James Brown
Background information
Birth name	James Joseph Brown, Jr. [1]
Born	May 3, 1933(1933-05-03) Barnwell, South Carolina, United States
Origin	Augusta, Georgia
Died	December 25, 2006 (aged 73) Atlanta, Georgia[2][3]
Genre(s)	R&B, soul, funk, rock
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, dancer, bandleader, record producer
Instrument(s)	Vocal, guitar, harmonica, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion instruments
Years active	1956 – 2006
Label(s)	Federal, King, Try Me, Smash, People, Polydor, Scotti Bros.
Associated acts	The Famous Flames, The J.B.'s, The Soul Generals

James Joseph Brown, Jr. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Barnwell is a city in Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Augusta Georgia is a city in Richmond County, Georgia, United States. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Funk is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended Soul music, Soul Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) is an Art form that generally refers to movement of the body usually rhythmic A bandleader is the leader of a band of Musicians The term is most commonly though not exclusively used with a group that plays Popular music as In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. The drum is a member of the percussion group technically classified as a Membranophone. In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Federal Records was an American Record label founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of Syd Nathan 's King Records. King Records is an American Record label, started in 1943 by Syd Nathan and headquartered in Cincinnati Ohio. Over the course of his career James Brown owned and operated several different Record labels which he used primarily to release his own productions of artists associated Smash Records is an American Record label. It was founded in 1961 as a subsidiary of Mercury Records by Mercury executive Shelby Singleton Over the course of his career James Brown owned and operated several different Record labels which he used primarily to release his own productions of artists associated Polydor Records is a Record label currently headquartered in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Scotti Brothers Records (sometimes spelled Scotti Bros Records) was a California -based Record label founded by Tony and Ben Scotti The Famous Flames was an R&B vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd that performed with James Brown during the early years of his career The JBs were James Brown 's band during the first half of the 1970s (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006), commonly referred to as "The Godfather of Soul", "King of Funk", and "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business", was an American entertainer. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the See also Entertainment (disambiguation and The Entertainer (disambiguation Entertainment is an activity designed to give people He is recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music and was renowned for his shouting vocals, feverish dancing and unique rhythmic style. Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more As a prolific singer, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer, Brown was a pivotal force in the evolution of gospel and rhythm and blues into soul and funk. A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both A bandleader is the leader of a band of Musicians The term is most commonly though not exclusively used with a group that plays Popular music as In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing Gospel music is Music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life as well as (in terms of the varying music styles to Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Funk is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended Soul music, Soul He left his mark on numerous other musical genres, including rock, jazz, disco, dance and electronic music, reggae and hip hop. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Disco is a Genre of dance-oriented music whose origins are hard to define This article is about music for dancing in general You may also be looking for Electronic dance music. Electronic music is music that employs Electronic musical instruments and Electronic Music technology in its production Reggae is a Music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with ^[4] Brown's music also left its mark on the rhythms of African popular music, such as afrobeat, jùjú and mbalax,^[5] and provided a template for go-go music. The music of Africa is as vast and varied as the continent's many regions, nations and Ethnic groups Although there is no distinctly pan-African Afrobeat is a combination of Yoruba music, Jazz, Highlife, and Funk Rhythms fused with percussion and Vocal Jùjú is a style of Nigerian Popular music, derived from traditional Yoruba percussion. Mbalax (or Mbalakh is the national popular dance music of Senegal and The Gambia. Go-go is a subgenre of funk that originated in the Washington D ^[6]

Brown began his professional music career in 1953, and rose to fame during the late 1950s and early 1960s on the strength of his thrilling live performances and string of smash hits. In spite of various personal problems and setbacks he continued to score hits in every decade through to the 1980s. In addition to his acclaim in music, Brown was a presence in American political affairs during the 1960s and 1970s, noted especially for his activism on behalf of fellow African Americans and the poor. Activism, in a general sense can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa During the early 1980s, Brown's music helped to shape the rhythms of early hip-hop music, with numerous groups looping or sampling his funk grooves and turning them into what became hip hop classics and the foundations of the music genre. Hip hop is a cultural movement which developed in New York City in the 1970s primarily among African Americans and Latinos. Funk is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended Soul music, Soul

Brown was recognized by a plethora of (mostly self-bestowed) titles, including Soul Brother Number One, Sex Machine, Mr. A sobriquet is a Nickname or a fancy name usually a familiar name given by others as distinct from a Pseudonym assumed as a disguise but a nickname which is familiar Dynamite, The Hardest Working Man in Show Business, Minister of The New New Super Heavy Funk, Mr. Please Please Please, The Boss, and the best-known, the Godfather of Soul.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 1955: The Famous Flames 2.2 Early and mid-1960s 2.3 Late 1960s 2.4 1970s and the J.B.'s 2.5 Late 1970s and early 1980s 2.6 Late 1980s to the 2000s 3 James Brown Revue 3.1 Concert introduction 3.2 Concert repertoire and format 3.3 Cape routine 3.4 Brown as band leader 4 Social activism 4.1 Civil unrest and self-empowerment 4.2 Fannie Brown 5 Personal life 5.1 Marriages and children 5.1.1 Brown-Hynie marriage controversy 5.1.2 Paternity of James Brown II 5.2 Legal issues 6 Death and the aftermath 6.1 Death 6.2 Memorial services 6.3 Last will and testament 6.4 Burial at temporary site 7 Honors, awards and dedications 8 Discography 8.1 Notable albums 8.2 Notable singles 8.3 Complete singles reissue 9 Filmography 10 References 11 External links

Early life

James Brown was born to Susie (née Behlings) and Joseph ("Joe") Gardner Brown in the small town of Barnwell, South Carolina in the Jim Crow South during the Depression era. Barnwell is a city in Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States. The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enacted primarily but not exclusively in the Southern and border states of the United States between 1876 and 1965 Although Brown was to be named after his father, his name was reversed mistakenly on the birth certificate. Because of this mix-up during the birth registration, Brown's name instead became James Joseph Brown, Jr. ^[1] As a young child, Brown was known to his family as Junior, and he was also known as Little Junior when he later lived with his aunt and cousin, since his cousin's nickname was also Fergal. ^[1]

Brown and his family lived in extreme poverty. Extreme poverty is the most severe state of Poverty. Many cannot meet basic needs for Food, Water, Shelter, Sanitation, and Health ^[7] When Brown was four years old, his parents separated after his mother decided to leave his father for another man. ^[8] After his mother left the family, Brown continued to live with his father and his live-in girlfriends until he was six years old. After that time, Brown and his father moved to Augusta, Georgia, and his father sent him to live with an aunt who ran a house of prostitution. Augusta Georgia is a city in Richmond County, Georgia, United States. Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money. ^[9] Even though Brown lived with relatives, he spent long stretches of time on his own, hanging out on the streets and hustling to get by. Hustling is the deceptive act of disguising one's skill in a Sport or Game with the intent of luring someone of probably lesser skill into Gambling (or ^[7] Brown managed to stay in school until he dropped out in the seventh grade. ^[10]

During his childhood, Brown earned money by picking cotton, picking up coal, shining shoes, sweeping out stores, selling and trading in old stamps, washing cars and dishes and singing in talent contests. Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp Shoeshiner is a profession in which a person polishes Shoes with Shoe polish. ^[7] Brown also performed buck dances for change to entertain troops from Camp Gordon during the start of World War II as their convoys traveled over a canal bridge near his aunt's house. Fort Gordon (formerly known as Camp Gordon) is a United States Army Installation and the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps and Signal World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including ^[8][9] Between earning money from these adventures, Brown taught himself to play a harmonica given to him by his father,^[8] and he learned to play some guitar from Tampa Red (who was "dating" one of the girls from his aunt's house), in addition to learning to play piano and drums from others. Tampa Red ( January 8 1904 - March 19 1981) born Hudson Woodbridge but known from childhood as Hudson Whittaker, was an influential ^[8] Brown was inspired to become an entertainer after watching Louis Jordan, a popular jazz and R&B performer during the 1940s, and His Tympany Five in a short film performing "Caldonia". Louis Jordan ( July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was a pioneering American Jazz, Blues and Rhythm & blues Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Tympany Five was a successful Rhythm and blues and Jazz dance band founded by Louis Jordan in 1938 " Caldonia " is a Jump blues song first recorded in 1945 by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five. ^[11]

As an adult, Brown legally changed his name to remove the "Jr. " designation. ^[12] In his spare time, Brown spent time practicing his various skills in Augusta-area halls and committing petty crimes. At the age of sixteen, he was convicted of armed robbery and sent to a juvenile detention center upstate in Toccoa in 1948. Toccoa is a city in Stephens County, Georgia, United States located approximately 50 miles from Athens and approximately 90 miles northeast Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[13]

Brown, who was by then nicknamed "Fergal's Music Blox", formed a gospel quartet while he was incarcerated at the detention center. The group made their own instruments for their performances, which included a paper-and-comb "harmonica", a "drum set" made of lard tins and a "bass" made of a broomstick and washtub. ^[8] Brown's quartet performed for the local prison crowd and performed shows for other nearby prisons. ^[7]

While Brown was in reform school, he became acquainted with Bobby Byrd, who first saw Brown perform in prison as Byrd watched and admired Brown's ability to sing and perform. Working on article Bobby Byrd born Robert Howard Byrd ( August 15 1934 &ndash September 12 2007) was an African American ^[8] Byrd's family helped Brown secure an early release after serving only three years of his sentence. The authorities back then agreed to release Brown on the condition that he (Brown) would try to get a job and not return to Augusta or Richmond County. Richmond County is a County located in the US state of Georgia. After stints as a boxer^[14] and baseball pitcher in semi-professional baseball (a career move ended by a leg injury), Brown turned his energy toward music. Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, In Baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the Pitcher's mound toward the Catcher to begin each play with the goal of ^[15]

Career

Brown's career went over decades, and his sound and beat profoundly influenced the development of many different musical genres. ^[16] Brown moves on a continuum from blues and gospel-based forms and styles to a profoundly Africanised approach to music making. . ^[13] Brown performed in concerts, first making his rounds across the "chitlin' circuit", and then across the country and later around the world, along with appearing in shows on television and in movies. The " chitlin' circuit " was the collective name given to the string of performance venues throughout the eastern and southern United States that were safe and acceptable Although he contributed much to the music world through his hitmaking, Brown held the record as the artist who charted the most singles on the Billboard Hot 100 without ever hitting number one on that chart. ^[7][17]

1955: The Famous Flames

In 1955, Brown and Bobby Byrd's sister Sarah performed in a group called "The Gospel Starlighters". Working on article Bobby Byrd born Robert Howard Byrd ( August 15 1934 &ndash September 12 2007) was an African American Eventually, Brown joined Bobby Byrd's vocal group, the Avons, and Byrd turned the group's sound towards secular rhythm and blues. After the group's name was changed to The Flames, Brown and Byrd's group toured the Southern "chitlin' circuit", and the group eventually signed a deal with the Cincinnati, Ohio-based label Federal Records, a sister label of King Records. The " chitlin' circuit " was the collective name given to the string of performance venues throughout the eastern and southern United States that were safe and acceptable Federal Records was an American Record label founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of Syd Nathan 's King Records. King Records is an American Record label, started in 1943 by Syd Nathan and headquartered in Cincinnati Ohio.

The group's first recording was the single "Please, Please, Please" (1956). " Please Please Please " is an R&B Song written by James Brown and Johnny Terry and recorded by Brown and The Famous Flames. The single was a #5 R&B hit, selling over a million copies. Nine subsequent singles released by The Flames failed to live up to the success of their debut, and group was in danger of being dropped by King Records.

Brown's early recordings were fairly straightforward gospel-inspired R&B compositions, heavily influenced by the work of contemporary musicians such as Ray Charles and Little Richard. Ray Charles Robinson ( September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his Stage name Ray Charles, was an American Rev Richard Wayne Penniman (born December 5 1932 better known by the Stage name Little Richard, is an American Singer, Songwriter Little Richard's relations with Brown were particularly significant in Brown's development as a musician and showman. Brown once called Richard his idol, and credited Richard's saxophone-studded mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters, with being the first to put the funk in the rock and roll beat. The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind ^[18] When Richard left pop music in 1957 to become a preacher, Brown filled out Richard's remaining tour dates in his place. Several former members of Little Richard's backup band joined Brown's group as a consequence of Richard's exit from the pop music scene.

Brown's group returned to the charts to stay in 1958 with the #1 R&B hit "Try Me". For other uses see Try Me " Try Me " is a song written and performed by James Brown. This hit record was the best-selling R&B single of the year, becoming the first of 17 chart-topping R&B singles by Brown over the next two decades. ^[19] By the time "Try Me" was released on record, the group's billing was changed to James Brown and The Famous Flames. The Famous Flames was an R&B vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd that performed with James Brown during the early years of his career "The Famous Flames" was a vocal group, not a backing band contrary to popular belief.

In 1959, Brown and The Famous Flames moved from the Federal Records subsidiary to King Records, the parent label. Brown began to have recurring conflicts with King Records president Syd Nathan over repertoire and other matters. Syd Nathan ( 27 April 1904 - 5 March 1968) was an American Rhythm and blues Record producer. In one notable instance, Brown recorded the 1960 Top Ten R&B hit "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" on Dade Records, owned by Henry Stone, under the pseudonym "Nat Kendrick & The Swans" because Nathan refused to allow him to record it for King. Henry Stone (born 3 June 1921) is an American Record company executive and producer whose career spans the era from R&B A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) ^[20]

Early and mid-1960s

Brown scored on the charts in the early 1960s with recordings such as his 1962 cover of "Night Train". " Night Train " is a Twelve bar blues Instrumental standard first recorded by Jimmy Forrest in 1951. While Brown's early singles were major hits across the southern United States and then regular R&B Top Ten hits, he and the Famous Flames were not successful nationally until his self-financed live show was captured on the 1963 LP Live at the Apollo. The " chitlin' circuit " was the collective name given to the string of performance venues throughout the eastern and southern United States that were safe and acceptable Live At The Apollo is a Live album by James Brown and The Famous Flames, recorded at the Apollo Theater in Harlem Brown financed the recording of the album himself, and it was released on King Records over the objections of label owner Syd Nathan, who saw no commercial potential in a live album containing no new songs. A live album &ndash commonly contrasted with a Studio album &ndash is a recording consisting of material (usually music recorded during stage performances Defying Nathan's expectations, the album stayed on the pop charts for fourteen months, peaking at #2. ^[21] In addition, Brown recorded a hit version of the ballad "Prisoner of Love" ,( his first Top 20 pop hit), in 1963 and founded (under King auspices) the fledgling Try Me Records, Brown's first attempt at running a record label. Over the course of his career James Brown owned and operated several different Record labels which he used primarily to release his own productions of artists associated In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music

Brown followed the success of Live at the Apollo with a string of singles that, along with the work of Allen Toussaint in New Orleans, essentially defined the foundation of funk music. Allen Toussaint, ˈtuːseɪnt (born January 14 1938 is an American Musician, Songwriter and Record producer. New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana Driven by the success of Live at the Apollo and the failure of King Records to expand record promotion beyond the "black" market, James Brown and fellow Famous Flame Bobby Byrd formed a production company, Fair Deal, to promote sales of Brown's record releases to white audiences. In this arrangement, Smash Records, a subsidiary of Mercury Records, was used as a vehicle to distribute Brown's music. Smash Records is an American Record label. It was founded in 1961 as a subsidiary of Mercury Records by Mercury executive Shelby Singleton Mercury Records is a Record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US and are both subsidiaries of Smash released his 1964 hit "Out of Sight", which reached #24 on the pop charts and pointed the way to his later funk hits. For the 1999 song see Guitars (Mike Oldfield album. " Out of Sight " is an R&B Song recorded by James Brown ^[22] Its release also triggered a legal battle between Smash and King that resulted in a one year ban on the release of Brown's vocal recordings. ^[23]

During the mid-1960s, two of Brown's signature tunes "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and "I Got You (I Feel Good)", both from 1965, were his first Top 10 pop hits, as well as major #1 R&B hits, with each remaining the top-selling singles in black venues for over a month. " Papa's Got a Brand New Bag " is a song written and recorded by James Brown. " I Got You (I Feel Good " (commonly known as " I Feel Good " is a hit Song by James Brown. In 1966, Brown's "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" won the Grammy for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording (an award last given in 1968). The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Brown's national profile was boosted further that year by appearances in the movie Ski Party and the concert film The T.A.M.I. Show, in which he and The Famous Flames (Bobby Byrd, Bobby Bennett and "Baby Lloyd" Stallworth) upstaged The Rolling Stones. Ski Party is a B-movie, directed by Alan Rafkin and released in 1965 by American International Pictures ("AIP" A concert movie, or concert film, is a type of documentary Movie, the subject of which is an extended live performance or Concert by a Musician The TAMI Show is a 1964 Concert film, released by American International Pictures. In his concert repertoire and on record, Brown mingled his innovative rhythmic essays with Broadway show tunes and ballads, such as his hit "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" (1965). Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located A ballad is a Poem usually set to Music; thus it often is a story told in a Song. " It's a Man's Man's Man's World " is a song by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome.

Late 1960s

As the 1960s came to a close, Brown continued to refine the new funk idiom. Brown's 1967 #1 R&B hit, "Cold Sweat", sometimes cited as the first true funk song, was the first of his recordings to contain a drum break and the first that featured a harmony that was reduced to a single chord change. For the 1970 film starring Charles Bronson see Cold Sweat (1970 film " Cold Sweat " is a Song performed by James Brown In Popular music a break is an Instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to Stop-time &ndash being A chord progression (also chord sequence and harmonic progression or sequence) is a series of chords played in order ^[24][25] The instrumental arrangements on tracks such as "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose" and "Licking Stick-Licking Stick" (both recorded in 1968) and "Funky Drummer" (recorded in 1969) featured a more developed version of Brown's mid-1960s style, with the horn section, guitars, bass and drums meshed together in intricate rhythmic patterns based on multiple interlocking riffs. " Give It Up or Turnit a Loose " is a Funk Song recorded by James Brown. " Licking Stick - Licking Stick " is a song recorded by James Brown in 1968. " Funky Drummer " (also known as " The Funky Drummer " is a Funk song recorded by James Brown and his band In a Symphony orchestra the horn section is the group of musicians who play the horn (sometimes referred to as the French horn a brass instrument descended The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the The drum is a member of the percussion group technically classified as a Membranophone. In Music, a riff is an Ostinato figure a repeated Chord progression, pattern refrain or melodic figure, often played by the Rhythm

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). " I Got the Feelin' " is a Funk song by James Brown. Released as a single in 1968, it reached #1 on the R&B charts and #6 on the pop " Mother Popcorn " (sometimes subtitled " (You Got to Have a Mother for Me " is a Song recorded by James Brown and released By this time Brown's vocals frequently took the form of a kind of rhythmic declamation, not quite sung but not quite spoken, that only intermittently featured traces of pitch or melody. Pitch represents the perceived Fundamental frequency of a sound In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or This would become a major influence on the techniques of rapping, which would come to maturity along with hip hop music in the coming decades. Rapping (also known as emceeing, MCing, spitting, or just rhyming) is the Rhythmic spoken delivery of Rhymes wordplay and Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with

In November 1967 James Brown purchased radio station WGYW in Knoxville, Tennessee for a reported $75,000, according to the January 20, 1968 Record World magazine. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Record World magazine was one of the three main music industry trade publications in the United States, along with Billboard and Cash The call letters were changed to WJBE reflecting his initials. WJBE began on January 15, 1968 and broadcast a Rhythm & Blues format. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The station slogan was "WJBE 1430 Raw Soul". At the time it was mentioned "Brown has also branched out into real estate and music publishing in recent months".

Brown's recordings influenced musicians across the industry, most notably Sly and his Family Stone, Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s and soul shouters like Edwin Starr, Temptations David Ruffin, and Dennis Edwards. Sly Stone (born Sylvester Stewart on 15 March 1943, in Denton, Texas) is an American Musician, Songwriter Sly & the Family Stone is an American funk, soul and rock band from San Francisco California. Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band is a pioneering American soul and funk band. Edwin Starr ( January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003) was an American Soul music Singer. The Temptations (sometimes abbreviated as The Temps or The Tempts) are a Grammy -winning vocal group that achieved fame as one of the most successful David Ruffin (Davis Eli Ruffin ( January 18, 1941 &ndash June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer most famous for his work Dennis Edwards (born February 3, 1943) is an American soul and R&B singer most noted for being one of Motown act A then-prepubescent Michael Jackson took Brown's shouts and dancing into the pop mainstream as the lead singer of Motown's The Jackson 5. Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan. The Jackson 5 (also spelled The Jackson Five or The Jackson 5ive, and later known as The Jacksons) was an American popular music Family Those same tracks were later resurrected by countless hip-hop musicians from the 1970s onward. As a result, James Brown remains to this day the world's most sampled recording artist, with "Funky Drummer" itself becoming the most sampled individual piece of music. In Music, sampling is the act of taking a portion or sample, of one Sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or element of a new recording ^[26]

Brown's band during this period employed musicians and arrangers who had come up through the jazz tradition. He was noted for his ability as a bandleader and songwriter to blend the simplicity and drive of R&B with the rhythmic complexity and precision of jazz. A bandleader is the leader of a band of Musicians The term is most commonly though not exclusively used with a group that plays Popular music as A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Trumpeter Lewis Hamlin and saxophonist/keyboardist Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis (the successor to previous bandleader Nat Jones) led the band. Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis (born April 21 1941 is an American Saxophonist, Composer and Arranger. Guitarist Jimmy Nolen provided percussive, deceptively simple riffs for each song, and Maceo Parker's prominent saxophone solos provided a focal point for many performances. Jimmy Nolen ( April 3, 1934 – December 18, 1983) was an American guitarist known for his distinctive "chicken scratch" In Music, a riff is an Ostinato figure a repeated Chord progression, pattern refrain or melodic figure, often played by the Rhythm Maceo (pronounced 'may-see-oh Parker (born February 14, 1943) is a noted American Funk and Soul jazz Saxophonist, Other members of Brown's band included stalwart singer and sideman Bobby Byrd, drummers John "Jabo" Starks, Clyde Stubblefield and Melvin Parker (Maceo's brother), saxophonist St. Clair Pinckney, trombonist Fred Wesley, guitarist Alphonso "Country" Kellum and bassist Bernard Odum. John "Jabo" Starks (Born October 26, 1938) is an American Funk and Blues Drummer. Clyde Stubblefield (born 1943 in Chattanooga Tennessee) is a Drummer best known for his work with James Brown. Melvin Parker (born June 7, 1944, Kinston North Carolina) is a Drummer, brother of saxophonist Maceo Parker and was an important St Clair Pinckney (1930-February 1999 was a saxophonist who performed with James Brown as a member of the James Brown Orchestra and The J Fred Wesley (born July 4, 1943) is an American Jazz and Funk Trombonist, best known for his work with James Brown Bernard Odum ( 1932 - August 17, 2004) was an American Bass guitar player best known for performing in James Brown's

During this period, Brown's music empire also expanded along with his influence on the music scene. As Brown's music empire grew, his desire for financial and artistic independence grew as well. Brown bought radio stations during the late 1960s, including radio station WRDW in Augusta, Georgia where he shined shoes as a boy. Brown also branched out to make several recordings with musicians outside his own band. He recorded Gettin' Down To It (1969) and Soul on Top (1970), two albums consisting mostly of romantic ballads and jazz standards, with the Dee Felice Trio and the Louie Bellson Orchestra respectively. Soul on Top is an album by James Brown. Brown and Saxophonist Maceo Parker worked with Arranger / conductor Oliver Nelson A jazz standard is a Jazz tune that is held in continuing esteem and which is widely known performed and recorded among jazz musicians as part of the jazz musical repertoire Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni (born 6 July 1924) better known by the Stage name Louie Bellson (his own preferred spelling He recorded a number of tracks with the Dapps, a white Cincinnati bar band, including the hit "I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)". He also released three albums of Christmas music with his own band.

1970s and the J. B. 's

By 1970, most members of James Brown's classic 1960s band had quit his act for other opportunities, and The Famous Flames singing group had disbanded, with original member Bobby Byrd the only one remaining with Brown. Brown and Byrd employed a new band that included future funk greats, such as bassist Bootsy Collins, Collins' guitarist brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins and trombonist and musical director Fred Wesley. William "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a Funk Bassist, Singer Phelps "Catfish" Collins (born in 1944 Cincinnati Ohio ? --> is a Rhythm guitarist known mostly for his work in the P-Funk collective The trombone is a Musical instrument in the brass family Like all brass instruments it is a lip-reed Aerophone: sound is produced when the player’s Fred Wesley (born July 4, 1943) is an American Jazz and Funk Trombonist, best known for his work with James Brown This new backing band was dubbed "The J.B.'s", and the band made its debut on Brown's 1970 single "Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine". A backing band or backup band is a band which accompanies an artist at a live performance or on a recording The JBs were James Brown 's band during the first half of the 1970s " Get Up (I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine " (usually known as just " Sex Machine " is a song recorded by James Brown in 1970 and released as Although The J. B. 's went through several lineup changes, with the first change occurring in 1971, the band remained Brown's most familiar backing band.

In 1971, Brown began recording for Polydor Records which also took over distribution of Brown's King Records catalog. Polydor Records is a Record label currently headquartered in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Many of his sidemen and supporting players, such as Fred Wesley & The J. B. 's, Bobby Byrd, Lyn Collins, Vicki Anderson and Hank Ballard, released records on the People label, an imprint founded by Brown that was purchased by Polydor as part of Brown's new contract. Working on article Bobby Byrd born Robert Howard Byrd ( August 15 1934 &ndash September 12 2007) was an African American Lyn Collins ( 12 June 1948 &ndash 13 March 2005) was an African American soul Singer best known for working Vicki Anderson (born Myra Barnes) is a soul Singer best known for her performances with the James Brown Revue Hank Ballard (born John Henry Kendricks) ( November 18, 1927 - March 2, 2003) was an African American R&B / Over the course of his career James Brown owned and operated several different Record labels which he used primarily to release his own productions of artists associated The recordings on the People label, almost all of which were produced by Brown himself, exemplified his "house style". Songs such as "I Know You Got Soul" by Bobby Byrd, "Think (About It)" by Lyn Collins and "Doing It to Death" by Fred Wesley & The J. " I Know You Got Soul " is a song recorded by Bobby Byrd with James Brown 's band The J " Think (About It " is a Funk song recorded by Lyn Collins and released as a single on James Brown 's People Records in " Doing It to Death " (sometimes mis-titled as " Gonna Have a Funky Good Time " is a Funk song recorded by The J B. 's are considered as much a part of Brown's recorded legacy as the recordings released under his own name.

In 1973, Brown provided the score for the blaxploitation film Black Caesar. Blaxploitation is a Film genre that emerged in the United States in the early 1970s when many Exploitation films were made that targeted the urban Black Caesar is a 1973 Blaxploitation film starring Fred Williamson and Gloria Hendry. In 1974, he toured Africa and performed in Zaire as part of the buildup to the Rumble in the Jungle fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The Republic of Zaire (pronunciation; République du Zaïre was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between October 27, 1971 The Rumble in The Jungle was a Boxing match pitting then world Heavyweight champion George Foreman against former world champion and challenger Biography Early life Cassius Clay Jr was born on January 17 1942 George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American two-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Admirers of Brown's music, including Miles Davis and other jazz musicians, began to cite Brown as a major influence on their own styles. Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26 1926 &ndash September 28 1991 was an American Jazz Trumpeter, Bandleader, and Composer. However, Brown, like others who were influenced by his music, also "borrowed" from other musicians. His 1976 single "Hot" (I Need To Be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)" (R&B #31) borrowed the main riff from "Fame" by David Bowie, not the other way around as was often believed. In Music, a riff is an Ostinato figure a repeated Chord progression, pattern refrain or melodic figure, often played by the Rhythm " Fame " is a song recorded by David Bowie, initially released in 1974 and in remixed versions in 1990 David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger. The riff was provided to "Fame" co-writers John Lennon and Bowie by guitarist Carlos Alomar. John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born Carlos Alomar (born 1951 in Ponce, Puerto Rico) is an American Guitarist, composer and arranger best known for his work with David Bowie ^[27]

Brown's Polydor recordings during the 1970s exemplified his innovations from the previous twenty years. Compositions such as "The Payback" (1973), "Papa Don't Take No Mess", "Stoned to the Bone", and "Funky President (People It's Bad)" (1974), and "Get Up Offa That Thing" (1976) were among his most noted recordings during this time. " The Payback " (sometimes known as just " Payback " is a Funk Song by James Brown, the Title track from his " Papa Don't Take No Mess " is a Funk song performed by James Brown. " Funky President (People It's Bad " (commonly known as just " Funky President " is a Funk song by James Brown. " Get Up Offa That Thing " (sometimes subtitled " (Release the Pressure " is a song performed by James Brown.

Late 1970s and early 1980s

By the mid-1970s Brown's star-status was on the wane, and key musicians in his band such as Fred Wesley left to join Parliament-Funkadelic. The bands Parliament and Funkadelic cannot be easily separated The onslaught of the slickly commercial style of disco caught Brown off guard, as it superseded his raw style of funk music on the dance floor. Disco is a Genre of dance-oriented music whose origins are hard to define His 1976 albums Get Up Offa That Thing and Bodyheat were Brown's first flirtations with disco rhythms and its slicker production techniques. While the albums Mutha's Nature (1977) and Jam 1980s (1978) did not generate chart hits, Brown's 1979 LP The Original Disco Man was a notable late addition to his oeuvre. This album featured the song "It's Too Funky in Here", which was his last top R&B hit of the decade. Like the rest of songs on the The Original Disco Man LP, "It's Too Funky in Here" was not produced by Brown himself, but produced instead by Brad Shapiro.

Brown's contract with Polydor expired in 1981, and his recording and touring schedule was somewhat reduced. Despite these events, Brown experienced something of a resurgence during the 1980s, effectively crossing over to a broader, more mainstream audience. He appeared in the feature films The Blues Brothers, Doctor Detroit and Rocky IV, as well as guest starring in the Miami Vice episode "Missing Hours" (1988). The Blues Brothers are a Grammy Award -nominated American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd Doctor Detroit is a 1983 Comedy Film, written by Bruce Jay Friedman and Carl Gottlieb. Rocky IV is a 1985 Boxing film the fourth and most financially successful movie of the Rocky franchise Miami Vice is an American Television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. He also recorded Gravity, a modestly popular crossover album released on his new host label Scotti Bros., and the top 10 hit 1985 single "Living in America", which was featured prominently in the Rocky IV film and soundtrack. Crossover is a term applied to Musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the Record charts which track differing musical tastes or genres Scotti Brothers Records (sometimes spelled Scotti Bros Records) was a California -based Record label founded by Tony and Ben Scotti " Living in America " is a 1985 Song composed by Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight and performed by James Brown (Hartman also provided backing vocals In 1987, Brown won the Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Living in America". Acknowledging his influence on modern hip-hop and R&B music, Brown collaborated with hip-hop artist Afrika Bambaataa on the single "Unity". Afrika Bambaataa (born Kevin Donovan on April 17, 1957) is an American DJ from the South Bronx, who was instrumental in the " Unity " is a Song recorded by Afrika Bambaataa and James Brown as a Duet in 1984.

In 1988, Brown worked with the production team Full Force on the hip-hop influenced album I'm Real, which spawned a #5 R&B hit single, "Static". Full Force is a group of R&B and Hip Hop performers and producers from Brooklyn, New York, calling themselves "the original Meanwhile, the drum break from the second version of the original 1969 hit "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose" (the recording included on the compilation album In the Jungle Groove) became so popular at hip hop dance parties (especially for breakdance) during the late 1970s and early 1980s that hip hop founding father Kurtis Blow called the song "the national anthem of hip hop". In Popular music a break is an Instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to Stop-time &ndash being In the Jungle Groove is a Compilation album by James Brown. Released by Polydor Records in 1986 to capitalize on the popularity Breakdance, breaking, b-boying or b-girling is a Street dance style that evolved as part of the hip hop movement among Curtis Walker (born 9 August 1959) better known by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is one of the first commercially successful rappers and ^[28]

Late 1980s to the 2000s

After a stint in prison during the late 1980s, Brown released the album Love Overdue, with the new single "Move On". Brown also released the 1991 four-CD box set Star Time, which included music spanning his four-decade career at that time. A box set (sometimes referred to as a boxed set) is a compilation of various musical recordings Films Television programs or other collection For the 1992 horror film see Star Time (1992 film Star Time is a 1991 71-track 4- CD Box set by Nearly all of his earlier LPs were re-released on CD, often with additional tracks and commentary by experts on Brown's music. In 1993, James Brown released the album Universal James, which spawned the singles "Can't Get Any Harder", "How Long" and "Georgia-Lina". In 1995, the live album Live at the Apollo 1995 was released, featuring the new studio track "Respect Me", which was released as a single that same year. Brown followed up this single with the megamix "Hooked on Brown" that was released as a single in 1996. A megamix is a medley Remix containing multiple Songs in rapid succession Brown's later LP releases during this time included the 1998 studio album I'm Back that featured the single "Funk on ah Roll", and the 2002 album The Next Step that featured the single "Killing is Out, School is In". In 2003, Brown participated in the PBS American Masters television documentary James Brown: Soul Survivor, which was directed by Jeremy Marre. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the American Masters is a PBS Television show which produces biographies on what it considers are the best Artists Actors and Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality Jeremy Marre is a Television director, writer and producer who founded Harcourt Films and has worked extensively around the world

Although Brown had various run-ins with the law, he continued to perform and record regularly, and he also made appearances in television shows and films, such as Blues Brothers 2000, and sporting events, such as his 2000 appearance at the World Championship Wrestling pay-per-view event SuperBrawl X. Blues Brothers 2000 is a 1998 musical / Comedy Film and Sequel to the 1980 film The Blues Brothers SuperBrawl was an annual Professional wrestling Pay-per-view in World Championship Wrestling during the month of February from 1991 through 2001 In Brown's appearance at the SuperBrawl X event, he danced alongside wrestler Ernest "The Cat" Miller, whose character was based on Brown. Ernest Clifford Miller (born January 14, 1964 in Atlanta Georgia) is a former professional wrestler and Actor who worked for ^[29] Brown was featured in Tony Scott's 2001 short film, Beat the Devil, alongside Clive Owen, Gary Oldman, Danny Trejo and Marilyn Manson. Anthony D L "Tony" Scott (born 21 July 1944) is a British Film director. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Short subject is a format description originally coined in the North American Film industry in the early period of cinema. Clive Owen (born October 3, 1964) is an Academy Award -nominated and Golden Globe - and BAFTA -award winning English Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958 is an English actor writer director, producer, Voice-over artist and occasional Musician who Danny Trejo (born May 16, 1944) is an American actor who has appeared in many Hollywood movies. Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969) better known by his Stage name Marilyn Manson, is an American Musician and ^[30] Brown also made a cameo appearance in the 2002 Jackie Chan film The Tuxedo, in which Chan was required to finish Brown's act after Brown was accidentally knocked out by Chan. A cameo role or cameo appearance (often shortened to just cameo) is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the Performing arts, such as See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE (born Chan Kong Sang, 陳港生 on 7 April 1954 is an Actor, action choreographer, Film director The Tuxedo is a 2002 action/comedy film starring Jackie Chan and Jennifer Love Hewitt. ^[31]

Brown appeared at Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push, the final Live 8 concert on July 6, 2005, where he performed a duet with British pop star Will Young on "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag". Edinburgh 50000 - The Final Push was part of the series of Live 8 concerts held around the world designed to encourage the leaders congregating at the G8 meeting Live 8 was a string of Benefit concerts that took place on 2 July, 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979. Young's second album Friday's Child, was released in December 2003 He also performed a duet with another British pop star, Joss Stone, a week earlier on the United Kingdom chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. Joss Stone (born Jocelyn Eve Stoker on 11 April 1987 is an English soul and R&B Singer-songwriter and actress. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Friday Night with Jonathan Ross is a Chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. Before his death, Brown was scheduled to perform a duet with singer Annie Lennox on the song "Vengeance" for her new album Venus, scheduled for release in early 2007. Annie Lennox (born 25 December 1954 is a Scottish born British Musician, Vocalist and Academy Award -winning Songwriter In 2006, Brown continued his "Seven Decades Of Funk World Tour", his last concert tour where he performed all over the world. His last shows were greeted with positive reviews, and one of his final concert appearances at the Irish Oxegen festival in Punchestown in 2006 was performed for a record crowd of 80,000 people. Oxegen is an annual Music festival, held since 2004, sponsored by Heineken. Brown's last televised appearance was at his induction into the UK Music Hall of Fame in November 2006. The UK Music Hall of Fame honours musicians for their lifetime fame in music

James Brown Revue

For many years, Brown's touring show was one of the most extravagant productions in American popular music. At the time of Brown's death, his band included three guitarists, two bass guitar players, two drummers, three horns and a percussionist. ^[32] The bands that he maintained during the late 1960s and 1970s were of comparable size, and the bands also included a three-piece amplified string section that played during ballads. ^[33] Brown employed between 40 and 50 people for the James Brown Revue, and members of the revue traveled with him in a bus to cities and towns all over the country, performing upwards of 330 shows a year with almost all of the shows as one-nighters. ^[34][35]

Concert introduction

Before James Brown appeared on stage, his personal MC gave him an elaborate introduction accompanied by drumrolls, as the MC worked in Brown's various sobriquets along with the names of many of his hit songs. The introduction by Fats Gonder, captured on Brown's 1963 album Live at the Apollo album, is a representative example:

So now ladies and gentlemen it is star time, are you ready for star time? Thank you and thank you very kindly. Live At The Apollo is a Live album by James Brown and The Famous Flames, recorded at the Apollo Theater in Harlem It is indeed a great pleasure to present to you at this particular time, national and international[ly] known as the hardest working man in show business, the men that sing "I'll Go Crazy" . " I'll Go Crazy " is a 1960 Rhythm and blues song recorded by James Brown and The Famous Flames. . . "Try Me" . . . "You've Got the Power" . . . "Think" . Thought and thinking are mental forms and Processes respectively ("thought" is both . . "If You Want Me" . . . "I Don't Mind" . . . "Bewildered" . " Bewildered " is a Popular song written in 1936 by Teddy Powell and Leonard Whitcup . . the million dollar seller, "Lost Someone" . " Lost Someone " is a Song recorded by James Brown in 1961. . . the very latest release, "Night Train" . . . let's everybody "Shout and Shimmy" . " Shout and Shimmy " is an R&B Song written by James Brown and recorded by him and The Famous Flames. . . Mr. Dynamite, the amazing Mr. Please Please himself, the star of the show, James Brown and The Famous Flames!![36]

Among the MCs who worked with Brown and his revue through the years, Brown's most famous MC was Danny Ray, who appeared on stage with him for over 30 years. The Famous Flames was an R&B vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd that performed with James Brown during the early years of his career

Concert repertoire and format

James Brown's performances were famous for their intensity and length. His own stated goal was to "give people more than what they came for — make them tired, 'cause that's what they came for. '"^[37] Brown's concert repertoire consisted mostly of his own hits and recent songs, with a few R&B covers mixed in. In Popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition ( Performance or Recording) of a previously recorded commercially released Brown danced vigorously as he sang, working popular dance steps such as the Mashed Potato into his routine along with dramatic leaps, splits and slides. Mashed Potato or mashed potatoes is a common way of serving Potato in many countries worldwide In addition, his horn players and backup singers (The Famous Flames) typically performed choreographed dance routines, and later incarnations of the Revue included backup dancers. Male performers in the Revue were required to wear tuxedoes and cummerbunds long after more casual concert wear became the norm among the younger musical acts. A cummerbund is a broad waist Sash, usually Pleated which is often worn with single-breasted dinner jackets ( AmE: Tuxedos '. Brown's own extravagant outfits and his elaborate processed hairdo completed the visual impression. The conk was a Hairstyle popular among Afro-American men from the 1920s to the 1960s

A James Brown concert typically included a performance by a featured vocalist, such as Vicki Anderson or Marva Whitney, and an instrumental feature for the band, which sometimes served as the opening act for the show. Marva Whitney (born Marva Ann Manning on May 1, 1944 in Kansas City Kansas) is an African American Funk Singer. An instrumental is a Musical composition or recording without Lyrics or any other sort of Vocal music; all of the Music is produced by The term opening act (in British English supporting act) usually refers to any Entertainer who performs at a concert before the featured (or Headline) Although Brown released many live albums, Say It Live & Loud: Live in Dallas 08. 26. 68, released by Polydor in 1998, was one of only a few audio recordings that captured a performance of the James Brown Revue from beginning to end.

Cape routine

A trademark feature of Brown's stage shows involved the MC draping a cape over Brown's shoulders as the MC tried to escort Brown off the stage after he had worked himself to exhaustion during his performance. As Brown was escorted off the stage by the MC, Brown's vocal group, The Famous Flames, chanted the background vocals "Please, please don't go-oh-oh". The Famous Flames was an R&B vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd that performed with James Brown during the early years of his career ^[38] Brown then shook off the cape and staggered back to the microphone to perform an encore, often singing the hit "Please, Please, Please".

This act was often repeated several times in succession. Brown's cape routine was inspired by a similar routine used by the professional wrestler Gorgeous George. Professional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is a non-competitive professional Sport, where all matches are scripted by the promotion's booking staff George Raymond Wagner, or Gorgeous George ( March 24, 1915 - December 26, 1963) was an American Professional ^[36][39]His cape routine has also been alleged to have its origin in the Jim Crow South. James and the band were not allowed to use the dressing rooms, and often had to change clothes outside. In the wintertime he would wear a robe or cape to stay warm, and then upon entering the stage, he would toss aside the garment. ^[40]

Brown as band leader

Brown was a taskmaster when it came to band practices and performances. He demanded extreme discipline, perfection and precision from his musicians and dancers — right down to when performers in his Revue showed up for rehearsals all the way to whether members wore the right "uniform" or "costume" for concert performances. ^[41] During an interview conducted by Terri Gross during the NPR segment "Fresh Air" with Maceo Parker, a former saxophonist in Brown's band for most of the 1960s and part of the 1970s and 1980s, Parker offered his experience with the discipline that Brown demanded of the band:

You gotta be on time. Terry Gross (born 1951 is the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, an interview format Radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia Fresh Air is a Radio talk show hosted by Terry Gross, broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States Maceo (pronounced 'may-see-oh Parker (born February 14, 1943) is a noted American Funk and Soul jazz Saxophonist, You gotta have your uniform. Your stuff's got to be intact. You gotta have the bow tie. You got to have it. You can't come up without the bow tie. You cannot come up without a cummerbund . . . [The] patent leather shoes we were wearing at the time gotta be greased. You just gotta have this stuff. This is what [Brown expects] . . . [Brown] bought the costumes. He bought the shoes. And if for some reason [the band member decided] to leave the group, [Brown told the person to] please leave my uniforms . . . . [42]

Brown also had a practice of directing, correcting and assessing fines on members of his band who broke his rules, such as wearing unshined shoes, dancing out of sync or showing up late on stage. ^[15] During some of his concert performances, Brown danced in front of his band with his back to the audience as he slid across the floor, flashing hand signals and splaying his pulsating fingers to the beat of the music. Although audiences thought Brown's dance routine was part of his act, this practice was actually his way of pointing to the offending member of his troupe who played or sang the wrong note or committed some other infraction. Brown used his splayed fingers and hand signals to alert the offending person of the fine that person must pay to him for breaking his rules. ^[43]

Social activism

Civil unrest and self-empowerment

“	James Brown was the father I never had. I traveled with him; he financed my youth group . . . What I do functionally is what Dr. King, Reverend Jackson and the movement are all about; but I learned manhood from James Brown. I always say that James Brown taught me how to be a man.	”
—Al Sharpton on his relationship with James Brown, [44]

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, James Brown was renowned for his work with social activism. Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton Jr (born October 3 1954 is an American Baptist minister political and civil rights / Social justice In 1966, he released the single "Don't Be a Drop-Out" as a lesson to young students who had thoughts of dropping out. He later made public speeches in front of dozens of children and advocated the importance of education in school. In 1967, he issued a pro-American single, "America is My Home", which was a "rap" about how he felt people, particularly in the African-American community, were neglecting the country that he said "could give (them) opportunities" explaining how at one time he was shining shoes and the next, he was greeting the President of the United States as he did when President Lyndon B. Johnson thanked him for donating money to school drop-out prevention programs. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa President is a Title leaders of Organizations companies, Trade unions universities, and countries. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

A year later, he performed in front of a televised audience in Boston after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr.. Martin Luther King Jr ( January 15, 1929 April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, Activist and prominent leader Brown is often given credit for preventing rioting with the performance. However, it was Mayor Kevin White who strongly restrained the Boston Police from cracking down on minor violence and protests after the assassination, and Boston religious and community leaders who worked to keep tempers from flaring. Kevin Hagan White (born September 25, 1929) is an American politician best known as the longest-serving Mayor of Boston a position he held from Also, White arranged to have the performance broadcast multiple times on Boston's public television station, WGBH, thus keeping many potential rioters off the streets, watching the concert for free. For the radio station specifically see WGBH (FM. WGBH is a non-commercial Television and Radio broadcast service located in Boston Brown demanded $60,000 for "gate" fees (money he thought would be lost from ticket sales on account of the concert being broadcast for free), and then threatened to go public about the secret arrangement when the city balked at paying up after the concert, news of which would have been a political death-blow to White, and possibly sparked riots on its own. White successfully lobbied the behind-the-scenes power-brokering group known as "The Vault" to come up with money for Brown's gate fee and other liberal social programs; The Vault contributed $100,000 to such programs, and Brown received $15,000 from them via the city. White persuaded management at the Boston Garden to give up their share of receipts to make up the difference.

Afterwards, President Johnson advised Brown to visit Washington, D.C. to greet inner-city residents there performing at a benefit concert there and expressed the notion that violence "wasn't the way to go". Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Many in the black community felt that Brown was speaking out to them more than some major leaders in the country, a sentiment that was strengthened with the release of his groundbreaking landmark single, "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud". " Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud " is a Funk song written and recorded by James Brown in 1968

Brown continued performing benefit concerts for various civil rights organizations including Jesse Jackson's PUSH and The Black Panther Party's Breakfast program throughout the early-1970s. Jesse Louis Jackson Sr (born October 8 1941 is an American Civil rights activist and Baptist minister. The Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a Marxist / Maoist African-American organization established Brown also continued to release socially-conscious singles such as "I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door, I'll Get It Myself)" (1969), "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved" (1971), "Talking Loud and Saying Nothing" (1972), "King Heroin" (1974), "Funky President (People It's Bad)" (1974) and "Reality" (1975). " Funky President (People It's Bad " (commonly known as just " Funky President " is a Funk song by James Brown. The week before his death, Brown took time to give Christmas presents to an orphanage in Atlanta.

Fannie Brown

James Brown's sister, Fannie Brown, shared James' passion and concern for the condition of today's youth and expressed these concerns by writing songs for James Brown and his band to perform in concert. Brown pocketed the songs for later collaboration, but sang songs written by Fannie Brown wrote in his final track "Gut Bucket". According to Fannie Brown, "Pull Your Pants UP! U SAGGIN'", a song about negativity in today's music world, is planned for a future release. ^[45]

Personal life

At the end of his life, James Brown lived in a riverfront home in Beech Island, South Carolina, directly across the Savannah River from Augusta, Georgia. Beech Island is an unincorporated community of Aiken County, South Carolina, United States. For the Department of Energy facility see Savannah River Site The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States Augusta Georgia is a city in Richmond County, Georgia, United States. Brown was once diagnosed with prostate cancer, which was successfully treated with surgery. ^[46] Regardless of his health, Brown maintained his reputation as the "hardest working man in show business" by keeping up with his grueling performance schedule. However, James Brown led as colorful a life on stage with his performances, as he had off stage with his troubles with the law and his last marriage in particular.

Marriages and children

Brown was married four times — Velma Warren (1953–1969, divorced), Deidre "Deedee" Jenkins (1970–1981, divorced), Adrienne Lois Rodriguez (1984–1996, wife's death) and Tomi Rae Hynie (2001–2006, his death). Tomi Rae Hynie (born May 21 1969) is an American singer who claims to be the widow of James Brown. From these and other relationships, James Brown had five sons — Teddy Brown, Terry Brown, Larry Brown, Daryl Brown (a member of Brown's backing band) and James Joseph Brown III, in addition to four daughters — Lisa Brown, Dr. Yamma Noyola Brown Lumar, Deanna Brown Thomas and Venisha Brown. ^[2][47][48] Brown also had eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. ^[2][47] Brown's eldest son, Teddy, died in a car crash in 1973. ^[49]

According to a 22 August 2007 article published in the British newspaper The Telegraph, DNA tests indicate that Brown also fathered at least three illegitimate children. Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The only one of them who has been identified is LaRhonda Pettit (born 1962), a retired air stewardess and teacher who lives in Houston. ^[50]

Brown-Hynie marriage controversy

Much controversy surrounds Tomi Rae Hynie's marriage to James Brown that occurred in December 2001, which was officiated by Rev. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** Larry Fryer. ^[51] Brown's longtime attorney, Albert "Buddy" Dallas, reported that the marriage between Brown and Hynie was not valid because Hynie was married at that time to Javed Ahmed, a Pakistani whom Hynie claimed married her for a Green Card in an immigration fraud. A United States Permanent Resident Card, also known as a green card, is an Identification card attesting to the Permanent resident status of an Alien Although Hynie stated that her marriage to Javed Ahmed was later annulled, the annulment for Hynie's 1997 marriage to Ahmed did not occur until April 2004. ^[51][52] In an interview on CNN with Larry King, Hynie produced a 2001 marriage certificate as proof of her marriage to James Brown, but she did not provide King with court records pointing to an annulment of her marriage to him or to Ahmed. Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner Larry King (born November 19, 1933) is an American television/radio host Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Annulment in the Catholic Church See also Annulment (Catholic Church In the Roman Catholic Church, a marriage is considered to be a valid contract ^[53]

According to Dallas, Brown was angry and hurt that Hynie concealed her prior marriage from him, and that Brown moved to file for annulment from Hynie. ^[54] Dallas added that, although Hynie's marriage to Javed Ahmed was annulled after she married James Brown, the Brown-Hynie marriage was not valid under South Carolina law because Brown and Hynie did not remarry after the annulment. South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. ^[53][55] In August 2003, Brown took out a full-page public notice in Variety Magazine featuring Hynie, James II and himself on vacation at Disney World to announce that he and Hynie were going their separate ways. Variety is a weekly entertainment trade newspaper founded in New York in 1905 by Sime Silverman Walt Disney World Resort is the most visited and largest recreational resort in the world containing four Theme parks two Water parks twenty-three themed hotels ^[56][57]

Paternity of James Brown II

In a separate CNN interview, Debra Opri, another Brown family attorney, revealed to Larry King that Brown wanted a DNA test performed after his death to confirm the paternity of James Brown II — not for Brown's sake, but for the sake of the other family members. Debra Ann Opri (born 10 June 1960) is an American attorney Opri gained her reputation as a celebrity attorney when she successfully represented James Brown Deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) is a Nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known ^[58] In April 2007, Hynie selected a guardian ad litem whom she wants appointed by the court to represent her son, James Brown II, in the paternity proceedings. A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority (and the corresponding duty to care for the personal and Property interests of another person called a ward ^[59]

Legal issues

Brown's personal life was marred by several brushes with the law. At the age of 16, was arrested for theft and served 3 years in prison. In 1988, Brown was arrested following an alleged high-speed car chase on Interstate 20 along the Georgia-South Carolina state border. The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. He was convicted of carrying an unlicensed pistol and assaulting a police officer, along with various drug-related and driving offenses. Although he was sentenced to six years in prison, he was eventually released in 1991 after serving only three years of his sentence. Brown's FBI file, released to The Washington Post in 2007 under the Freedom of Information Act,^[60] supported Brown's claim that the high-speed chase did not occur as claimed by the police, and that local police shot at his car several times during an incident of police harassment and assaulted him after his arrest. ^[61] In another incident, the police were summoned to Brown's residence on July 3, 2000 after he was accused of charging an electric company repairman with a steak knife when the repairman visited Brown's house to investigate a complaint about having no lights at the residence. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ^[62]

In 2003, Brown was pardoned for past crimes that he was convicted of committing in South Carolina. ^[63] In January 2005, a woman named Jacque Hollander filed a second lawsuit against James Brown, which stemmed from a alleged 1988 forcible rape. When the case was initially heard before a judge in 2002, Hollander's claims against Brown were dismissed by the court. Although the statute of limitations ran out, Hollander brought the second suit on the grounds that stress from the alleged assault later caused her to contract Grave's Disease, a thyroid condition. Hollander claimed that the incident took place in South Carolina while she was employed by Brown as a publicist.

Hollander alleged that, during her ride in a van with Brown, Brown pulled over to the side of the road and sexually assaulted her while he threatened her with a shotgun. In her case against Brown, Hollander entered as evidence a DNA sample and a polygraph result, but the evidence was rendered useless because the statute of limitations had already ran its course. Hollander later attempted to bring her case before the Supreme Court but nothing became of her complaint.

During the 1990s and 2000s, Brown was repeatedly arrested for domestic violence. Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or spousal abuse) occurs when a family member partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate Adrienne Rodriguez, his third wife, had him arrested four times between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s on charges of assault. In January 2004, Brown was arrested in South Carolina on a domestic violence charge after Tomi Rae Hynie accused him of pushing her to the floor during an argument at their home, where she suffered scratches and bruises to her right arm and hip. Later that year in June 2004, Brown pleaded no contest to the domestic violence incident, but served no jail time. la Nolo contendere is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I will not contend it Instead, Brown was required to forfeit a US$1,087 bond as punishment. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been ^[64]

Death and the aftermath

Death

On December 23, 2006, James Brown, in ill health, showed up at his dentist's office in Atlanta, Georgia several hours later than his appointment for dental implant work. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. A dental implant is an Artificial tooth root replacement and is used in prosthetic Dentistry to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth During that visit, Brown's dentist observed that Brown looked "very bad . Dentistry' is the "evaluation diagnosis prevention and/or treatment (nonsurgical surgical or related procedures of diseases disorders and/or conditions of the oral cavity . . weak and dazed. " Instead of performing the dental work, the dentist advised Brown to see a doctor right away about his medical condition. ^[9]

Brown checked in at the Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia on December 24, 2006 for a medical evaluation of his condition, and he was admitted to the hospital for observation and treatment. Emory University is a Private university located in the metropolitan area of the city of Atlanta and in western unincorporated DeKalb County, Crawford Williamson Long ( November 1, 1815 &ndash June 16, 1878) was an American Physician and Pharmacist best known for A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[65] According to Charles Bobbit, Brown's longtime personal manager and friend, Brown had been sick and suffering with a noisy cough since he returned from a November trip to Europe. In Medicine, a cough ( Latin: tussis) is a sudden and often repetitively occurring defence Reflex which helps to clear the large breathing passages ^[9] Bobbit also added that it was characteristic of Brown to never tell or complain to anyone that he was sick, and that Brown frequently performed during illness. ^[9] Although Brown had to cancel upcoming shows in Waterbury, Connecticut and Englewood, New Jersey, Brown was confident that the doctor would discharge him from the hospital in time to perform the New Year's Eve shows. Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 26203

For the New Year's celebrations, Brown was scheduled to perform at the Count Basie Theatre in New Jersey and at the B.B. King Blues Club in New York, in addition to performing a song live on CNN for the Anderson Cooper New Year's Eve special. William "Count" Basie ( August 21, 1904 &ndash April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, Organist B B King (born Riley B King, September 16 1925 is an American Blues Guitarist and Singer-songwriter. Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3 1967 is an American Emmy Award -winning Journalist, author and television personality ^[65] Instead, Brown remained hospitalized, and his medical condition worsened throughout that day.

On December 25, 2006, Brown died at approximately 1:45 a. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. m. (06:45 UTC) from congestive heart failure resulting from complications of pneumonia, with his agent Frank Copsidas and his friend Charles Bobbit at his bedside. Heart failure is a Cardiac condition that occurs when a problem with the structure or function of the Heart impairs its ability to supply Pneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the Lung. Frequently it is described as lung Parenchyma / alveolar inflammation and abnormal ^[66] According to Bobbit, Brown uttered "I'm going away tonight", and then Brown took three long, quiet breaths and closed his eyes. ^[3]

Memorial services

After Brown's death on Christmas day, Brown's relatives and friends, a host of celebrities and thousands of fans attended public memorial services at the Apollo Theater in New York on December 28, 2006 and at the James Brown Arena on December 30, 2006 in Augusta, Georgia. Events 1065 - Westminster Abbey is Consecrated. 1308 - The reign of Emperor Hanazono, Emperor of Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Events 1065 - Westminster Abbey is Consecrated. 1308 - The reign of Emperor Hanazono, Emperor of Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Augusta Georgia is a city in Richmond County, Georgia, United States. ^[47] A separate, private memorial service was also held in North Augusta, South Carolina on December 29, 2006,^[2] which was attended by Brown's family and close friends. North Augusta is a city in Aiken County, South Carolina, United States, on the north bank of the Savannah River. Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Celebrities who attended Brown's public and/or private memorial services included Joe Frazier, Dick Gregory, MC Hammer, Jesse Jackson, Michael Jackson, L L Cool J, 50cent, and Don King, among others. For the Major League Baseball player and manager see Joe Frazier (baseball. Dick Gregory (born Richard Claxton Gregory on October 12, 1932) is an American Comedian, Social activist, Writer MC Hammer (born Stanley Kirk Burrell; March 30, 1962) is an American MC most popular during the late 1980s and early 1990s known for his Jesse Louis Jackson Sr (born October 8 1941 is an American Civil rights activist and Baptist minister. Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman James Todd Smith (born January 14 1968 better known as LL Cool J, is an American Rapper and actor Donald "Don" King (born August 20 1931) is an American Boxing promoter particularly known for his hairstyle and flamboyant personality ^{[67][68][69][70]} All of the public and private memorial services were officiated by Rev. Al Sharpton. Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton Jr (born October 3 1954 is an American Baptist minister political and civil rights / Social justice ^[71][72]

Brown's public and private memorial ceremonies were elaborate, complete with costume changes for Brown and videos featuring him in concert performances. Brown's body, which was placed in a gold casket, was driven through the streets of New York to the Apollo Theater in a white, glass-encased horse-drawn carriage. ^[73][74] In Augusta, Georgia, the procession for Brown's public memorial visited Brown's statue as the procession made its way to the James Brown Arena. During the public memorial at the James Brown Arena, nachos and pretzels were served to mourners, as a video showed Brown's last performance in Augusta, Georgia and the Ray Charles version of "Georgia On My Mind" played soulfully in the background. Augusta Georgia is a city in Richmond County, Georgia, United States. Ray Charles Robinson ( September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his Stage name Ray Charles, was an American In Popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition ( Performance or Recording) of a previously recorded commercially released " Georgia on My Mind " is a song written in 1930 by Stuart Gorrell (lyrics and Hoagy Carmichael (music ^[75][76][77] Brown's last backup band, The Soul Generals, also played the music of Brown's hits during the memorial service at the James Brown Arena. The group was joined by Bootsy Collins on bass, with MC Hammer performing a dance in James Brown style. William "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a Funk Bassist, Singer ^[78]

Last will and testament

James Brown signed his last will and testament on August 1, 2000 before Strom Thurmond, Jr. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. , an attorney for Brown's estate. ^[79] The irrevocable trust, separate and apart from Brown's will, was created on Brown's behalf in 2000 by his attorney, Albert "Buddy" Dallas, who was named as one of three personal representatives of Brown's estate. Brown's will covered the disposition of his personal assets, such as clothing, cars and jewelry, while Brown's irrevocable trust covered the disposition of music rights, business assets of James Brown Enterprises and Brown's Beech Island estate in South Carolina. ^[80]

During the reading of Brown's will on January 11, 2007, Thurmond revealed that Brown's six adult living children (Terry Brown, Larry Brown, Daryl Brown, Yamma Brown Lumar, Deanna Brown Thomas and Venisha Brown) were named in the will. Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Hynie and James III were not mentioned in the will as parties who could inherit Brown's property. ^[79][81] Brown's will was signed ten months before James III was born and more than a year before Brown's marriage to Tomi Rae Hynie. Like Brown's will, his irrevocable trust also did not mention Hynie and James III as recipients of Brown's property. The irrevocable trust was established and had not been amended since the birth of James III. ^[82]

On January 24, 2007, Brown's children filed a lawsuit against the personal representatives of Brown's estate. Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. In their petition, Brown's children asked the court to remove the personal representatives of Brown's estate (including Brown's attorney and estate's trustee, Albert "Buddy" Dallas) and appoint a special administrator because of perceived impropriety and alleged mismanagement of Brown's assets. ^[83][84] To challenge the validity of the will and irrevocable trust, Hynie also filed a lawsuit against Brown's estate on January 31, 2007. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. In her lawsuit against Brown's estate, Hynie asked the court to recognize her as Brown's widow, and she also asked the court to appoint a special administrator for the estate. ^[85]

Burial at temporary site

After the public and private memorial services in late December 2006, James Brown's body remained in his casket for a time in a temperature-controlled room at his estate. Brown's casket was later moved to an undisclosed location, while his children and Tomi Rae Hynie became embroiled in disputes about Brown's final resting place and matters related to probating his will. ^[86] More than ten weeks after Brown's death and the public and private memorial services, Brown's children and Hynie decided on a temporary burial site for James Brown. Brown was buried on March 10, 2007 in a crypt at the home of Deanna Brown Thomas, one of Brown's daughters who also held a private ceremony for the temporary burial. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[87] The private ceremony for the temporary burial, officiated by Al Sharpton, was attended by Brown's family and a host of friends. Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton Jr (born October 3 1954 is an American Baptist minister political and civil rights / Social justice

According to Brown's family, Brown's body will remain buried at the temporary site while a public mausoleum is built for him and a decision has been made for Brown's final resting place. A mausoleum ( plural: mausolea is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons ^[87][88] To turn Brown's estate into a visitor attraction, Brown's family plans to consult with the family of Elvis Presley for guidance about converting the estate into an attraction similar to Graceland. Graceland is the name of the 138 acre estate and large white-columned mansion that once belonged to Elvis Presley, located at 3734 Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis ^[87][89]

Dallas, Brown's long time attorney and one of the trustees for Brown's estate, did not attend the private service for the temporary burial. He expressed his disapproval and disappointment with the temporary burial arrangement with the comment "Mr. Brown's not deserving of anyone's backyard. " According to Dallas, the trustees for Brown's estate "had made arrangements for Brown to be laid to rest at no cost at a 'very prominent memorial garden in Augusta. '"^[90]

Honors, awards and dedications

James Brown received a variety of awards and honors throughout his lifetime and after his death. At one city, fans voted to honor James Brown by naming a bridge after the entertainer. In 1993, the City Council of Steamboat Springs, Colorado conducted a poll of its residents to choose a new name for the bridge that crossed the Yampa River on Shield Drive. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) The City of Steamboat Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the County seat and the most populous city of Routt County, Colorado The Yampa River is a tributary of the Green River, approximately 250 mi (402 km long in the U The winning name with 7,717 votes was "James Brown Soul Center of the Universe Bridge". The bridge was officially dedicated in September 1993, and James Brown appeared at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the event. ^[91] Although a petition was started by a local group of ranchers to return the name of the bridge to "Stockbridge" for historical reasons, the ranchers backed off after citizens defeated their efforts because of the popularity of Brown's name. Brown returned to Steamboat Springs, Colorado on July 4, 2002 for an outdoor music festival, performing with other bands such as the String Cheese Incident. The City of Steamboat Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the County seat and the most populous city of Routt County, Colorado Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The String Cheese Incident, one of the bands involved in the jam movement of the mid-to-late 1990s formed in Boulder, Colorado in 1993 ^[92]

During his long career, James Brown received several prestigious music industry awards and honors. In 1983, Brown was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. In addition, Brown was named as one of the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at its inaugural induction dinner in New York on January 23, 1986. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) However, the members of his original vocal group, The Famous Flames, Bobby Byrd, Johnny Terry, Bobby Bennett, and Lloyd Stallworth, were not. On February 25, 1992, Brown was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 34th annual Grammy Awards. Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who during their lifetimes have made creative contributions of outstanding The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Exactly a year later, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 4th annual Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Awards. ^[93] A ceremony was held for Brown on January 10, 1997 to honor him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a Sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood Los Angeles California, USA, that ^[93]

On June 15, 2000, Brown was honored as an inductee for the New York Songwriters Hall of Fame. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. On November 14, 2006, Brown was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame, and he was one of several inductees who performed at the ceremony. Events 1533 - Conquistadors from Spain under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro arrive in Cajamarca, Inca Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The UK Music Hall of Fame honours musicians for their lifetime fame in music ^[94] In recognition of his accomplishments as an entertainer, Brown was a recipient of Kennedy Center Honors on December 7, 2003. The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to artists in the performing arts Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[93] In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked James Brown as #7 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.^[95]

Brown was also honored in his hometown of Augusta, Georgia for his philanthropy and civic activities. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published Augusta Georgia is a city in Richmond County, Georgia, United States. On November 20, 1993, Mayor Charles DeVaney of Augusta held a ceremony to dedicate a section of 9th Street between Broad and Twiggs Streets, renamed "James Brown Boulevard", in the entertainer's honor. Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) ^[93] On May 6, 2005, as a 72nd birthday present for Brown, the City of Augusta unveiled a life-sized bronze statue of the singer on Broad Street. Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Bronze is any of a broad range of Copper alloys, usually with Tin as the main additive but sometimes with other elements such as Phosphorus ^[93] The statue was to have been dedicated a year earlier, but the ceremony was put on hold because of a domestic abuse charge that Brown faced at the time. ^[96] On August 22, 2006, the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority voted to rename the city's civic center the James Brown Arena, and James Brown attended a ceremony for the unveiling of the namesake center on October 15, 2006. Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Namesake (sometimes "name's sake" is a term used to characterize a person place thing quality action state or idea that is called after or named out of regard to Events 533 - Byzantine General Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[93]

On December 30, 2006 during the public memorial service at the James Brown Arena, Dr. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Shirley A. R. Lewis, president of Paine College, a historically black college in Augusta, Georgia, bestowed posthumously upon Brown an honorary doctorate in recognition and honor of his many contributions to the school in times of its need. Paine College is a private Historically Black College located in Augusta Georgia. Historically black colleges and universities ( HBCUs) are institutions of Higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa ( Latin: 'for the sake of the honour' is an Academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding Brown was scheduled originally to receive the honorary doctorate from Paine College during its May 2007 commencement. ^[97][98]

During the 49th Annual Grammy Awards presentation held on February 11, 2007, James Brown's famous cape was draped over a microphone at the end of a montage in honor of notable persons in the music industry, including Brown, who died during the previous year. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. A montage sequence is a technique in Film editing in which a series of short shots is edited into a sequence to condense narrative Earlier that evening, Christina Aguilera delivered an impassioned performance of one of Brown's hits, "It's a Man's Man's Man's World", while Chris Brown performed a dance routine in honor of James Brown. Christina María Aguilera (born December 18 1980 is an American pop / R&B Singer and Songwriter. ^[99]

As a tribute to James Brown, the Rolling Stones covered the song, "I'll Go Crazy" from Brown's Live at the Apollo album, during its 2007 European tour. " I'll Go Crazy " is a 1960 Rhythm and blues song recorded by James Brown and The Famous Flames. Live At The Apollo is a Live album by James Brown and The Famous Flames, recorded at the Apollo Theater in Harlem On September 12, 2007, barely nine months after James Brown's death, Bobby Byrd, the original leader and founder of The Famous Flames vocal group along with Brown, died of cancer at 73 years old. Events 1213 - Albigensian Crusade: Simon de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester, defeats Peter II of Aragon at the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[100]

On December 22, 2007, the first annual "Tribute Fit For the King of King Records" in honor of James Brown was held at the Madison Theater in Covington, Kentucky. Events 1790 - The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Suvorov and his Russian armies Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Covington is a city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. The tribute, organized by Bootsy Collins, featured appearances by Afrika Bambaataa, Chuck D of Public Enemy, The Soul Generals, Buckethead, Freekbass, Triage and many of Brown's surviving family members. William "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a Funk Bassist, Singer Afrika Bambaataa (born Kevin Donovan on April 17, 1957) is an American DJ from the South Bronx, who was instrumental in the Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1 1960 in Roosevelt New York) better known by his stage name Chuck D, is an American rapper author and producer Public Enemy, also known as PE, is an influential hip hop group from Long Island New York, known for its politically charged Lyrics, criticism Brian Carroll, better known as Buckethead, is an American Guitarist and Songwriter. Triage (ˈtriːɑːʒ is a process of prioritizing patients based on the severity of their condition so as to treat as many as possible when resources are insufficient for all Comedian Michael Coyer was the emcee for the event. During the show, the mayor of Cincinnati proclaimed December 22 as James Brown Day. ^[101] It has been said that a biopic is in the works about the godfather himself Spike Lee has signed on to direct and Brian Grazer has signed on to produce it. Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20 1957 is an Emmy Award -winning and Academy Award -nominated American Film director, Brian Grazer (born July 12, 1951, in Los Angeles, California) is an Oscar and Emmy Award -winning American Celebs like Usher (entertainer) and Fergie (singer) are interested in being in the project. Usher Raymond IV (born October 14 1978 known simply by his first name Usher, is an American R&B and pop Singer - Songwriter Stacy Ann Ferguson (born March 27 1975 better known by her Stage name Fergie, is an American pop / R&B Singer-songwriter

Discography

Notable albums

Four of James Brown's albums appeared on the Rolling Stone Magazine's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time:^[102]

• Live at the Apollo (1963) (#24)
• In the Jungle Groove (1986) (#330)
• Star Time (1991) (#79)
• 20 All-Time Greatest Hits! (1991) (#414)

In addition, Brown's 1970 double album Sex Machine was ranked 96th in a 2005 survey held by British television station Channel 4 to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published Live At The Apollo is a Live album by James Brown and The Famous Flames, recorded at the Apollo Theater in Harlem In the Jungle Groove is a Compilation album by James Brown. Released by Polydor Records in 1986 to capitalize on the popularity For the 1992 horror film see Star Time (1992 film Star Time is a 1991 71-track 4- CD Box set by 20 All-Time Greatest Hits! is a single-disc collection of James Brown 's most famous recordings released in 1991 in conjunction with the A double album is an audio Album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold (especially records and Compact Discs. Sex Machine is a 1970 Double album by James Brown. It showcases the playing of the original J Channel 4 is a public-service Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began ^[103] Other notable albums, originally released as double LP records, feature extensive playing by The J.B.'s and served as prolific sources of samples for later musical artists, including:

• Get On the Good Foot (1972)
• The Payback (1974)
• Hell (1974)

The 1968 Live at the Apollo, Vol. A gramophone The JBs were James Brown 's band during the first half of the 1970s In Music, sampling is the act of taking a portion or sample, of one Sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or element of a new recording Get On the Good Foot is a Double album released by James Brown in 1972 The Payback is a 1973 Double album by James Brown. It was originally scheduled to become the Soundtrack for the Blaxploitation For the 2008 Venom album see Hell (Venom album. Hell is a Double album by Soul artist James Brown II double LP album was notably influential on musicians at the time of its release. This classic album remains an example of Brown's energetic live performances and audience interaction, as well as providing a means of documenting the metamorphosis of his music from the R&B and soul styles into hard funk.

Notable singles

Until the early 1970s, Brown was famous mostly for his road show and singles, rather than his albums (with his live LPs as a major exception). Six of his hit singles appeared on the Rolling Stone Magazine's 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time:^[104]

• "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (1965) (#72)
• "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (1965) (#78)
• "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" (1966) (#123)
• "Please, Please, Please" (1956) (#142)
• "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" (1968) (#305)
• "Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine" (1970) (#326)

Complete singles reissue

In 2006, Hip-O Select Records began a multi-volume reissue of James Brown's complete singles (both A-sides and B-sides) on CD. " Papa's Got a Brand New Bag " is a song written and recorded by James Brown. " I Got You (I Feel Good " (commonly known as " I Feel Good " is a hit Song by James Brown. " It's a Man's Man's Man's World " is a song by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome. " Please Please Please " is an R&B Song written by James Brown and Johnny Terry and recorded by Brown and The Famous Flames. " Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud " is a Funk song written and recorded by James Brown in 1968 " Get Up (I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine " (usually known as just " Sex Machine " is a song recorded by James Brown in 1970 and released as Hip-O Records is a Record label, currently part of Universal Music Group, which specializes in reissues and compilations For the reissuing of print material see Reprint A reissue (also known as a re-release or re-edition) is the repeated issue A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch Vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio As of February 2008, five volumes have been released: The Federal Years: 1956-1960; The Singles: 1960-1963; The Singles: 1964-1965; The Singles: 1966-1967 and The Singles: 1967-1969. The Singles Volume Two 1960 - 1963 is a collection of singles by James Brown from 1960 through 1963.

Filmography

• The T.A.M.I. Show (1964) (documentary)
• Ski Party (1965)
• The Phynx (1970)
• Black Caesar (1973) (soundtrack only)
• Slaughter's Big Ripoff (1974) (soundtrack only)
• The Blues Brothers (1980)
• Doctor Detroit (1983)
• Rocky IV (1985)
• When We Were Kings (1996) (documentary)
• Soulmates (1997)
• Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)
• Holy Man (1998)
• Undercover Brother (2002)
• The Tuxedo (2002)
• The Hire: Beat The Devil (2002) (short subject)
• Paper Chasers (2003) (documentary)
• Sid Bernstein Presents. The TAMI Show is a 1964 Concert film, released by American International Pictures. Ski Party is a B-movie, directed by Alan Rafkin and released in 1965 by American International Pictures ("AIP" The Phynx is a 1970 Comedy Film directed by Lee H Katzin. The film is about a Rock and roll band named The Black Caesar is a 1973 Blaxploitation film starring Fred Williamson and Gloria Hendry. The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical comedy directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd Doctor Detroit is a 1983 Comedy Film, written by Bruce Jay Friedman and Carl Gottlieb. Rocky IV is a 1985 Boxing film the fourth and most financially successful movie of the Rocky franchise When We Were Kings is a 1996 documentary film directed by Leon Gast about the famous Rumble in the Jungle Heavyweight championship Blues Brothers 2000 is a 1998 musical / Comedy Film and Sequel to the 1980 film The Blues Brothers Holy Man is a Film produced in 1998 starring Eddie Murphy, Jeff Goldblum and Kelly Preston. Undercover Brother is a 2002 comedy starring Eddie Griffin and directed by Malcolm D The Tuxedo is a 2002 action/comedy film starring Jackie Chan and Jennifer Love Hewitt. . . (2005) (documentary)
• Glastonbury (2006) (documentary)
• Life on the Road with Mr. Glastonbury is a 2006 Rockumentary film directed by Julien Temple which details the history of the Glastonbury Festival from 1970 to 2005 and Mrs. Brown (2007) (documentary; release pending)

References

Footnotes

Other References

External links

• The Times Obituary for James Brown
• James Brown at the Internet Movie Database
• James Brown discography at MusicBrainz
• James Brown at Allmusic
• James Brown at the Open Directory Project
• James Brown, 1933-2006. News and multimedia archive from The Augusta Chronicle
• James Brown's Musicians Reflect On His Legacy - article from Down Beat Magazine
• Biography: James Brown and the Black Arts movement of the 60s and 70s (biography at Funky-Stuff. MusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an Open content Music database allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. The Open Directory Project ( ODP) also known as dmoz (from directory The Augusta Chronicle is the major daily Newspaper of Augusta Georgia and is one of the oldest newspapers in the United States. Down Beat is an American Magazine devoted to "jazz blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively com).
• James Brown biography and concert review in cosmopolis.ch
• RBMA Radio On Demand - Across 135th Street - Volume 7 - Tribute to James Brown - Chairman Mao (RBMA, Egotrip)

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