James Brown

James Brown has had more honorifics attached to his name than any other performer in music history. In over half-century of entertaining he has been tagged “Soul Brother Number One,” the Godfather of Soul,” "the Hardest Working Man in Show Business,” “Mr. Dynamite,” and even “the Original Disco Man.” One thing is certain: what became known as soul music in the Sixties, funk music in the Seventies and rap music in the Eighties is directly attributable to James Brown. His transformation of gospel fervor into the taut, explosive intensity of R&B, combined with precision choreography and superb dynamic showmanship, served to define the directions black music would take from the release of his first R&B hit, “Please, Please, Please” in 1956 to the present day. His very life was one triumph over adversity after another, after being born into poverty in Barnwell, South Carolina, during the Great Depression. He went on to become a three-figure hit-maker, with a total of 114 entries on Billboard’s R&B singles charts and 94 made it to the regular Hot 100 singles charts. His early classic album “Live at the Apollo” is still considered a musical benchmark. His career spanned over 40 years, with a revival in 1986 when his theme song to Rocky IV reached #4 on Billboard’s Top 100 chart. That same year he was one of 10 original inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His personal life on the other hand, took a nose-dive in 1988, after being investigated on a series of charges ranging form spousal abuse and drug possession to problems with the IRS. But if nothing else, his status as the Godfather of Soul remained unassailable right up until his death in 2006. Find more at: www.godfatherofsoul.com

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