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Dec. 25, 2006 James Joseph Brown, the gravel-voiced, swift footed dancer and aptly dubbed “Godfather of Soul” and “The Hardest Working Man In Show Business” died Christmas morning at the age of 73. Brown was born May 3, 1933 and twenty years later began a career that is unparalleled in the annals of black music history. Brown’s influence as a pioneer touched such artists as Mick Jagger, Dr. Dre, Rick James, The Beatles, Sly Stone, Prince, George Clinton, Michael Jackson, Kool Moe Dee, Chuck D, Teddy Riley and many others. He was an icon to rappers and balladeers alike, during a career that spanned more than fifty years. Being an r and b aficionado, with a collection of black music that spans more than fifty years, it is stunning to see the string of hits Brown had during each decade of his career. The James Brown sound centered on Afro-Caribbean rhythms and a tight horn section that featured Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, St. Clair Pinkney, and Richard “Kush Griffin.” His bands also featured sidemen Alfred “Pee-Wee” Ellis, Charles Bobbitt, Melvin Parker, Bernie Worrell, William “Bootsy” Collins, “Sweet Charles” Sherrell, Bobby Byrd, Jphn ‘Jabo’ Starks, Clyde stubblefield, and numerous others. His guttural grunts, screams, constant sweating and dazzling dance moves made Brown an international superstar. Browns signature dance moves included doing the splits (into his 60’s, no less), the camel walk and sliding across the stage on one foot. While performing “Please, Please, Please,” he would fall to his knees and a stage hand would come onstage and drape a cape over Brown’s heaving shoulders. Brown produced such hits as “Prisoner of Love,” “Cold Sweat,” “Super Bad,” “The Boss,” “Get Up Offa That Thing,” “It’s A Man’s World,” “Bodyheat,” “Try Me,” “Night Train,” “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag,” “Hot Pants,” “The Popcorn” (from the classic instrumental, jazz-heavy album of the same name), “There Was A Time,” and “Think,” to his signature song “I Got You (I Feel Good).” In the 60s and 70s his music took on a political tone, including hits such as “Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud,” “Coldblooded,” “I Don’t Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door and I’ll Get It Myself,” and the rap tunes “Public Enemy No. 1,” and “King Heroin.” Some of his classic albums include “Live From The Apollo (1962),” “The Payback” (1974), “Black Cesar” (1975) and the double-lp “Revolution of the Mind.” His compilation albums and box set “Star Time” are big sellers in stores and CD clubs. His crowning achievement may have been 1974’s “The Payback,” which was used as a sample for En Vogue’s hit “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It).” In fact, Brown is the most sampled man in music history and his hit “Papa Don’t Take No Mess” is the most sampled song in music history. The Payback spawned another hit single, “Stone To the Bone,” but mainly featured a potpourri of blues songs (“Forever Suffering,” “Doing The Best I Can”), jazz (“Mind Power”) and music that he referred to as “Super heavy funk.” (“Take Some, Leave Some”). Brown followed this album up with “Hell,” which produced the hit “Papa Don’t Take No Mess,” “Don’t Tell A Lie About Me (And I Won’t Tell the Truth About You” and the dance club favorite, “My Thang.” In 1976 he released “Sex Machine Today,” which featured the title cut and the underappreciated “Get Up Offa Me,” and “Deep In It.” Brown was also invited to perform in Zaire Africa, as part of a package that included the Spinners and the Muhammad Ali-George Foreman fight (“The Rumble In The Jungle”). This was later documented in the film “When We Were Kings.” Throughout most of the decade he released singles, which included “Funky President,” and a re-energized version of his classic “Think.” He also formed his own record label (“People”), and produced acts such as Fred Wesley and the JBs, Maceo & the Macks, Hank Ballard and the voluptuous songbird Lynn Collins. By the late 70’s, disco acts like KC and the Sunshine Band and Van McCoy (“The Hustle”) knocked Brown off the top of the charts. Some critics note that Brown plagiarized such artists like David Bowie (whose song “Fame” was covered by Brown and re-titled “Hot”) and the B.T, Express tune “Express.” (The JBs version was titled “It’s Not The Express (But The JB Monorail).” Along with Wesley, Brown penned the soundtracks for blaxploitation classics “Black Cesar,” and “Slaughter.” Brown ended the decade with a series of flops, including 1979’s “The Original Disco Man,” “Mutha’s Nature” (1977) and the lackluster “Jam 1980’s” which featured the modest hit “Eyesight” and the dance groove “The Spank.” This was followed by another sub[ar effort, 1980’s “Soul Syndrome,” which featured the uninspiring “Rapp Payback” and mostly remakes and album fillers. His career received a much needed bump in the mid-80’s when Brown appeared in the movie “The Blues Brothers,” Dan Aykroyd’s cult favorite “Dr. Detroit” and “Rocky IV,” which featured the anthem “Living In America.” Full Force produced his “I’m Real” lp, which would be his biggest selling disc in more than a decade. The title song and “Static” put Brown back on the charts, and he followed that up with an album produced by Dan Hartman, which contained the Hartman-penned “Living In America” and “How Can You Stop.” He was even spoofed in a hilarious Saturday Night Live sketch featuring Eddie Murphy, and again in Murphy’s concert film “Delirious.” During this decade Brown was beset by legal troubles and served a 30-month prison sentence after leading South Carolina police on a chase through two states. Charges of drug abuse and domestic violence would plague him for the next two decades, during which he performed more than 250 shows a year. Occasionally he hit the charts, with tunes like 1999’s “Funk On A Roll,” and recently had leased the rights to his songs for thirty million dollars. Other achievements include Grammies on 1965, 1982, the Lifetime Achievement Gramy in 1992 and he was part of the original class inducted into the Rocj and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. In 2003, Brown was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had recently come off tour. He had also began working on a film of his life, which was alleged to have starred r & b crooner Usher. At the time of his death, he was being treated for pneumonia. However, an actual cause of death is yet to be determined. Suffice to say, despite the slew of imitators, there will never be another James Brown. May he rest in peace. ------------ About the author: Timothy N. Stelly, Sr. is a 46-year old poet, novelist and aspiring screenwriter who resides in northern California with his three youngest children--Lawrence, Kimberly and Dante. He is a member of various writer's groups and has three novels in print, his most recent, "Like A Straight-Up Sucka," is available at www.lulu.com. website: http://stellbreadO@tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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