Post by timmy84 on Dec 25, 2006 3:57:59 GMT -5
The "Godfather of Soul" dies at 73
At approximately 1:45 in the morning on Christmas Day, we lost Soul Brother #1, James Brown. The singer, famed for the hit songs "Please, Please, Please", "Try Me", "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got You (I Feel Good)", "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud", "Sex Machine" and "Get on the Good Foot", was 73 years old. Brown had entered an Atlanta-area hospital after suffering severe pneumonia. According to his agent, his family was being notified at press time of his passing and the cause of his death was still uncertain.
Born on May 3, 1933 in Barnwell, South Carolina, James Joseph Brown, Jr. was raised in Macon and Augusta, Georgia as a kid and teenager. His first job was shining shoes. Later, after his stint in a juvenile detention center for thievery, he was offered a chance to sing in his friend Bobby Byrd's gospel group upon his release. After a baseball injury, Brown began his music career in 1953 forming the Starlighters with Byrd in the lineup. Brown later changed their name to the Famous Flames and transformed the group from a gospel vocal group to a rhythm and blues vocal group.
In 1955, he signed with King Records and issued his first significant hit, "Please, Please, Please", which rose to number five on the national black singles chart. The song would become part of Brown's performing legend as he often would finish his show with the song dropping to the ground screaming in agony with a cape draped on him. The act later confirmed him as "The Godfather of Soul". In 1958, Brown scored his first of seventeen number-one Billboard R&B singles with the soul ballad "Try Me". Brown then hit ultimate pay dirt when a show at the world famous Apollo Theater in 1962 was released as an album in 1963. Live at the Apollo[/i] officially launched Brown into the national spotlight as it peaked at number two on the albums chart and sold over a million copies. Starting in 1964, Brown began cultivating a sound that would later be coined "funk" with songs like "Outta Sight" and 1965's "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", which became Brown's first top ten pop hit. 1966's "I Got You (I Feel Good)" raised his profile as did the dance numbers "Cold Sweat", "There Was a Time" and "I Got the Feelin'". By 1968, Brown had become the most important black musician in the country. He was so popular when he stopped a crowd at a Boston show from rioting following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., he was given a special award by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson for his courage in handling the unruly crowd. That same year, he issued his finest socially conscious statement with "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud", which ironically would start a 17-year period where Brown wouldn't have a top ten hit though he continued to score top twenty pop hits into the mid-'70s.
In 1970, ditching the Famous Flames and his original James Brown band (members of which included Maceo Parker and brother Melvin), he hired the Housesitters to back him up and renamed them the JB's. Among those who were part of the group were two brothers from Cleveland named Bootsy and Catfish Collins, they eventually left the JB's to join forces with fellow funk pioneer George Clinton in his famed Parliament-Funkadelic band. With the JB's, Brown scored poignant hits such as "Get Up I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine", "Soul Power", "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved", "Hot Pants" and "Get on the Good Foot".
In 1973, Brown released the soundtrack to the movie "Black Caesar", following in the footsteps of fellow soul legends Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye in releasing soundtracks to blaxplotation films. The following year, he released one of his greatest funk songs, "The Big Payback". In 1974, Brown made headlines when he was one of several featured performers on the venue supporting the fight between boxers Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in the famous "Rumble in the Jungle". Brown continued to score top ten R&B hits well into the late-seventies with disco-infused singles such as "Get Up Offa That Thang" (1976) and "It's Too Funky in Here" (1979). In 1980, he made a comeback to mainstream with his cameo as a singing preacher in "The Blues Brothers". In 1985, Brown scored a comeback single with "Living in America", which returned Brown to the top ten on the pop charts after seventeen years peaking at number four on the chart. The following year, he joined fellow legends such as Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Sam Cooke and Jerry Lee Lewis as he got inducted to the inaugural Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Brown recorded several top ten R&B singles with hip-hop/R&B band Full Force including the songs "I'm Real" and "Static" and into 1993 continued having Billboard charters. While he never returned to the top of the music world with his new recordings, Brown continued performing into his seventies as he kept getting accolades after accolades. As well as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Brown was inducted to the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, the UK Music Hall of Fame - which was Brown's final televised performance, got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was honored by the Kennedy Center Honors in 2003. He also got a statue of himself at his Augusta, GA hometown. Brown's last known recordings were collaborations with the Black Eyed Peas.
As well as the numerous hits Brown scored throughout his multi-decade career, the man is known for defining (and creating) the funk, disco and hip-hop genres, his incredible footwork, miming and stage show would inspire two generations of performers - from Sly & the Family Stone to P-Funk, from Michael Jackson to Bobby Brown, from Bobby Brown to Usher and many more. Along with Elvis, Brown has often been referred to as a man who helped spearhead the music industry. Brown precedes the deaths of his son Teddy and parents and leaves behind a wife Tammi Ray, and four children.
JAMES JOSEPH BROWN, JR.
(May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006)
At approximately 1:45 in the morning on Christmas Day, we lost Soul Brother #1, James Brown. The singer, famed for the hit songs "Please, Please, Please", "Try Me", "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got You (I Feel Good)", "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud", "Sex Machine" and "Get on the Good Foot", was 73 years old. Brown had entered an Atlanta-area hospital after suffering severe pneumonia. According to his agent, his family was being notified at press time of his passing and the cause of his death was still uncertain.
Born on May 3, 1933 in Barnwell, South Carolina, James Joseph Brown, Jr. was raised in Macon and Augusta, Georgia as a kid and teenager. His first job was shining shoes. Later, after his stint in a juvenile detention center for thievery, he was offered a chance to sing in his friend Bobby Byrd's gospel group upon his release. After a baseball injury, Brown began his music career in 1953 forming the Starlighters with Byrd in the lineup. Brown later changed their name to the Famous Flames and transformed the group from a gospel vocal group to a rhythm and blues vocal group.
In 1955, he signed with King Records and issued his first significant hit, "Please, Please, Please", which rose to number five on the national black singles chart. The song would become part of Brown's performing legend as he often would finish his show with the song dropping to the ground screaming in agony with a cape draped on him. The act later confirmed him as "The Godfather of Soul". In 1958, Brown scored his first of seventeen number-one Billboard R&B singles with the soul ballad "Try Me". Brown then hit ultimate pay dirt when a show at the world famous Apollo Theater in 1962 was released as an album in 1963. Live at the Apollo[/i] officially launched Brown into the national spotlight as it peaked at number two on the albums chart and sold over a million copies. Starting in 1964, Brown began cultivating a sound that would later be coined "funk" with songs like "Outta Sight" and 1965's "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", which became Brown's first top ten pop hit. 1966's "I Got You (I Feel Good)" raised his profile as did the dance numbers "Cold Sweat", "There Was a Time" and "I Got the Feelin'". By 1968, Brown had become the most important black musician in the country. He was so popular when he stopped a crowd at a Boston show from rioting following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., he was given a special award by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson for his courage in handling the unruly crowd. That same year, he issued his finest socially conscious statement with "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud", which ironically would start a 17-year period where Brown wouldn't have a top ten hit though he continued to score top twenty pop hits into the mid-'70s.
In 1970, ditching the Famous Flames and his original James Brown band (members of which included Maceo Parker and brother Melvin), he hired the Housesitters to back him up and renamed them the JB's. Among those who were part of the group were two brothers from Cleveland named Bootsy and Catfish Collins, they eventually left the JB's to join forces with fellow funk pioneer George Clinton in his famed Parliament-Funkadelic band. With the JB's, Brown scored poignant hits such as "Get Up I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine", "Soul Power", "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved", "Hot Pants" and "Get on the Good Foot".
In 1973, Brown released the soundtrack to the movie "Black Caesar", following in the footsteps of fellow soul legends Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye in releasing soundtracks to blaxplotation films. The following year, he released one of his greatest funk songs, "The Big Payback". In 1974, Brown made headlines when he was one of several featured performers on the venue supporting the fight between boxers Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in the famous "Rumble in the Jungle". Brown continued to score top ten R&B hits well into the late-seventies with disco-infused singles such as "Get Up Offa That Thang" (1976) and "It's Too Funky in Here" (1979). In 1980, he made a comeback to mainstream with his cameo as a singing preacher in "The Blues Brothers". In 1985, Brown scored a comeback single with "Living in America", which returned Brown to the top ten on the pop charts after seventeen years peaking at number four on the chart. The following year, he joined fellow legends such as Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Sam Cooke and Jerry Lee Lewis as he got inducted to the inaugural Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Brown recorded several top ten R&B singles with hip-hop/R&B band Full Force including the songs "I'm Real" and "Static" and into 1993 continued having Billboard charters. While he never returned to the top of the music world with his new recordings, Brown continued performing into his seventies as he kept getting accolades after accolades. As well as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Brown was inducted to the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, the UK Music Hall of Fame - which was Brown's final televised performance, got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was honored by the Kennedy Center Honors in 2003. He also got a statue of himself at his Augusta, GA hometown. Brown's last known recordings were collaborations with the Black Eyed Peas.
As well as the numerous hits Brown scored throughout his multi-decade career, the man is known for defining (and creating) the funk, disco and hip-hop genres, his incredible footwork, miming and stage show would inspire two generations of performers - from Sly & the Family Stone to P-Funk, from Michael Jackson to Bobby Brown, from Bobby Brown to Usher and many more. Along with Elvis, Brown has often been referred to as a man who helped spearhead the music industry. Brown precedes the deaths of his son Teddy and parents and leaves behind a wife Tammi Ray, and four children.
JAMES JOSEPH BROWN, JR.
(May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006)