James Brown

James Brown(May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader.

A progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music and dance, he is often referred to as the “Godfather of Soul”.

In a career that lasted over 50 years, he influenced the development of several music genres.

First coming to national public attention in the late 1950s as a member of the singing groupThe Famous Flames with the hit ballads “Please,Please,Please” and “Try Me”

Brown built a reputation as a tireless live performer with the Famous Flames and his backing band,His success peaked in the 1960s with the live album Live at the Apollo and hit singles such as  “I Got You (I Feel Good)”

During the late 1960s, Brown moved from a continuum of blues and gospel-based forms and styles to a profoundly “Africanized” approach to music-making that influenced the development of funk music.

Brown recorded 17 singles that reached No. 1 on the Billborad R&B charts, He also holds the record for the most singles listed on the Billbord Hot 100 chart which did not reach No. 1.

Brown was inducted into 1st class of theRhythm & Blues Music Hall Of Fame in 2013 as an artist and then in 2017 as a songwriter.

He also received honors from many other institutions, including inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. In Joel Whitburn’s analysis of the Billboard R&B charts from 1942 to 2010, Brown is ranked No. 1 in The Top 500 Artists. He is ranked No. 7 on Rolling Stone’s list of its 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Rolling Stone has also cited Brown as the most sampled artist of all time.

In 1963 Live at the Apollo was released and became an immediate hit reaching number two on the Top LPs chart and selling over a million copies, staying on the charts for 14 months.

Brown scored his first top 20 pop hit with his rendition of the standard “Prisoner of Love”.

He also launched his first label, Try Me Records, which included recordings by the likes of Tammy Montgomery (later to be famous as Tammi Terrell ), Johnny & Bill (Famous Flames associates Johnny Terry and Bill Hollings) and the Poets.

In 1964, seeking bigger commercial success, Brown and Bobby Byrd formed the production company, Fair Deal, linking the operation to the Mercury imprint, Smash Records. King Records, however, fought against this and was granted an injunction preventing Brown from releasing any recordings for the label.

Prior to the injunction, Brown had released three vocal singles, including the blues-oriented hit “Out of Sight”, which further indicated the direction his music was going to take.

Touring throughout the year, Brown and the Famous Flames grabbed more national attention after giving an explosive show-stopping performance on the live concert film The T.A.M.I. Show.

The Flames’ dynamic gospel-tinged vocals, polished choreography and timing as well as Brown’s energetic dance moves and high-octane singing upstaged the proposed closing act, the Rolling Stones.

Having signed a new deal with King, Brown released his song “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” in 1965, which became his first top ten pop hit and won him his first Grammy Award.

By 1967, Brown’s emerging sound had begun to be defined as funk music.

That year he released what some critics cited as the first true funk song, “Cold Sweat”, which hit number-one on the R&B chart (Top 10 Pop) and became one of his first recordings to contain a drum break and also the first that featured a harmony that was reduced to a single chord.

Changes in Brown’s style that started with “Cold Sweat” also established the musical foundation for Brown’s later hits, such as “I Got the Feelin” (1968) and “Mother Popcorn” (1969).

Brown’s style of funk in the late 1960s was based on interlocking syncopated parts: strutting bass lines, syncopated drum patterns, and iconic percussive guitar riffs. The main guitar ostinatos for “Ain’t It Funky” and “Give It Up or Turn It Loose” (both 1969), are examples of Brown’s refinement of New Orleans funk; irresistibly danceable riffs, stripped down to their rhythmic essence.