James Brown
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James Brown, otherwise known as Soul Brother Number One, Mr. Dynamite, and The Hardest Working Man in Show Business is one of the most important figures in twentieth century music. He has reinvented the way we listen to Gospel, R&B, Soul and Funk music. He will always be remembered as the one who made the evolution of being a great singer, dancer and bandleader.
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[edit] About
Born James Joseph Brown in May 3, 1933 in the Depression era where poverty was known in his native Augusta, Georgia. His family lived by picking cotton in the nearby fields and shining shoes. At a young age of 16, Brown was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to a Juvenile Detention Center in Toccoa, Georgia (1948). There, he made an acquaintance to Bobby Byrd, who secured an early release for Brown after three years under the condition that he and his family not return to Augusta and that he would try to get a job. But after an unsuccessful run as a boxer and then a baseball pitcher that ended in a leg injury, Brown diverted his skills to music.
[edit] The Sixties
Brown started to perform in his band named The Gospel Starlighters along with Bobby Byrd's sister, Sarah in 1955. Afterwards, he joined Byrd in forming The Famous Flames. They toured relentlessly and were then signed a deal for King Records in Cincinnati by Syd Nathan. They recorded their first single entitled, Please, Please, Please in 1956. The single was a hit, ranking #5 in the R&B charts; it became a million-selling single for the band. The stint gave them notoriety and a local fan base. However, the following singles after their hit did not live up to their name. And King was ready to drop Brown and the Flames.
A chance encounter with Brown's idol, Little Richard led to many great things for this young performer. Brown's style of music would eventually be called Funk. Little Richard was the man to thank James Brown's rise to the top. On one of Richard's performances which he bolted out to become a preacher, Brown stepped in replacing Richards as the main act in his tour dates. Eventually, Richard's former backup singers became Famous Flames. A year later, Brown released Try Me, which was to become his #1 hit.
[edit] The Seventies
By this time, James Brown's music ensemble consisting of Jimmy Nolen, saxophonist Maceo Parker and trombonist Fred Wesley had left him. He then employed a new band which includes Bootsy Collins, his guitarist brother, Phelps "Catfish" Collinsand and later Fred Wesley joined again as trombonist and musical director. They were now known as The JB's who made their debut single entitled, Get Up (I Feel Like Being) a Sex Machine recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. The JB's remained Brown's most famous backing band. As Brown's musical empire grew (he bought radio stations in the late 1960s namely Augusta's WRWD), his desire for financial and artistic independence grew as well. In the early 70s he began recording for Polydor Records. Here, Brown released records under a subsidiary label, People which started in 1971. With Brown's influences and achievements, Miles Davis and other jazz musicians began to site Brown as their major influence.
By mid-70's Brown's career decreased in terms of popularity. At this time, Bootsy Collins began to depart. Some critics still declined to recognize James Brown' s artistic approach on music with such compositions as Funky President, The Payback and Stoned to the Bone. This was also the time of the disco movement, which Brown anticipated, and some say originated, found relatively little room for Brown. Get Up Off That Thing and Bodyheat were his first flirtations with disco-fired rhythms incorporated into his funky repertoire. No chart hits generated at this time but that did not stop Brown from creating amazing music.
[edit] The Eighties and Nineties
Living In America followed another hit single for James Brown in 1985. But in 1988, he was arrested following a high-speed car chase in Augusta.
Charged for firearms and drug offences, as well as eluding police, he was released in 1991 to find that music has evolved in sampled rhythms and drum beats fro his records for rap music. He still remained a resident of Augusta and is a prominent figure in the community. A street downtown of the state is named James Brown Boulevard in his honor.
Brown still made music despite of ongoing battles with the police. He was repeatedly arrested for drug possession and domestic abuse. But still remained active in the music business by performing, appearing in television shows even making a cameo in films such as Blues Brothers 2000. In 1991, a four-CD box made an ode to his four-decade career. Nearly all his earlier LPs were re-released on CD, often with additional tracks and commentary by experts on Brown's music. By 1993, he released his album entitled, Universal James which included tracks like, Can't Get Any Harder, How Long and Georgia-Lina. By 1995, Brown's live album entitled Live At The Apollo was re-released, featuring new tracks recorded in the studio called Respect Me. A Mega mix entitled Hooked On Brown was released as a single the following year. Brown then released a studio album in 1998 entitled I'm Back featuring Funk On Ah Roll.
[edit] The 21st Century
The Next Step was Brown's latest album released in 2002. Singles include Killing is Out and School is In. In 2003, he participated in American Masters television documentary James Brown: Soul Survivor, directed by Jeremy Marre.
In 2004, James Brown was diagnosed with prostate cancer. But was successfully treated with surgery. Even so, Brown appeared at the Live 8 concert in Edinburgh entitled, The Final Push in July 6, 2005 where he did a duet with British pop star Will Young for Papa's Got A Brand New Bag. He also had a duet with Joss Stone then a week earlier appeared in the UK chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. He was still scheduled to perform with singer Annie Lennox on the song Vengeance in her album Venus before his death in 2006.
[edit] Personal Life and Death
James Brown was married four times. His latest wife was Tommie Raye Hynie he married in 2001. But speculations arose is the bond was legal. Brown cannot marry if he is still married to his previous wife. Brown and Hynie share one child together. But after legal proceedings, the marriage was finally proved to be legal and Hynie is officially Brown's wife. Brown also had two children by his first wife, Velma Warren and three more by his second, Deidre Jenkins. His oldest son Teddy had a car crash on 1973 and died instantly. Brown's third wife, Adrienne Rodriguez had him arrested four times on charges of assault between mid-80's and mid-90's. Brown served two years of a 6 year jail sentence that ended in a car chase with the police.
James Brown lived in a riverfront home in Beech Island, South Carolina, directly across the Savannah River from Augusta, Georgia till the end of his life. After a dentist visit where he was found to have pneumonia, Brown was admitted to Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia on December 24, 2006. He then died the next day due to heart failure. Brown's body was laid to rest in the stage of the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem. A private ceremony was held in his hometown Augusta and another public ceremony was officiated by "Rev. All Sharpton' a day later at the James Brown arena.
The revolutionary James Brown has left his marked and has made musicians all over the world love music more and learned that no matter how many hardships you face, there is always still an inch of hope seen passed the world of inevitable circumstances.
[edit] Awards & Certifications
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | Inducted in New York City |
| 1992 | Grammy Awards | Lifetime Achievement Award |
| 1993 | Fourth Annual Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Awards | Lifetime Achievement Award |
| 2003 | Kennedy Honors | Recipient |
| 2004 | Rolling Stone Magazine | Ranked #7 in the 100 Greatest Artist of All Time |
[edit] Chart Toppers
| Billiboard Top All-Time 100 Hits | Rank |
|---|---|
| I Got You (I Feel Good) | 65 |
| Living In America | 86 |
| I Got The Feelin' | 68 |
| Mother Popcorn (You Got To Have A Mother For Me) | 69 |
| Papa's Got A Brand New Bag | 65 |
| Say It Loud - I'm Black And Proud | 68 |
| Hot Pants (She Got To Use What She Got To Get What She Wants) | 71 |
| Cold Sweat | 67 |
| It's A Man's Man's Man's World | 66 |
| Super Bad | 70 |
| Make It Funky | 71 |
| Licking Stick-Licking Stick | 68 |
| Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose | 69 |
| Get Up I Feel Like Being Like A Sex Machine | 70 |
| Get On The Good Foot | 72 |
| Prisoner Of Love | 63 |
| I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up The Door, I'll Get It Myself) | 69 |
| Oh Baby Don't You Weep | 64 |
| Out Of Sight | 64 |
| The Payback | 74 |
| Let A Man Come In And Do The Popcorn | 69 |
| Ain't It Funky Now | 70 |
| I Got Ants In My Pants | 73 |
| Talking Loud And Saying Nothing | 72 |
| Soul Power | 71 |
| Bring It Up | 67 |
| My Thang | 74 |
| I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me) | 68 |
| The Popcorn | 69 |
| Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved | 71 |
[edit] News
[edit] Tours & Concerts
[edit] Announcements
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
 1959 |
 1964 |
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 1970 |
 1970-04 |
 1976 |
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 1976-12 |
 1977 |
 1988-06 |
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 1996 |
 1998-11-17 |
 2002-08-27 |
[edit] Singles
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| God Has Smiled on Me | |
| 1970 | Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved |
| 1972 | Talkin' Loud and Saying Nothin' |
| 1985 | Living in America |
[edit] Compilations
 1986 |
 1991 |
 1991-10-22 |
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 1995-02-28 |
 1997-08-19 |
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 1999-02-09 |
 2000-04-04 |
 2002 |
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 2003-03-03 |
 2006-07-28 |
[edit] Other artists
[edit] Similar artists
[edit] Influences
[edit] Contemporaries
[edit] Trivia
- In 1992, a news anchor mistakenly reported that James Brown has died. A sample of that broadcast became the basis for the song James Brown Is Dead.
- James Brown suffered from diabetes and prostate cancer that was in remission.
- James Brown was known for always wearing tight pants, eye makeup and outrageous hair styles.
- James Brown wrote a book called The Godfather Of Soul, James Brown.
- According to James' friend, Charles Bobbit, his last words before dying were I'm going away tonight. A short time later, James Brown sighed quietly, closed his eyes and died.
