The next inductee into the 2012 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class is another of the backing bands that didn’t make it in with their frontmen. This one is the Famous Flames, the outfit that featured James Brown for the first decade of his career.

The Famous Flames were created by singer-songwriter Bobby Byrd, a childhood friend of Brown’s. Brown joined the lineup after the original lead singer died in a car accident. Brown soon became the undeniable frontman, and the group’s first five albums were attributed to James Brown and the Famous Flames.

Though the Famous Flames were often described as a “backing band,” they didn’t play any instruments. They were a vocal group, who created the groovy soundscape under Brown’s lead vocals, as well as the excellent choreography that made their stage shows so electric.

Eventually, Brown’s aspirations as a solo artist led to the group’s dissolution, and the Famous Flames went their separate ways. Lawsuits over royalties created tensions among the men, but Byrd did perform at Brown’s funeral in 2006.

Brown was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the institution’s first class of 1986, even though his first solo album wasn’t released until 1963, inside the 25-year window required by the Hall. Inducting the Famous Flames at the time would have not only recognized the contributions of the whole group, but kept the Hall from breaking its own rules.

Instead, the Famous Flames had to wait another 36 years for the honor, when only one member (Bobby Bennett) was alive to see it happen.