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:18.679 he drops to his knees, and the crowd just, I 00:00:18.679 --> 00:00:21.679 mean, it absolutely loses its mind. It's the 00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:24.280 definition of a one -man powerhouse. It is. It's 00:00:24.280 --> 00:00:26.660 one of the most enduring images in music history. 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:30.800 The singular genius, the hardest working man 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:33.039 in show business. But if we open our eyes and 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:35.399 zoom out just a little bit, if you look just, 00:00:35.500 --> 00:00:37.539 you know, three feet to the left or three feet 00:00:37.539 --> 00:00:39.869 to the right of that spotlight. There's someone 00:00:39.869 --> 00:00:42.350 else there. Yeah. There's a guy dancing just 00:00:42.350 --> 00:00:44.649 as hard. He's catching the cape. He's hitting 00:00:44.649 --> 00:00:46.590 the harmonies that actually make the song work. 00:00:46.750 --> 00:00:48.829 But when we tell the story later, he's usually 00:00:48.829 --> 00:00:51.329 cropped out of the photo. And that's what historians 00:00:51.329 --> 00:00:53.810 call the great man narrative. Yeah. We love the 00:00:53.810 --> 00:00:55.810 idea of the solitary hero, the Steve Jobs, the 00:00:55.810 --> 00:00:58.049 Elvis, the James Brown. It's a cleaner story. 00:00:58.250 --> 00:01:00.350 Right. But the reality of creating something 00:01:00.350 --> 00:01:02.869 massive, whether it's a tech company or a soul 00:01:02.869 --> 00:01:05.569 revolution, is almost always a machine. It's 00:01:05.569 --> 00:01:07.989 a collective. And usually for the great man to 00:01:07.989 --> 00:01:11.049 shine. A lot of other essential gears have to 00:01:11.049 --> 00:01:14.349 become invisible. And today we are going to stop 00:01:14.349 --> 00:01:16.189 that machine and look at one of those gears. 00:01:16.650 --> 00:01:19.310 We are talking about a man who stood right next 00:01:19.310 --> 00:01:22.269 to greatness, helped invent a genre, and then 00:01:22.269 --> 00:01:25.730 had to spend decades fighting just to prove he 00:01:25.730 --> 00:01:28.530 was even there. We are talking about Lloyd Eugene 00:01:28.530 --> 00:01:31.450 Stallworth. Stallworth. Most people probably 00:01:31.450 --> 00:01:33.469 haven't heard that name. Or if they have, they 00:01:33.469 --> 00:01:35.799 know him by his nickname. Baby Lloyd. He was, 00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:38.260 you could say, the heart and soul of the famous 00:01:38.260 --> 00:01:41.540 flames. Now, I have to be honest, before we started 00:01:41.540 --> 00:01:43.260 digging into these sources, I mean, the litigation 00:01:43.260 --> 00:01:46.500 files, the Hall of Fame archives, I just assumed 00:01:46.500 --> 00:01:49.939 the famous flames were, you know, backup singers. 00:01:50.219 --> 00:01:51.739 Right. Like props, they stand in the back, they 00:01:51.739 --> 00:01:53.500 snap their finger, they go, ooh, and ah. And 00:01:53.500 --> 00:01:56.299 that is exactly the misconception we need to 00:01:56.299 --> 00:01:59.040 dismantle today. Because if you treat the famous 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:02.299 flames like standard backup singers, you miss 00:02:02.299 --> 00:02:04.980 the entire architecture of James Brown's success. 00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:08.539 These guys weren't just backing him. They were 00:02:08.539 --> 00:02:11.500 the engine. They were the engine. And Lloyd Stallworth 00:02:11.500 --> 00:02:14.400 was the spark plug. So this isn't just a biography. 00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:17.520 This is really an investigation into the machinery 00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:20.819 of fame. We're looking at where the line is drawn 00:02:20.819 --> 00:02:24.139 between star and support. And well, what happens 00:02:24.139 --> 00:02:26.139 when that line gets moved? Plus, we have a 27 00:02:26.139 --> 00:02:28.860 year controversy over credit, a lawsuit worth 00:02:28.860 --> 00:02:31.520 millions of dollars and. A really tragic ending. 00:02:31.719 --> 00:02:33.879 So let's unpack this. Where does the story of 00:02:33.879 --> 00:02:36.060 Baby Lloyd even begin? Well, to understand the 00:02:36.060 --> 00:02:38.039 end, we have to look at the beginning. We're 00:02:38.039 --> 00:02:40.759 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It's 1957. Lloyd 00:02:40.759 --> 00:02:43.460 Stallworth is just a teenager. And he lands a 00:02:43.460 --> 00:02:46.360 job working for James Brown. But here's the kicker. 00:02:46.860 --> 00:02:49.539 He isn't hired to sing. Okay, so what is he doing? 00:02:49.759 --> 00:02:52.199 Loading the gear. He's the valet. He's pressing 00:02:52.199 --> 00:02:55.419 suits. And occasionally he's the driver. A teenage 00:02:55.419 --> 00:02:57.659 driver for James Brown? That sounds a little 00:02:57.659 --> 00:03:01.960 dangerous. Laughs. It probably was. But the best 00:03:01.960 --> 00:03:05.240 part is why he got the job. I found this detail 00:03:05.240 --> 00:03:07.560 in the biographical records, and it's just great. 00:03:07.699 --> 00:03:10.479 His mother actually arranged the gig. His mom 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:13.879 got him a job as a valet. Yes. She explicitly 00:03:13.879 --> 00:03:15.919 wanted to get him out of Fort Lauderdale to, 00:03:15.960 --> 00:03:18.120 quote, keep him out of trouble. Wait, hold on. 00:03:18.139 --> 00:03:20.000 She sent him on tour with a rock and roll band 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:21.740 to keep him out of trouble. It's incredible, 00:03:21.879 --> 00:03:24.039 isn't it? It has to be the most counterintuitive 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:27.419 parenting move of the 1950s. Usually the tour 00:03:27.419 --> 00:03:29.599 bus is where trouble is invented, but it just 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:33.139 shows you how young he was. Just a kid. But he 00:03:33.139 --> 00:03:35.580 did not stay behind the wheel for long. So how 00:03:35.580 --> 00:03:38.319 does one go from parking the car to holding the 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:40.819 microphone? Pure talent. You just couldn't hide 00:03:40.819 --> 00:03:44.039 it. By 1958, he's off the payroll as a valet, 00:03:44.099 --> 00:03:46.479 and he's officially a member of the Famous Flames. 00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:49.000 Wow. And this is where we need to talk about 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:51.460 the music. Because when you listen to those early 00:03:51.460 --> 00:03:55.039 hits, think, bewildered, I don't mind. You weren't 00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:57.379 just hearing James Brown's voice. Right. You're 00:03:57.379 --> 00:03:59.340 hearing that call and response thing, that interplay. 00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:02.139 Exactly. But let's break down why that matters. 00:04:02.300 --> 00:04:05.180 In traditional pop music of the time, the backup 00:04:05.180 --> 00:04:08.439 singers were usually smooth, harmonious. You 00:04:08.439 --> 00:04:10.780 know, they blended into the background. The famous 00:04:10.780 --> 00:04:13.639 flames were percussive. Oh, that's interesting. 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:16.500 They were rhythmic. When James screams, they 00:04:16.500 --> 00:04:19.569 scream back. It's a conversation. So they were 00:04:19.569 --> 00:04:21.990 almost like a second drum kit, but with voices. 00:04:22.290 --> 00:04:25.110 That is a great way to put it. And Lloyd Stallworth 00:04:25.110 --> 00:04:28.769 was crucial to that texture. He wasn't just filling 00:04:28.769 --> 00:04:31.250 space. He was driving the energy. And for anyone 00:04:31.250 --> 00:04:33.170 who thinks, OK, but he was still just performing 00:04:33.170 --> 00:04:35.649 what he was told to perform. There is a smoking 00:04:35.649 --> 00:04:38.329 gun in the discography. Oh, what did you find? 00:04:38.689 --> 00:04:41.430 There's a track from 1961. It's called Lost Someone. 00:04:41.649 --> 00:04:43.769 It was a pretty significant hit. Now, usually 00:04:43.769 --> 00:04:45.769 on a James Brown record, the writing credit says 00:04:45.769 --> 00:04:48.459 one thing. James Brown. Maybe you're a producer. 00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:50.680 Right. But if you look at the actual copyright 00:04:50.680 --> 00:04:53.560 registration for Lost Someone, who do you see? 00:04:53.740 --> 00:04:55.959 Don't tell me it's the valet. It's Lloyd Stallworth. 00:04:56.079 --> 00:04:58.759 Yeah. Co -writer. That is a huge deal for 1961. 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:02.139 It's massive. It proves he was a creative architect 00:05:02.139 --> 00:05:04.939 of the sound. He wasn't just a hired voice. In 00:05:04.939 --> 00:05:08.180 that era, the lines were blurry. You were a valet, 00:05:08.180 --> 00:05:10.199 then a dancer, then a writer, then a singer. 00:05:10.990 --> 00:05:14.149 Stallworth was a true multi -hyphenate. He was 00:05:14.149 --> 00:05:16.509 helping build the house that James Brown would 00:05:16.509 --> 00:05:18.750 eventually own. And they built a palace. I mean, 00:05:18.750 --> 00:05:21.029 the sources highlight two moments where this 00:05:21.029 --> 00:05:24.829 group was just unpunchable. The first is Live 00:05:24.829 --> 00:05:28.589 at the Apollo in 63. Now, I know people talk 00:05:28.589 --> 00:05:30.329 about this album all the time, but why does it 00:05:30.329 --> 00:05:32.910 matter so much for Lloyd? Because Live at the 00:05:32.910 --> 00:05:35.730 Apollo captures the hysteria. You can hear the 00:05:35.730 --> 00:05:37.509 interplay between the flames and the audience. 00:05:38.370 --> 00:05:40.430 That album sold a million copies. It hit the 00:05:40.430 --> 00:05:43.209 top 10. A live R &B album doing that. Unheard 00:05:43.209 --> 00:05:45.490 of. Completely unheard of. It proved that the 00:05:45.490 --> 00:05:48.509 show, the group dynamic, that was the product. 00:05:48.810 --> 00:05:52.029 And then came the TMI show in 1964. The TMI show 00:05:52.029 --> 00:05:54.550 is legendary. It was this massive concert film 00:05:54.550 --> 00:05:56.509 recorded at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. 00:05:56.850 --> 00:05:59.990 You had the Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, Chuck Berry, 00:06:00.170 --> 00:06:02.490 and the headliners were the Rolling Stones. And 00:06:02.490 --> 00:06:03.829 the Stones were the biggest thing in the world 00:06:03.829 --> 00:06:06.790 at that point, right? They were exploding. But 00:06:06.790 --> 00:06:09.050 history remembers this night for one reason. 00:06:09.930 --> 00:06:13.230 James Brown and the famous Flames. I've seen 00:06:13.230 --> 00:06:15.250 clips of this. It looks like an FLAC event, not 00:06:15.250 --> 00:06:18.129 a concert. It is. Lloyd and the other Flames 00:06:18.129 --> 00:06:19.769 aren't just standing at microphones snapping. 00:06:20.029 --> 00:06:22.610 They're doing split -second choreography. They're 00:06:22.610 --> 00:06:25.170 dropping to their knees, popping back up, spinning. 00:06:25.750 --> 00:06:29.439 It's synchronized chaos. And they went so hard. 00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:32.379 They went so hard that Keith Richards has famously 00:06:32.379 --> 00:06:35.500 admitted that choosing to follow James Brown 00:06:35.500 --> 00:06:37.699 and the famous Flames was the biggest mistake 00:06:37.699 --> 00:06:39.899 of their careers. They upstaged the Rolling Stones. 00:06:40.180 --> 00:06:42.120 They incinerated them. And Lloyd was right there 00:06:42.120 --> 00:06:44.240 on the front line. So at this point, Lloyd has 00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:46.839 to be thinking, I've made it. He's writing hits. 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:49.000 He's out dancing the Stones. And the research 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:50.819 shows he actually tried to launch a solo career 00:06:50.819 --> 00:06:53.519 around this time, didn't he? He did. And this 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:57.420 is a really interesting what if moment in music 00:06:57.420 --> 00:07:00.259 history. He released solo singles under the name 00:07:00.259 --> 00:07:03.240 Baby Lloyd. He had a track on Atco Records called 00:07:03.240 --> 00:07:06.680 I Need You. He was on a label called Loma with 00:07:06.680 --> 00:07:09.019 There's Something on Your Mind. Did they go anywhere? 00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:12.639 Not really. And you have to wonder why. Was it 00:07:12.639 --> 00:07:15.680 a lack of promotion? Was it that the public couldn't 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:18.240 separate him from the group? But there is one 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:20.819 solo recording that I think perfectly captures 00:07:20.819 --> 00:07:23.360 his confidence. He appeared on an album called 00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:27.019 Presenting, The James Brown Show. And guess what 00:07:27.019 --> 00:07:29.579 song he chose to sing? I have no idea. He covered 00:07:29.579 --> 00:07:31.560 I Can't Get No Satisfaction. The Rolling Stones 00:07:31.560 --> 00:07:36.259 song. The very same. That is, that is bold. It's 00:07:36.259 --> 00:07:38.160 like, we just blew you off the stage at the Tia 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:40.100 Yama show, and now I'm going to sing your biggest 00:07:40.100 --> 00:07:42.579 hit on my boss's album. It's a total power move. 00:07:42.899 --> 00:07:45.920 And it shows his range. He was interpreting contemporary 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:48.339 rock and roll. He wasn't just a soul singer. 00:07:48.579 --> 00:07:50.699 He had the potential to be a crossover star. 00:07:51.019 --> 00:07:53.540 So why didn't it happen? We have all the ingredients 00:07:53.540 --> 00:07:55.970 for a spinoff success story here. But instead, 00:07:56.269 --> 00:07:58.589 the story takes a really, really sharp turn. 00:07:58.750 --> 00:08:02.009 It does. And we can pinpoint the moment the erasure 00:08:02.009 --> 00:08:05.290 begins. The sources all point to 1966, specifically 00:08:05.290 --> 00:08:09.870 the Ed Sullivan show. Right. So on May 1st, 1966, 00:08:10.470 --> 00:08:13.970 the famous flames perform on Ed Sullivan. Lloyd 00:08:13.970 --> 00:08:16.930 is there. They kill it. But then James Brown 00:08:16.930 --> 00:08:20.269 is booked to return on October 30th, 1966, just 00:08:20.269 --> 00:08:22.250 five months later. And when the curtain comes 00:08:22.250 --> 00:08:24.769 up. Lloyd Stallworth is gone. He's gone. The 00:08:24.769 --> 00:08:26.750 fame and flames are gone. What happened in those 00:08:26.750 --> 00:08:31.029 five months? Business. Cold, hard business. The 00:08:31.029 --> 00:08:33.429 dynamic had shifted from a group effort to a 00:08:33.429 --> 00:08:36.169 star and support model. And this is where we 00:08:36.169 --> 00:08:38.090 need to explain a concept that ruins a lot of 00:08:38.090 --> 00:08:39.929 friendships in music. The difference between 00:08:39.929 --> 00:08:42.509 billing and salary. Okay, break this down for 00:08:42.509 --> 00:08:44.730 me. If Lloyd is getting a paycheck, why does 00:08:44.730 --> 00:08:46.750 it matter if he has billing? Okay, so salary 00:08:46.750 --> 00:08:49.700 means you are an employee. You get paid, say, 00:08:49.779 --> 00:08:52.419 $500 a week to show up and sing. If the record 00:08:52.419 --> 00:08:55.259 sells 10 copies, you get $500. If the record 00:08:55.259 --> 00:08:58.220 sells 10 million copies, you get $500. Ouch. 00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:00.620 Okay, I see where this is going. Billing, or 00:09:00.620 --> 00:09:02.899 being a contracted artist, usually comes with 00:09:02.899 --> 00:09:05.500 points royalties. It means you own a piece of 00:09:05.500 --> 00:09:07.139 the work. If the record blows up, you blow up. 00:09:07.470 --> 00:09:10.049 The dispute here was that James Brown was the 00:09:10.049 --> 00:09:12.649 artist. The Famous Flames were becoming employees. 00:09:13.070 --> 00:09:15.389 So they were getting shut out of the wealth they 00:09:15.389 --> 00:09:18.009 were helping to generate. Precisely. And it wasn't 00:09:18.009 --> 00:09:20.850 just money. It was their faces. King Records 00:09:20.850 --> 00:09:23.370 never put the Famous Flames on the album covers. 00:09:23.570 --> 00:09:27.009 It was only ever James Brown. That feels intentional. 00:09:27.490 --> 00:09:30.690 It's branding 101. If the public doesn't know 00:09:30.690 --> 00:09:33.059 what you look like... You have no leverage. You 00:09:33.059 --> 00:09:35.580 can't leave and start a solo career because nobody 00:09:35.580 --> 00:09:37.700 knows you were the guy singing the hook on Think. 00:09:37.879 --> 00:09:40.539 They just know James Brown. That is devastating. 00:09:40.860 --> 00:09:44.399 So Lloyd leaves the group in 66. The golden era 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:47.700 is over. What happens to him? Does he go back 00:09:47.700 --> 00:09:50.320 to Florida? Well, he drifts for a while. But 00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:53.039 then, in a twist that is honestly kind of heartbreaking, 00:09:53.279 --> 00:09:55.039 he eventually goes back to work for the James 00:09:55.039 --> 00:09:57.519 Brown organization. Oh, wow. So they reconciled. 00:09:57.519 --> 00:10:00.460 He's back on stage. No. The records show he took 00:10:00.460 --> 00:10:02.500 a job on the clerical staff. Wait, hold on. You're 00:10:02.500 --> 00:10:04.919 telling me the guy who co -wrote Lost Someone 00:10:04.919 --> 00:10:08.860 and danced the stones off the stage is now filing 00:10:08.860 --> 00:10:11.559 papers? It appears so. And I think that just 00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:13.399 speaks to the psychological hold of that great 00:10:13.399 --> 00:10:16.460 man machine. Even when you're cast out, the gravity 00:10:16.460 --> 00:10:18.740 of the star pulls you back in, but often in a 00:10:18.740 --> 00:10:21.610 diminished role. So we have the 70s, the 80s, 00:10:21.610 --> 00:10:24.769 the 90s passing by. James Brown is becoming an 00:10:24.769 --> 00:10:26.950 even bigger icon. He's in the Blues Brothers. 00:10:27.129 --> 00:10:29.029 He's getting sampled by every hip hop artist 00:10:29.029 --> 00:10:32.529 on earth. What is Lloyd doing during this time? 00:10:32.809 --> 00:10:35.429 He's living a relatively quiet life dealing with 00:10:35.429 --> 00:10:38.929 health issues. But the resentment or maybe just 00:10:38.929 --> 00:10:41.809 the realization of injustice is brewing and it 00:10:41.809 --> 00:10:44.830 finally boils over in 2002. This is the lawsuit. 00:10:45.129 --> 00:10:49.250 Yes. In 2002, Lloyd Stallworth is 61 years old. 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:51.480 He teams up with other members of the Flames, 00:10:51.600 --> 00:10:55.240 Bobby Bird, Bobby Bennett, and they sue James 00:10:55.240 --> 00:10:57.379 Brown. And this wasn't for a few thousand bucks, 00:10:57.500 --> 00:10:59.940 was it? No. Baby Lloyd and Bobby Bennett were 00:10:59.940 --> 00:11:02.960 seeking $7 million. Bobby Bird wanted $5 million. 00:11:03.220 --> 00:11:05.379 And their argument was basically, you never paid 00:11:05.379 --> 00:11:08.159 us those royalties from the 60s. Correct. They 00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:09.899 argued that because of their songwriting, their 00:11:09.899 --> 00:11:12.220 arrangement contributions, they were owed a share 00:11:12.220 --> 00:11:14.059 of the profits that had been compounding for 00:11:14.059 --> 00:11:16.019 40 years. So this seems pretty straightforward. 00:11:16.299 --> 00:11:18.320 If they wrote the songs, they should get paid. 00:11:18.700 --> 00:11:20.860 Why did the lawsuit fail? This is where the legal 00:11:20.860 --> 00:11:24.679 system can be incredibly cruel. The case wasn't 00:11:24.679 --> 00:11:27.039 dismissed because the judge said, you didn't 00:11:27.039 --> 00:11:29.480 write the songs. It wasn't dismissed because 00:11:29.480 --> 00:11:31.399 the judge said, James Brown doesn't owe you money. 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:34.080 Then why? It was dismissed because of the statute 00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:37.279 of limitations. The cloak ran out. Exactly. The 00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:39.759 defense argued that if they weren't paid in 1965, 00:11:40.379 --> 00:11:44.230 they should have sued in, like, 1968. You can't 00:11:44.230 --> 00:11:46.710 wake up in 2002 and sue for something that happened 00:11:46.710 --> 00:11:48.870 in the Kennedy administration. But wait, isn't 00:11:48.870 --> 00:11:51.110 there an argument that every time a record is 00:11:51.110 --> 00:11:53.450 sold, a new payment is owed? Like, if a radio 00:11:53.450 --> 00:11:56.389 station plays Think today, isn't that a new event? 00:11:56.850 --> 00:11:58.690 That's called the continuous accrual doctrine, 00:11:58.870 --> 00:12:00.789 and it's exactly what their lawyers tried to 00:12:00.789 --> 00:12:03.789 argue. They said, hey, James Brown is still selling 00:12:03.789 --> 00:12:05.690 these records, so the theft is happening right 00:12:05.690 --> 00:12:08.490 now. But the court didn't buy it, not in this 00:12:08.490 --> 00:12:10.809 specific context regarding the underlying contracts. 00:12:11.269 --> 00:12:13.950 They ruled... that the original breach happened 00:12:13.950 --> 00:12:16.909 decades ago. That is such a bitter pill to swallow. 00:12:17.029 --> 00:12:19.529 You're right, but you're too late. And the timing 00:12:19.529 --> 00:12:22.309 makes it even more tragic. The lawsuit was filed 00:12:22.309 --> 00:12:26.230 in 2002, but Lloyd Stallworth never even saw 00:12:26.230 --> 00:12:28.769 the inside of a courtroom. Why not? He passed 00:12:28.769 --> 00:12:32.590 away in October 2002. Oh, man. He died from complications 00:12:32.590 --> 00:12:36.309 of diabetes. He was only 61. So right as he finally 00:12:36.309 --> 00:12:39.090 worked up the courage to demand what was his, 00:12:39.250 --> 00:12:41.919 he was gone. So he dies without the money. And 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:44.399 at that point, he still doesn't have the recognition, 00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:46.960 right? Because we have to talk about the Rock 00:12:46.960 --> 00:12:49.059 and Roll Hall of Fame. This is the final insult, 00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:51.679 really. James Brown was inducted into the Hall 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:54.539 of Fame in 1986. First ballot. Charter member. 00:12:54.840 --> 00:12:57.360 And the Flames? Not invited. How does that even 00:12:57.360 --> 00:12:59.240 happen? We just spent 10 minutes talking about 00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:01.879 how they were the engine of the sound. How do 00:13:01.879 --> 00:13:04.620 you induct the hood ornament, but not the engine? 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:07.120 It's the great man narrative again. The Hall 00:13:07.120 --> 00:13:09.080 of Fame, especially in the early days, focused 00:13:09.080 --> 00:13:11.710 on the front man. Years later, the CEO of the 00:13:11.710 --> 00:13:14.049 Rock Hall, a guy named Terry Stewart, he actually 00:13:14.049 --> 00:13:16.350 admitted it. He said there was no legislative 00:13:16.350 --> 00:13:19.169 intent to leave them out. He said, quote, somehow 00:13:19.169 --> 00:13:22.070 they just got overlooked. Overlooked. That is 00:13:22.070 --> 00:13:24.470 a very polite way of saying you're raced. It 00:13:24.470 --> 00:13:27.649 is. And it took them 26 years to fix the oversight. 00:13:27.950 --> 00:13:30.490 26 years. In 2011, they formed a special committee 00:13:30.490 --> 00:13:32.929 to look at backing groups. The Crickets, the 00:13:32.929 --> 00:13:34.990 Midnighters, the Famous Flames. They decided 00:13:34.990 --> 00:13:37.889 to finally induct them in 2012. But by 2012. 00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:41.399 Lloyd is gone. Lloyd had been dead for a decade. 00:13:41.460 --> 00:13:44.720 Johnny Terry was gone. Bobby Bird was gone. When 00:13:44.720 --> 00:13:47.620 the ceremony finally happened, only one member, 00:13:47.779 --> 00:13:50.299 Bobby Bennett, was alive to walk up to that podium. 00:13:50.379 --> 00:13:54.559 That image is just heavy. Standing there alone, 00:13:54.720 --> 00:13:57.120 receiving an award for a group that's basically 00:13:57.120 --> 00:14:00.399 gone. It was bittersweet. But the person who 00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:02.879 inducted them, Smokey Robinson, gave a speech 00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:04.799 that I think is the most important takeaway from 00:14:04.799 --> 00:14:06.940 this entire story. Smokey Robinson knows a thing 00:14:06.940 --> 00:14:08.639 or two about groups. He was with the Miracles. 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:10.960 Exactly. And he looked at the audience and he 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:13.539 said, these people do not stand behind you. They 00:14:13.539 --> 00:14:16.159 stand with you. They stand with you. I like that. 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:18.419 And then he kind of dropped the mic metaphorically. 00:14:18.440 --> 00:14:20.820 He said, if James Brown was the hardest working 00:14:20.820 --> 00:14:23.480 man in show business, the famous Flames were 00:14:23.480 --> 00:14:26.519 the hardest working group. Finally, some vindication. 00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:29.740 It's in the history books now. And recently we 00:14:29.740 --> 00:14:33.039 have seen a bit more recognition. Lloyd was a 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:35.259 character in the James Brown biopic Get On Up 00:14:35.259 --> 00:14:39.419 in 2014. And in 2020, he was inducted into the 00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:41.940 National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. So we've 00:14:41.940 --> 00:14:44.399 gone from the valet parking the car to the top 00:14:44.399 --> 00:14:46.519 of the charts, to the clerical staff, to the 00:14:46.519 --> 00:14:48.860 courtroom, and finally to the Hall of Fame. It 00:14:48.860 --> 00:14:52.059 is a wild arc. It really is. So when we step 00:14:52.059 --> 00:14:54.340 back and look at the life of Lloyd Stallworth. 00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:56.940 What's the big lesson here? What are we supposed 00:14:56.940 --> 00:14:59.120 to take away from this? I think it's a warning 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:02.139 about how we consume history. We like our icons 00:15:02.139 --> 00:15:04.879 to be singular. It's easier to put one face on 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:07.879 a t -shirt. But culture isn't made by individuals. 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:11.379 It's made by constellations of people. Lloyd 00:15:11.379 --> 00:15:13.059 Stallworth proves that you can be essential, 00:15:13.259 --> 00:15:15.399 you can be a genius in your own right, and you 00:15:15.399 --> 00:15:17.200 can still be forgotten if you don't control your 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:19.159 own narrative. It's a reminder to always read 00:15:19.159 --> 00:15:21.159 the liner notes. Always read the liner notes. 00:15:21.720 --> 00:15:23.980 That's where the truth is. Because without the 00:15:23.980 --> 00:15:26.500 baby Lloyds of the world, the Godfathers just 00:15:26.500 --> 00:15:28.500 don't sound the same. They absolutely don't. 00:15:28.500 --> 00:15:30.440 The James Brown sound is the Lloyd Stallworth 00:15:30.440 --> 00:15:32.799 sound. That is a powerful thought. And I want 00:15:32.799 --> 00:15:34.440 to leave our listener with one more question 00:15:34.440 --> 00:15:36.940 to chew on today. What's that? Next time you're 00:15:36.940 --> 00:15:40.399 scrolling through Spotify or watching the biggest 00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:42.460 pop star in the world perform at the Super Bowl, 00:15:42.600 --> 00:15:45.419 look at the person standing three feet to their 00:15:45.419 --> 00:15:48.100 left. Look at the person in the shadows holding 00:15:48.100 --> 00:15:51.690 the guitar or singing the harmony. Who is the 00:15:51.690 --> 00:15:56.309 baby Lloyd of 2026? Who is the person doing the 00:15:56.309 --> 00:15:58.350 work, writing the hooks, making the magic happen 00:15:58.350 --> 00:16:00.509 right now who we might not give an award to for 00:16:00.509 --> 00:16:02.590 another 30 years? And are they getting billing 00:16:02.590 --> 00:16:05.210 or just a salary? That is the real question. 00:16:05.330 --> 00:16:06.830 Thanks for diving deep with us today.