James Brown’s songs are not conventional. And the music always came from the groove, whereas for so many R&B and Motown artists at the time it was more about conventional songs. If Clyde Stubblefield had been drumming on a Motown session, they would not have let him play what he did with James on “Funky Drummer.” James’ vision allowed music to get out. And he had the best players, the funkiest of all bands. He was a great editor - as a songwriter, producer and bandleader. His music is singular - the feel and tone of it. Johnny is considered one of the kings of country music, but there are a lot of people who like Johnny but don’t like country music. The esteemed producer Rick Rubin sums him up thus: “In one sense James Brown is like Johnny Cash. Is President.” That opened the floodgates for people to sample Brown. Inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000.īrown was hospitalized with pneumonia and died on Christmas day 2006.His shadow looms so large that it’s worth recalling he was the first artist to be sampled on a hip hop record, namely Eric B. Inducted into Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 (Performer). It is the only gold-certified (500,000 copies sold) album of his career.ġ984: Bronx DJ Afrika Bambaataa teams up with James Brown to record the anthemic single "Unity." 1986: "Living in America," the theme song from Rocky IV, reaches #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, becoming James Brown's biggest pop hit since "I Got You (I Feel Good)" went to #3 in 1965.ġ992: James Brown receives a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 34th annual Grammy Awards. 1974: The Payback, the most successful of James Brown's Seventies albums-many of which were double-LPs with lengthy, extended tracks-makes its debut on Billboard's album chart. Released that summer, it tops the R&B chart for eight weeks and even cracks the pop Top Ten.ġ971: James Brown signed with Polydor Records, for which he recorded extensively throughout the decade. It was the best-selling R&B single of 1958, and the first of 17 chart-topping R&B singles by Brown over the next two decades.ġ965: James Brown records "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," a revolutionary single that ushers in a whole new era of soul music. In 1958 James Brown's first #1 hit, 'Try Me,' is released. In 1955 The Famous Flames record "Please Please Please" at the studio of WIBB in Macon, Georgia. As Brown became the focal point of the act, the group changed its name to 'The Famous Flames' and its focus from gospel to R&B. In 1953 James Brown joined the Gospel Starlighters, a vocal quartet led by Bobby Byrd, after completing a four-year stint in prison for robbery. James Brown was raised in poverty in Augusta, Georgia. Get Up, I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine / For Goodness Sake, Look At Those CakesĪmerican singer, songwriter and musician, born near Barnwell, South Carolina, USA and died 25 December 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Sex Machine (Fantastic Plastic Machine House Mix)įoundations Of Funk - A Brand New Bag: 1964-1969 The Payback Mix (Keep On Doing What You're Doing But Make It Funky) Soul Power Parts 1&2 / Give It Up Or Turn It Loose