James Brown

James Brown (1933-2006), pioneering American soul and rhythm-and-blues singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Brown’s energetic dance routines and stage theatrics earned him the title Godfather of Soul. During his career Brown had more than 40 gold records (recordings that sold at least 500,000 copies).

James Joe Brown, Jr., was born in Barnwell, South Carolina, and grew up poor in Augusta, Georgia. As a child Brown hustled for money in a variety of ways, including shining shoes and dancing in the streets. He committed a series of petty crimes as an adolescent and was eventually jailed. After being released he decided to try a musical career. Beginning as a gospel singer in the late 1940s, Brown learned to play the drums, organ, and piano. By the mid-1950s he was leading his own group, the Famous Flames, and had signed a contract with King Records.

Brown’s prolific recording career began with the single “Please, Please, Please” (1956), which was a hit in both England and the United States. The ballad “Try Me” (1958) was a gold record for Brown. By the mid-1960s the James Brown Revue, a rigorously disciplined and choreographed stage show, was filling concert halls and auditoriums and commanding top fees. His performance style is documented in the album Live at the Apollo (1963), a huge seller that is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest live recordings in popular music. Brown dominated the rhythm-and-blues market during the decade with songs such as “Prisoner of Love” (1963), “I Got You” (1965), “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (1965), and “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” (1966). “Cold Sweat” was a top single in 1967, followed by “Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” (1968). Brown is credited with pioneering both the soul and funk music genres during this period. In the 1970s his recordings continued to appear on the top sales charts for both rhythm-and-blues and popular music.

Brown frequently used his popularity to address the importance of education, self-improvement, and the need for minority-owned businesses. (He owned a variety of enterprises, including recording studios, radio stations, and a real estate company.) He appeared in the films The Blues Brothers (1980), Doctor Detroit (1983), and Rocky IV (1986), scoring a hit with the song “Living in America” for the Rocky IV soundtrack. In 1986 he released his autobiography, James Brown, The Godfather of Soul. That same year, in recognition of his widespread influence on popular music, Brown was one of the first ten inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

In 1988 Brown was sentenced to six years in prison for assault and for eluding police during a car chase. He was paroled in 1991 and resumed his music career, recording the album Love Over-Due the same year. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992 and a Kennedy Center Honors Award for lifetime achievement in the performing arts in 2003.