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James
Brown
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b. 3 May 1928, Barnwell, South
Carolina, USA.
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Brown claims he was born in 1933
in Macon, Georgia.
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'The Hardest Working Man In
Show-Business', 'The Godfather Of Soul', 'The Minister Of The
New
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New Super Heavy Funk' – such
sobriquets only hint at the protracted James Brown legend.
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Convicted of theft at the age of
16, he was imprisoned at the Alto Reform School, but secured
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an early release on the
approbation of local singer Bobby Byrd. Brown later joined his group,
the
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Gospel Starlighters, who evolved
into the Flames after embracing R&B.
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In 1955 they recorded a demo of
'Please Please Please' at WIBB, a Macon, Georgia radio
station.
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Local airplay was such that talent
scout Ralph Bass signed the group to the King/Federal
company.
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A re-recorded version of the song
was issued in March 1956. Credited to 'James Brown And The
Famous
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Flames', it eventually climbed to
number 5 in the US R&B list. Further releases fared poorly until 1958,
when
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'Try Me' rose to number 1 in the
same chart. Once again Brown found it difficult to maintain this level
of
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success, but 'I'll Go Crazy' and
'Think' (both 1960) put his progress on a surer footing.
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From thereon, until 1977, almost
every 'official' single charted. However, it was an album, Live
At
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The Apollo (1963), that assuredly
established the singer. Raw, alive and uninhibited, this
shattering
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collection confirmed Brown as the
voice of black America - every track on the album is a breathtaking
event.
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More than 30 years on, with all
the advances in recording technology, this album stands as one of
the
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greatest live productions of all
time. His singles continued to enthrall: energetic songs such
as
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'Night Train' and 'Shout And
Shimmy' contrasted with such slower sermons as 'I Don't Mind'
and
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'Bewildered', but it was the
orchestrated weepie, 'Prisoner Of Love' (1963), that gave Brown
his
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first US Top 20 pop single. Such
eminence allowed Brown a new manoeuvrability. Dissatisfied
with
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his record label King, he ignored
contractual niceties and signed with Smash Records. By the time
his
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former outlet had secured an
injunction, 'Out Of Sight' had become another national hit.
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More importantly, however, the
single marked the beginning of a leaner, tighter sound that would
ultimately
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discard accepted western notions
of harmony and structure. This innovative mid-60s period is
captured
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on film in his electrifying
performance on the TAMI Show.
Throughout the 60s, Brown proclaimed an
artistic freedom with increasingly unconventional songs,
including
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'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag', 'I
Got You (I Feel Good)', 'It's A Man's Man's Man's World'
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(with a beautifully orchestrated
string section) and 'Money Won't Change You'. In 1967 Alfred Ellis
replaced
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Nat Jones as Brown's musical
director and 'Cold Sweat' introduced further radical refinements to
the
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group's presentation. With Clyde
Stubblefield on drums, 'Say It Loud – I'm Black And I'm
Proud'
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(1968), 'Mother Popcorn' (1969),
and 'Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine' (1970) were
each
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stripped down to a nagging,
rhythmic riff, over which the singer soared, sometimes
screaming,
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sometimes pleading, but always
with an assertive urgency. In 1971 Brown moved to Polydor
Records
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and unveiled a new backing band,
the JBs. Led by Fred Wesley, it featured such seasoned players
as
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Maceo Parker and St. Clair
Pinckney, as well as a new generation of musicians. Elsewhere, former
bassist
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Bootsy Collins defected with other
ex-members to George Clinton 's Funkadelic. Such changes,
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coupled with Sly Stone 's
challenge, simply reinforced Brown's determination. He continued to
enjoy
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substantial hits; in 1974 he had
three successive number 1 R&B singles in 'The Payback', 'My Thang'
and
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'Papa Don't Take No Mess (Part
1)', and Brown also scored two film soundtracks, Black Caesar
and
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Slaughter's Big Rip Off. However,
as the decade progressed, his work became less compulsive,
suffering
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a drop in popularity with the
advent of disco. A cameo role in the movie The Blues Brothers marked
time,
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and in 1980 Brown left the Polydor
label. Subsequent releases on such smaller labels as TK, Augusta
Sound
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and Backstreet were only
marginally successful.
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However, Brown returned with a
vengeance in 1986 (the year he was inducted into the Rock
And
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Roll Hall Of Fame ) with 'Livin'
In America', the theme song from the Rocky IV film
soundtrack.
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An international hit single, it
was followed by two R&B Top 10 entries, 'How Do You Stop'
(1987)
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and 'I'm Real' (1988), the latter
of which inspired a compulsive album of the same name.
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The Brown resurrection was
abruptly curtailed that same year when the singer was arrested
after
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a high-speed car chase. Charged
with numerous offences, including illegal possession of drugs and
firearms,
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aggravated assault and failure to
stop for the police, he was sentenced to six and a half years' imprisonment at
the
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State Park Correctional Centre. He
was released in 1991, having reportedly written new material while
incarcerated.
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Brown's considerable influence has
increased with the advent of hip-hop.
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New urban-based styles are
indebted to the raw funk espoused by 'The Godfather of
Soul',
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while Stubblefield's rhythmic
patterns, particularly those on 1970's 'Funky Drummer', have
been
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heavily sampled, as have Brown's
notorious whoops, screams, interjections and vocal
improvisations.
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Artists as disparate as Public
Enemy, George Michael, Sinead O'Connor and Candy Flip have
featured
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beats taken from Brown's
impressive catalogue. During the 90s he has continued to have further problems
with the
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law and a continuing battle to
quit drugs; in 1995 he was forced to cope with a tragic medical accident
when
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his ex-wife Adrienne died during
surgery for 'liposuction'. In January 1998 there were new fears for his own
health,
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and he was treated in hospital for
addiction to painkillers. Shortly afterwards he was arrested and charged
for
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possession of marijuana and
unlawful use of a firearm. Through all this he is still seen as one of the
most dynamic
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performers of the century and a
massive influence on most forms of black music - soul, hip-hop, funk, R&B
and disco.
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Photography of James Brown with
his jet by John Robert Rowlands.