James Joseph Brown, Jr. (May 3, 1933), most commonly known as James Brown (also known as The Godfather of Soul), died this dec 25, at Atlanta's Emory Crawford Long Hospital of congestive heart failure, his agent said. He was 73.
He was an American entertainer recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th-century popular music.
As a prolific singer, songwriter, bandleader and record producer, Brown was a seminal force in the evolution of gospel and rhythm and blues into soul and funk. He left his mark on numerous other musical genres, including rock, jazz, reggae, disco, dance and electronic music, afrobeat, and hip-hop music.
Brown -- known variously as "the Godfather of Soul," "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business," "Soul Brother Number One" and "Mr. Dynamite" (and often introduced as all of the above) -- was known for his elastic dance moves, razor-sharp musicianship and all-stops-out performances. (Watch the incomparable Brown perform )
He was, literally, an impossible act to follow: Keith Richards has said that the Rolling Stones' appearance following Brown in "The T.A.M.I. Show," a 1964 concert that appeared on film the next year, was the biggest mistake of their lives. Brown's performance in that show even earned an ovation from the backing band.
"You have the Rolling Stones on the same stage, all of the important rock acts of the day, doing their best -- and James Brown comes out and destroys them," producer Rick Rubin wrote in Rolling Stone. (i-Report: Your thoughts on James Brown)
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
1.2 The beginnings of the Famous Flames
1.3 "Papa gets a brand new bag"
1.4 The late 1960s: "Ain't It Funky Now"
1.5 The 1970s: The JB's
1.6 Into the late-1970s and 1980s
1.7 Later years and death
2 Personal life and dedications to Brown
3 Trivia
4 Discography
4.1 Top ten singles
4.2 Best albums
4.3 Chronological collections
5 Sample
6 References
7 External links
RIP
