Trivia

Part of the James Brown family of performers.

Mother of Carleen Anderson.

She joined James Brown in 1965, replacing Anna King, and stayed for three years as his main female singer, until she was replaced by Marva Whitney in 1968. She rejoined in 1969 after Marva departed, staying for a further three years until 1972, after which Lyn Collins took over from her.

Anderson was an American soul singer best known for her performances with the James Brown Revue.

She recorded a number of singles under both her birth (Myra Barnes) and stage names.

As tastes shifted Vicki Anderson's music career took a backseat, becoming a mother to Carleen Anderson - herself a formidable recording artist.

In her career she recorded just under 30 singles but no albums with none of her singles even charting on the R&B chart which is rather surprising.

She made her first recording in 1964.

Anderson toured the UK with the James Brown Funky People Revue in the late 1980s and again with husband Bobby Byrd, the founder of The Famous Flames, in the mid-1990s.

She played a pivotal role in soul's evolution into funk.

In 1994 she returned to the studio, recording Gil Scott Herons classic Home Is Where The Hatred Is with Bossa Nostra and it did very well.

James Brown claimed in his autobiography that Anderson was the best singer he ever had in his revue.

The British rare groove scene restored her reputation, and Norman Jay's memoir contains a moving story about a sold out London show in 1986 - her first for some considerable time, with the audience ready to sing each word to even her rarest songs. The show kickstarted a second chapter for Vicki Anderson, who toured the world and won recognition for her art.

A single on James' I-Dentify label by Momie-O appeared in 1975 featuring a cover of Rufus' hit "Once You Get Started" and Bobby Womack's "Stop On By".

In 1970, she released her most famous song, the feminist anthem "The Message from the Soul Sisters.".