Although Brown was known as a vocalist, he transcended his reputation by being a phenomenal band leader. Brown’s band consisted of Famous Flames singer and sideman Bobby Byrd, trombonist Fred Wesley, drummers John “Jabo” Starks, Clyde Stubblefield and Melvin Parker, saxophonist St. Clair Pinckney, guitarist Alphonso “Country” Kellum and bassist Bernard Odum, all of whom, endured harsh critique from Brown. Much like other artists, Brown was detail-oriented and wanted his music to sound a certain way. Brown was very particular about his music because it was personal to him and it was all he had. From early on, Brown was abandoned by his mother and father, and raised by his aunt in a whorehouse, so he channeled everything he was into his music. Brown was a funk musical composer in his own right because he directed his band, and engineered perfect sounds to direct a band to play all the right chords and sounds. This perfectionism did not translate well when he collaborated with other artists. He was under the impression that other musicians when trying to steal his sound. Aside from the music, Brown was an activist for the black community; for instance, he went to city council meetings to advocate for better schools for black youth.