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James Brown:
The "Godfather Of Soul," James Brown Was Born Into A Poor, South Carolinian Family On May 3, 1933.
After His Father And Mother Separated, Brown Continued To Live With His Father. The Two Of Them Moved To Augusta, Georgia When James Was Six Years Old.
By The Time He Was A Teenager, James Brown Had Become A Modern-Day "Robin Hood," Who Reportedly Shop-Lifted For Other Poor Kids In His Neighborhood. This "Knack" For Petty Theift Eventually Landed Him In Jail, Though Within A Matter Of Years He Transformed Himself From Juvenile Delinquent To One Of The Most Important And Influential Figures In American Popular Music.
In 1956, Brown, Along With His Group, The Famous Flames, Recorded "Please Please Please" Their First Hit On The King Record Label. The Song Sold A Million Copies And Made Brown A Superstar Recording Artist. Two Years Later Brown Had The Number R&B Song Of 1958, With "Try Me."
By The Mid 1960's Brown Had Earned The Title, SOUL BROTHER NUMBER ONE, With A String Of R&B And Crossover Hits That Included: "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag," "I Got You (I Feel Good)," "Cold Sweat," "Night Train," "Prisoner Of Love," "Funky Drummer," And "It's A Man's World."
It Was Also During This Period That James Brown Recorded What Is Considered One Of The Most Important R&B Songs Ever Written. "Say It Loud (I'm Black And I'm Proud)," It Was The First Song That Unapologetically Urged A Generation Of African Americans To Be Strong, Proud And Dignified, And Reflected The Spirit Of "Black Power/Black Is Beautiful" Movement Of That Time.
James Brown Mastered Several Genres Of Music. During The 1950's He Produced R&B. In The 1960's He Focused On Soul. And In The 1970's, He Defined Funk.
"Get Up (I Feel Like Being) A Sex Machine," "Get On The Goodfoot," "Papa Don't Take No Mess," "The Payback," "Get Up Offa That Thing," "Hot Pants," "Soul Power," "Funky President" And "My Thang" Are Among James Brown's Greatest '70's Funk Classics.
James Brown's Last Major Hit Came In 1987, With "Living In America," A Song Featured In The Movie, Rocky IV. He Also Won A Best R&B Single Grammy For That Song.
James Brown Believed In Supporting And Establishing Black Businesses. He Owned His Own Radion Station And Record Company. He Was Also Known As A Generous Philanthropist, Giving Millions To The Needy In Rural Areas And The Inner Cities.
James Brown's Influence Can Been Seen All Over The Music Industry, Including R&B, Pop/Rock And Hip-Hop. He Inspired A Generation Of Performers Most Notably: Michael Jackson, Prince, Bobby Brown, Hammer And Usher.
In Hip Hop, He Has The Most Sampled Music Of Any Artist.
Other Facts About James Brown:
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He Has More Charted R&B Hits (116) Than Any Other Artist In Music History.
He Is Second Only To Elvis Presley, In Billboard Hot 100 Pop Hits (96).
In February, 1986, He Was One Of The First Inductees Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
He Received The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, February, 1992.
He Got A Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame, In 1997.
He Was Inducted Into The Songwriters Hall Of Fame, June 15, 2000.
In 2003, He Was Honored By The Kennedy Center.
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"The Hardest Working Man In Show Business" Died December 25, 2006.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
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