The Godfather of Soul Obituary
Emil Wilbekin, Special to AOL Black Voices
The 'Godfather of Soul' James Brown performs during a Java Jazz Festival concert in Jakarta, Indonesia, late Friday, March 4, 2005. Brown passed away Monday morning at the age of 73.
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One last time at the Apollo for the 'Hardest Working Man in Showbiz'
"It's a man's world," growled the legendary James Brown, the undisputed Godfather of Soul. Brown's music changed the American cultural landscape through his gospel, soul, and R&B music, including a string of No. 1 hits like "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (1965), "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (1965), "I Got The Feelin'" (1968), "Make it Funky" (1971), "Hot Pants" (1971), and "The Pay Back-Part 1" (1971). His wild style, high-energy dance moves, and over-the-top improvs helped create the standard for showmanship. Sadly, the man who will be most remembered for his groundbreaking music, over-the-top stage presence, classic coiffed pompadour, political activism, and constant run-ins with the law, departed this world at age 73, on December 25, 2006 from pneumonia related causes in Atlanta. The exact cause of death is congenitive heart failure.
Born James Joseph Brown Jr. on May 3, 1933 in Barnwell, South Carolina. Brown began his musical career twenty-years later as part of gospel group that turned to secular music and was eventually known as The Famous Flames. He later formed his own funk group the JBs. His fame rose through the'50s, ignited the charts in the '60s, and he became a pop culture icon with an explosion of hits in the '70s. He was known for his "One, two, three, hit me" introductions on stage. Brown's energetic dance moves and fancy footwork have inspired the likes of Michael Jackson, Usher, and Justin Timberlake. Actor/comedian Eddie Murphy who imitated Brown on Saturday Night Live in the '80s, even channels the late Godfather of Soul as an aging R&B singer (James "Thunder" Early) in today's nationwide release of "Dream Girls."
"The cues I've taken from James Brown in terms of dancing is that you have to be one with the music and the music has to be part of your soul," says R&B star Usher. "As far as on stage, you have to give the crowd everything you've got and just when they don't think you have anything left, you give them more."
Brown, also known as Soul Brother Number One, Mr. Dynamite, and The Hardest Working Man in Show Business, artistically gave more and more of himself. His music influenced the likes of Sly and the Family Stone, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, the Temptation's David Ruffin and Dennis Edwards, Mick Jagger, George Clinton, and Prince. Brown is the subject of the Tom Tom Club's 1982 hit "Genius of Love." And if that's not enough, Brown's 1969 hit "Ain't It Funky Now," helped build the foundation for the latest American music form called hip-hop. The sample of that song, known in urban music circles as "The Funky Drummer," is the most borrowed baseline in music history most notably on LL Cool J's "Boomin' System" and Public Enemy's "Fight the Power." Even Madonna ("Justify My Love"), Sinead O'Connor ("I'm Stretched On Your Grave"), and George Michael ("Waiting for the Day: You Can't Always Get What you Want), borrowed the famous drumbeat.
"It's just so funky. It's called "Funky Drummer," and it became the back bone of hip-hop," says will.i.am, leader of the hip-pop group The Black Eyed Peas, who collaborated with Brown on a song called, "They Don't Want Music." "I was born into James Brown. He's influenced all music today. He's one of the architects who created today's R&B, soul, and hip hop by inventing funk."
Politically, Brown's anthem "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" (1968) became a mantra for Black America in the Civil Rights Era. Brown was also credited with helping to calm racial tensions in the United States on April 4, 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by agreeing to televise his performance that evening in Boston. Soul Brother Number One had soothed America in turmoil. Author Nelson George once referred to Brown as "the King of Black America."
Brown was a king. With numerous chart topping hits and recordings, Brown was one of the charter members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a recipient of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors in 2003, and received the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 1992. Usher performed "Caught Up"/ "Sex Machine" with Brown at 2005 Grammy Awards. "Needless to say it was the biggest moment of my career," said Usher. Not to mention my personal life because he meant so much to me and so much to music."
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