James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul,” shaped music in the 20^th century with his hot funk sound.  Music now known as soul, funk, and rap was created by the legendary singer. He sold millions of records and topped the charts in the 60s and 70s.  In addition to being tagged the “Godfather of Soul,” Brown was also known as “Soul Brother Number One,” “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business,” and “Mr. Dynamite.”  Over 30 years, Brown had 98 singles land in the Top 40 R&B Billboard charts and 17 went to number one.

Brown’s birthday is uncertain, some claim he was born in 1928, but he claimed he was born in 1933.  He was born in the South and grew up in poverty.  When he was a child he did many odd jobs such as cotton-picking, shoe-shining, dancing for pennies, and he also got into trouble.  At the age of 16, he was convicted of armed robbery and was sentenced to three years at a juvenile institution.  Brown’s life changed when he met Bobby Byrd, with whom he started a gospel group.  Byrd and Brown’s group changed names several times before becoming the Flames.  Brown sang, danced and played the piano and drums, while Byrd played keyboards, and provided vocals.  Byrd worked as Brown’s sideman for more than three decades.  In the mid 1950s the Flames signed to Federal/King and had a smashing R&B hit Please Please Please.  It sold more than a million copies.  They then changed their name to James Brown & the Famous Flames with Brown as the front man.  For two years, Brown had nine flops, but he didn’t give up.  His determination was worthwhile.  He produced his first number one R&B hit, Try Me, in 1958.  It was the best selling R&B single of that year.

Brown formed a stage band known as the James Brown Revue complete with emcee, dancers, and a stage band.  “Mr. Dynamite’s” performances were exhilarating with plenty of dancing, singing, and vibrant energy.  In 1963, Brown released the R&B record Live at the Apollo, which climbed to number two on the charts and sold a million copies.  Brown and his band were doing more than 300 performances a year.  Brown was frustrated by the difficulty he had trying to penetrate the “white” market.  When the record was issued it was done without the permission of his label and he did the same thing when he recorded Out of Sight.  It went to number 1 on the R&B charts, maintaining that position for 8 weeks, and peaked at number 24 on the pop charts.  It caused legal problems and prevented him from releasing music for more than one year.  In 1965, things with his record label had been ironed out and Brown was given more control over his music.  That year, Brown reached white audiences with the Top Ten LP Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag.  This earned Brown his first Grammy for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording. Other smashing hit albums followed such as the 1965 record I Got You (I Feel Good), which hit number 3, and It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World. 

The “Godfather of Soul” was the hardest working man in show business.  From 1965 on he had many other hits like Cold Sweat, I Got the Feelin’, Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud, Give It Up or Turn It Loose, and Mother Popcorn.  Brown recorded 11 more albums between 1961 and 1971 that did not crack the Top 40.  Brown worked with skilled musicians such as Maceo Parker, St. Clair Pinckney, and Pee Wee Ellis, guitarist Jimmy Nolen, trombonist Fred Wesley, backup singer Bobby Byrd, and drummer Clyde Stubblefield.  His band walked out in 1969, but Brown did not let it bring him down, and hired a band called the Pacemakers, featuring brothers Phelps “Catfish” Collins (guitarist), and bassist William “Bootsy” Collins.  This was the band known as the JBs that helped him develop funk music.

In 1971, Brown signed with the major record label Polydor.  The early 70s had hits such as Hot Pants (1971), Make It Funky (1971), Talking Loud and Saying Nothing (1972), Get on the Good Foot (1972), The Payback (1973), My Thang (1974), and Papa Don’t Take No Mess (1974).  They were all chart-toppers, but did not hit the Top 20.  They were huge on the soul charts, but had modest pop sales. 

By 1975 Brown’s success had staggered and he was having problems in his personal life. In addition to having financial difficulties, Brown’s son died in a car crash in 1973, and his second marriage came to an end.  In the late 70s Brown started to promote himself as “The Original Disco Man,” using this title for his 1979 record.  He made his comeback to the music scene with the single It’s Too Funky in Here.  The singer then had a cameo role in 1980 in the movie The Blues Brothers. Brown reinvented himself and music when he did the rap song Rapp Payback (Where Iz Moses?) off the album Soul Syndrome.  Brown then created his own label entitled Augusta Sound Label.

In 1984 Brown renewed his popularity when he released the single Unity, done in collaboration with Bronx rapper Afrika Bambaataa under the New York rap label Tommy Boy.  His music started having an influence on the hip-hop scene.  In 1986, the talented soul artist was one of the first performers to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  The same year, Brown had huge success with his Top Ten hit Living in America, the theme song for Rocky IV.  It won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance.  In 1989, Brown published an autobiography along with writer Bruce Tucker entitled, James Brown: The Godfather of Soul.

In 1988, Brown’s life came crashing down when he was arrested for spousal abuse of his third wife, Adrienne.  This was followed by drug-related charges and problems with the IRS.  Brown served two years of his six-year sentence and was paroled in 1991.  He reemerged with the album Star Time, a four-CD retrospective chosen by Rolling Stone as the Reissue of the Year.  At the end of the 90s Brown’s wife died of complications following cosmetic surgery, and he was arrested once again for possession of drugs and firearms.  He triumphed despite the unhappiness in his personal life.  He released Love Overdue in 1991 and Universal James in 1992.  In 1992, James Brown received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 34th annual Grammy Awards. In 1998, he issued the record I’m Back.

In 2003 the man who turned R&B into soul, and then soul into funk, was honoured with a Kennedy Center Award and the same year Michael Jackson presented him with a BET Award for lifetime achievement.  One year later, Brown was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he fought and continued working fervently. In 2006 Brown launched a world tour called the Seven Decades of Funk World Tour.  Shortly after he was diagnosed with pneumonia and died on December 25, 2006, due to congestive heart failure.  The legend of disco, hip-hop, rap, soul, and funk was 73 years of age.  He is survived by his fourth wife, former backup singer Tomi Rae Hynie, their son James Brown II, and he is said to have at least five other children.