McBride was actually in Brown's band at one point (or at least backed him at a single concert; I forget the story).
― Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Thursday, 22 February 2024 19:43 (two months ago) link
I think it was one concert, he tells the story of being in Brown's orbit here (1:11):
https://app.podscribe.ai/episode/83381179
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Thursday, 22 February 2024 19:49 (two months ago) link