Bernard Odum

Bernard Odum was born in Mobile and played bass in James Brown’s Band in the 1960s.Odum started playing with Brown in 1956 and became a full-time member of Brown’s band in 1958. Odum worked in the James Brown band until the end of the 1960s, and played on such hits as “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” (1964), “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (1965), and “Cold Sweat” (1967). In 1969, Odum and most of the other musicians in Brown’s band walked out on him over a pay dispute and other issues, prompting Brown to create a new backing band, The J.B.’s.

In 1970, Odum briefly joined Maceo Parker’s group, Maceo & All the King’s Men, appearing on the album Doin’ Their Own Thing. Odum died in Mobile in 2004.