Bewildered
# Bewildered

"Bewildered" is a popular song written in 1936 by Teddy Powell and Leonard Whitcup. It was a 1938 hit for Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra.

## 1948 recordings

The song was revived in the late 1940s when two different versions, by the Red Miller Trio and Amos Milburn, reached number one on the R&B chart in 1948 (neither of them made the pop chart). Both these versions departed significantly from the original published melody and influenced later recordings.

## James Brown and the Famous Flames version

James Brown and the Famous Flames recorded "Bewildered" in 1959. Their doo-wop–tinged rendition was somewhat similar to the Amos Milburn version, with a strong triplet feeling and a heavily melismatic vocal line. It was first released as a track on Brown's 1960 album Think!. The following year it was issued as a single, which reached the R&B Top Ten and became Brown's second single (after "Think") to enter the pop Top 40 (US charts: number 8 R&B; number 40 pop).

"Bewildered" became a staple of Brown's concerts for much of his career. It was featured in a medley on his breakthrough 1963 album Live at the Apollo and appeared on several of his later live albums, including Revolution of the Mind: Recorded Live at the Apollo, Vol. III (1971) and Love, Power, Peace (1992). He also recorded new studio versions for the albums Prisoner of Love (1963) and Sex Machine (1970).

### Personnel

* James Brown – lead vocal

And The Famous Flames:

* Louis Madison – vocals, piano
* Bobby Bennett – vocals
* Baby Lloyd Stallworth – vocals
* Johnny Terry – vocals
* Willie Johnson – vocals

with the James Brown Band:

* George Dorsey – alto saxophone
* J.C. Davis – tenor saxophone
* Bobby Roach – guitar
* Bernard Odum – bass guitar
* Nat Kendrick – drums

## Other versions

"Bewildered" was subsequently recorded by several others, including R&B performers:

* Also in 1938, it was also recorded by Mildred Bailey.
* Billy Eckstine and the Ink Spots, with Eckstine's version reaching number 4 on the R&B chart and number 27 on the pop chart.
* A decade later it was recorded by Mickey & Sylvia, again with an altered melody similar to that of the Red Miller Trio recording.
* "Bewildered" was also covered in 1990 by the Notting Hillbillies on their album Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time.
