James Brown

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James Brown (2001)
James Brown (2001)

James Brown (actually James Joseph Brown, Jr. , born May 3, 1933 near Barnwell , South Carolina , † December 25, 2006 in Atlanta , Georgia ) was an American musician. He played the organ , piano , guitar and drums , but appeared almost exclusively as a singer and dancer . He was also a band leader and music producer . James Brown was one of the most important musicians of the 20th century because of his outstanding position in rhythm and blues and soul of the 1950s and 1960s, but above all because of his significant influence in the emergence of a new style of rhythm and blues, funk .

Life

Beginnings

James Brown grew up in Augusta , Georgia, in the poor conditions typical of African American families at the time . He also has Indian ancestors ( Apache ). When he was four years old, his mother left the family. He came to his aunt in Augusta and spent his further youth with her. After serving four years in prison for armed robbery and parole , he joined the Gospel Starlighters , led by Bobby Byrd . During this time, the style of the group changed under the influence of Louis Jordan , Ray Charles and Little Richard , whom he briefly represented in his live band The Upsetters , from gospel to R&B , which also resulted in a name change to The Famous Flames expressed. Due to his distinctive voice and his passionate singing, James Brown soon became one of the outstanding artists of this group. In November 1955, producer Ralph Bass heard the song Please, Please Please by the Famous Flames and immediately signed the band, after which the group was renamed James Brown and the Famous Flames. For James Brown this began a career that was as successful as it was changeable.

Ascent

James Brown - Please, Please, Please

James Brown's first record Please, Please, Please was released in 1956 by Federal Records , a subsidiary of King Records , and became a million seller . The passionately performed, repetitive ballad later became his trademark in live performances. He then released a few more singles, but they flopped . With titles like Try Me , I'll Go Crazy or Lost Someone , he achieved successes in the late 1950s that established him in show business. His final breakthrough came in 1963 with the release of the LP Live at the Apollo , although the release happened against the will of his record company, which did not believe in the success of a live album. Brown therefore financed the LP out of pocket. No single was released, which was very unusual for the record market that was dominated by singles at the time . Still, the album became a huge commercial success. With I Got You (I Feel Good) , It's a Man's Man's Man's World or Cold Sweat , he was able to land further hits. In 1968 Brown released a second double album, recorded in New York's Apollo, which, like the first, is now considered a classic. He later released other albums recorded there. These recordings are regarded as documents of Brown's extremely charismatic stage presence, which was crucial to his success.

Climax

James Brown, 1973 in Hamburg

Since the 1960s, the rhythmic elements of Brown's music came more and more to the fore. He skeletonized his pieces down to the rhythmic framework, the melodies were reduced to riff-like abbreviations. On the other hand, a strongly accentuated and driving groove , mostly played by drums, electric guitar and bass, dominated and was often maintained and varied for minutes. In many of the tracks, a single reef was repeated over and over the entire length. A break or the bridge - often requested by Brown with the shouting “Take me to the bridge!” From his band - usually formed the climax of the pieces. Brown's singing developed into a rhythmic spoken chant, anticipating elements of rap . Brown sometimes even reduced the role of his voice to short vocal interjections like “Hit Me!” Or just to groaning and screeching. This development reached its peak in the early 1970s.

As a provocatively self-confident African-American for the time, he became a figure of identification for the black civil rights movement in the USA from the late 1960s. His song Say It Loud - I'm Black And I'm Proud provided a catchphrase for this movement. Although this made him an idol of the black population in the USA, it also cost him sympathy among the whites. His offensive display of his own sexuality , for example with Sex Machine , caused a stir. Brown has long been considered one of the busiest artists in show business with up to 300 appearances and often several LP releases a year. "Soul Brother Number One", "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business", " The Godfather Of Soul " and most recently "The Minister of New Heavy Super Funk" are the titles with which he is famous over the course of his almost 50-year career and which he had mostly given himself.

Africa

In the fall of 1974 he performed with Miriam Makeba , BB King , The Spinners and The Crusaders at a major concert in Africa . It was part of the supporting program for the historic Rumble in the Jungle boxing match, organized by Don King , between then heavyweight world champion George Foreman and ex-world champion Muhammad Ali , which took place on October 30, 1974 in Kinshasa ( Zaire , today: Democratic Republic of the Congo ) took place. The entire event was of tremendous importance for the self-esteem of the indigenous people of Africa, as no other major events such as the Olympic Games or a football World Cup had taken place on this continent up to that point in time.

Relegation and comeback

In the mid-1970s, Brown's success waned with the advent of disco music, which paradoxically would have been unthinkable without him. During recordings and performances from this period, signs of wear and tear and a decline in inspiration can be seen , which led some of his musicians to look for other engagements. In 1976 he was left with only part of his previous band. In addition, the sales of his records plummeted, so that Polydor finally canceled his record deal. On August 20, 1983, Michael Jackson and Prince performed live on stage at Brown's Beverly Theater in Los Angeles.

From the mid-1980s, however, his music was rediscovered mainly by hip-hop musicians and frequently sampled . A drum break from Brown's 1969 piece Funky Drummer, played by his then drummer Clyde Stubblefield , is considered to be one of the most frequently sampled recordings ever. As a result of the revival of his music, James Brown experienced a commercial comeback in 1986 with the single Living in America , but this did not last. Compared to his classic recordings, the records he released afterwards were qualitatively inconsistent, were received with corresponding skepticism by critics and audiences and could not build on his earlier commercial success. However, this did not stop him from continuing to perform worldwide. He remained a crowd puller with his show.

effect

Brown with Swedish DJ Lars Jacob after a concert in Tampa , 1972

Brown's music made a significant impact on pop musicians like Michael Jackson , Booker T. & the MG's , The Meters , Sly Stone , George Clinton , Prince, and many others. Many jazz musicians , such as Grant Green and Idris Muhammad , recorded instrumental versions of his pieces. Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley also covered some of his songs in the late 1960s. Miles Davis admitted that during his "electrical phase" in the late 1960s and early 1970s Brown was a formative influence on him. Brown's importance for the development of Afro-American music in general and hip-hop in particular can hardly be overestimated.

In addition to his career in the music business, Brown also worked in numerous film and television productions, be it as a contributor to the film music or as an interpreter of his own pieces. Well-known contributions of this kind were his appearance as a show band in Rocky IV with the play Living in America and his appearance as the Reverend in the films Blues Brothers and Blues Brothers 2000 . As one of the first African-American musicians to actively campaign for black rights in the USA, Brown is still a symbol of black self-confidence.

Awards

Brown has received numerous music awards, including several Grammy Awards such as a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance in 1966 for Papa's Got a Brand New Bag and a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 1988 for Living in America . He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 . In 2006, the city of Augusta, where he grew up, honored James Brown by renaming the Augusta Civic Center to the James Brown Arena.

The Rolling Stone listed Brown ranked seventh of the 100 greatest musicians and in tenth of the 100 best singers and rank 26 of the 100 best songwriters of all time .

The band

The first important formation behind James Brown were the Famous Flames, the later and most influential band in terms of shaping funk were the JB's in the 70s. For many years the jazz- trained saxophonists Maceo Parker and Pee Wee Ellis and trombonist Fred Wesley played in his band. For some time in the early 1970s, Bootsy Collins was also his bassist . With Clyde Stubblefield and Jabo Starks also excellent drummers played in Brown's band. The JB's emerged from the Pacemakers, a band from Cincinnati , and were hired by Brown after his previous band had almost completely left him. The JB's published their own recordings with a changing line-up and sometimes under different names (e.g. Maceo And The Macks, Fred & The New JB's), which were also produced by Brown.

Since Brown could not read or write notes, he sang his musical ideas to his musicians. For their implementation, however, he was always dependent on the support of a professional band leader. But he was also known for his patriarchal and authoritarian leadership style, which repeatedly led to conflicts with his musicians. So he reacted to the demand of his band leader Fred Wesley for a punctual payment of the band once with his immediate dismissal - only to hire him again a little later. Both Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker, Pee Wee Ellis and Bootsy Collins left him in the mid-1970s to play with Mick Jagger in his band Rolling Stones or to pursue solo careers.

His last backing band were the Soul Generals, who in fantasy uniforms formed the foundation of his stage show. With two drummers, percussion, two bassists, three guitarists, three wind players and two keyboardists, they and the singers Bittersweet provided the necessary pressure for the detailed concerts. Long-time companions such as Fred Thomas (bass) and Tony Cook (drums) met young talents here.

show

Brown 1998 live in Bremen

Brown was known for his rousing performances, several hundred of which a year at the height of his popularity. He performed with a large band, which was mostly supplemented by dancers. However, the undisputed star of the show was James Brown himself, who had an extremely charismatic charisma with his lively, feverish way of dancing and his ability to interact with the audience . In his way of communicating not only with his band, but also with the audience in the form of call and response and heating up the mood of his audience, his roots in gospel music could be recognized until the end .

His shows were characterized by a detailed and well-arranged concept that has been changed over and over again over 50 years. A common James Brown show began with his band playing a few instrumental versions of his compositions ( Gimme 'some more , Soul Power '74 ) and then Brown's longtime companion, fashion designer and MC Danny Ray, announced Brown with the most important of his titles. Brown usually did not have a fixed setlist in his shows, but rather gave his band to understand which piece was to be played next with a show of hands or short keywords. If during a piece he heard a musician playing the wrong note, he usually used this method to move on to the next piece.

An integral part of his shows was the first Brown piece Please, Please, Please . During the chorus Brown was - apparently - exhausted, his MC hung one or more cloaks on him, Brown walked off the stage and came back with new energy, threw off the cloak, to then one of his funk compositions such as Papa's Got Follow a Brand New Bag . Most recently, Brown concluded his shows with a 20-minute version of Sex Machine , which he skilfully complemented live with his organ playing. An organizer who booked Brown also had to agree to record the entire show. According to his musicians, Brown then listened to the entire show to determine his musicians' mistakes.

Private life

Brown's personal life was marked by many ups and downs. Coming from a poor background and with a petty criminal past, he worked his way up to a millionaire in show business and thus represented an embodiment of the American Dream . At the height of his career he owned a nightclub, a restaurant chain, a private jet and several radio stations. Despite his enormous commercial success as a musician, due to his lavish lifestyle and tax back payments in the millions, he sometimes had financial problems that forced him to sell parts of his property.

Brown was married four times. His eldest son Teddy was killed in a car accident in 1973. James Brown came into conflict with the law not only at the beginning of his career. Among other things, his wife at the time took him to court in the 1990s because he threatened her with a weapon and then gave himself up on a chase with the police. Brown was convicted of gun possession and drug offenses on several occasions , served several prison terms, but was also involved in charitable organizations.

Last work

In addition to almost daily appearances with his last band, the Soul Generals, Brown recently worked on his new album "World Against The Grain". Both cover versions of their own pieces and new pieces were recorded. As a release, Gut Bucket was published in 2006 in an issue of MOJO magazine on the CD James Brown's Funky Summer accompanying this magazine . Brown said in 2006 the new CD would be out soon.

death

Flowers at the James Brown Memorial in Augusta , Georgia (December 2006)

James Brown was admitted to Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, after a dentist's appointment revealed his poor health. There he died of heart failure on the night of December 25, 2006 , apparently as a result of a delayed pneumonia . He said his last words to his close friend and longtime manager Charles Bobbitt: “I'm going away tonight.” (“I'm going away tonight.”)

Brown was driven in a procession through Harlem in a white coffin on a horse-drawn carriage to the Apollo Theater , where his career began. Thousands of mourners said goodbye to the open coffin. On December 30th, he was transferred to his hometown of Augusta and laid out in a golden coffin in the James Brown Arena. 8000 people in the hall and several thousand mourners in front of it in the rain paid their last respects to him. Among the condolers were human rights activists Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, as well as Michael Jackson and Don King . Michael Jackson confessed, “When I saw him move, I was hypnotized. I knew that I wanted to do that for the rest of my life too - because of James Brown. "( " When I saw him move, I was mesmerized. I knew that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life because of James Brown . " ) Brown left behind his wife Tomie Rae Hynie, three ex-wives, daughters Venisha, Deanna and sons Daryl and James Brown Jr.

His funeral was delayed because of an inheritance dispute between Brown's last wife, Tomie Rae Hynie, who received no share of the inheritance, and the family. Brown transferred most of his fortune, valued at between $ 100 million and $ 200 million, to a foundation for children in need, which is supposed to enable them to study music. Brown's last will was to be buried on his property in Beech Island, South Carolina . The burial took place on March 3, 2007 in a crypt on the property of his daughter Deanna Brown Thomas, about 3 km from Brown's home, in the presence of Rev. Al Sharpton . However, according to his family, Brown will get his final resting place in a public mausoleum .

In an Internet series published by CNN in February 2019, doubts were expressed about the official circumstances of death so far, even a murder of Brown not excluded. The reporting is based on two years of research in which family, friends and acquaintances of the singer were interviewed and documents were evaluated.

Tribute Fit For the King of King Records

On December 22, 2007, the Madison Theater in Covington, Kentucky hosted the first annual tribute, Fit For the King of King Records, in honor of the late master, under the direction of Bootsy Collins . His call was followed by artists such as Afrika Bambaataa , Chuck D from Public Enemy , Buckethead , Freekbass, Triage, The Soul Generals and many of the family members who were still alive. Cincinnati's Mayor declared December 22nd as James Brown Day.

Quote

“Singing gospel is a way to help your soul and be content. I'm glad I'm in tune with God because that's the only thing that can bail out the Afro-American or any minority that doesn't have an education. I sang a lot of gospel in prison. Gospel is contentment because it's spirit, and you feel that spirit when you sing it. I feel it when I sing it. "

“Singing gospel is a way to help your soul and be content. I am glad that I am in tune with God because it is the only one that can bail out African-Americans or any other minority without education. I sang a lot of gospel in prison. Gospel is contentment because it is spirit, and you feel that spirit when you sing it. I feel it when I sing it. "

- James Brown with Bruce Tucker: The Godfather of Soul . 1988, p. 42

Discography

Studio albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK US US R&B R&BTemplate: chart table / maintenance / charts non-existent
1956 Please Please Please - - - - - -
1958 Try me! - - - - - -
1960 Think! - - - - - -
1961 The Amazing James Brown - - - - - -
1962 Good, good, twistin - - - - - -
Re-released as Shout & Shimmy in 1963 and as Excitement - Mr. Dynamite in 1979 and 1983 respectively
James Brown and His Famous Flames Tour the USA - - - - - -
1963 Prisoner of Love - - - - US73 (17 weeks)
US
-
1964 Show time - - - - US61 (18 weeks)
US
-
Grits & Soul - - - - US124 (10 weeks)
US
R&B9 (3 weeks)
R&B
Instrumental album
Out of sight - - - - - -
1965 Papa's Got a Brand New Bag - - - - US26 (27 weeks)
US
R&B2 (20 weeks)
R&B
James Brown Plays James Brown - Today & Yesterday - - - - US42 (19 weeks)
US
R&B3 (11 weeks)
R&B
Instrumental album
1966 I Got You (I Feel Good) - - - - US36 (17 weeks)
US
R&B2 (15 weeks)
R&B
Mighty Instrumentals - - - - - -
James Brown Plays New Breed (The Boo-Ga-Loo) - - - - US101 (11 weeks)
US
R&B11 (6 weeks)
R&B
Instrumental album
It's a Man's Man's Man's World - - - - US90 (9 weeks)
US
R&B11 (15 weeks)
R&B
James Brown Sings Christmas Songs - - - - - -
Christmas album
Handful of Soul - - - - US135 (3 weeks)
US
R&B24 (3 weeks)
R&B
Instrumental album
1967 James Brown Sings Raw Soul - - - - US88 (14 weeks)
US
R&B7 (9 weeks)
R&B
James Brown Plays the Real Thing - - - - US164 (5 weeks)
US
R&B27 (3 weeks)
R&B
Instrumental album
Cold sweat - - - - US35 (17 weeks)
US
R&B5 (14 weeks)
R&B
1968 I Can't Stand Myself When You Touch Me - - - - US17 (14 weeks)
US
R&B4 (15 weeks)
R&B
I got the feelin ' - - - - US135 (14 weeks)
US
R&B8 (15 weeks)
R&B
James Brown Plays Nothing but Soul - - - - US150 (5 weeks)
US
R&B20 (6 weeks)
R&B
Instrumental album
Thinking About Little Willie John and a Few Nice Things - - - - - -
A Soulful Christmas - - - - - -
Christmas album
1969 Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud - - - - US53 (22 weeks)
US
R&B6 (19 weeks)
R&B
Gettin 'Down to It - - - - US99 (14 weeks)
US
R&B14 (16 weeks)
R&B
(James Brown Plays & Directs) The Popcorn - - - - US40 (22 weeks)
US
R&B4 (27 weeks)
R&B
Instrumental album
It's a mother - - - - US26 (14 weeks)
US
R&B2 (28 weeks)
R&B
1970 Ain't it funky - - - - US43 (12 weeks)
US
R&B5 (19 weeks)
R&B
Instrumental album
Soul on Top - - - - US125 (10 weeks)
US
R&B12 (14 weeks)
R&B
It's a New Day so Let a Man Come In - - - - US121 (6 weeks)
US
R&B11 (17 weeks)
R&B
Hey America - - - - - -
1971 Great bathroom - - - - US61 (15 weeks)
US
R&B4 (20 weeks)
R&B
Sho Is Funky Down Here - - - - US137 (4 weeks)
US
R&B26 (4 weeks)
R&B
Instrumental album
Hot pants - - - - US22 (18 weeks)
US
R&B4 (21 weeks)
R&B
1972 There It Is - - - - US60 (21 weeks)
US
R&B10 (18 weeks)
R&B
Get on the good foot - - - - US68 (17 weeks)
US
R&B8 (19 weeks)
R&B
1974 The Payback - - - - US34
gold
gold

(36 weeks)US
R&B1 (37 weeks)
R&B
Bright - - - - US35 (19 weeks)
US
R&B2 (22 weeks)
R&B
Reality - - - - US56 (10 weeks)
US
R&B5 (11 weeks)
R&B
1975 Sex Machine Today - - - - US103 (8 weeks)
US
R&B10 (9 weeks)
R&B
Everybody's Doin 'the Hustle & Dead on the Double Bump - - - - US193 (2 weeks)
US
R&B22 (7 weeks)
R&B
1976 Hot - - - - - R&B25 (8 weeks)
R&B
Get Up Offa That Thing - - - - US147 (8 weeks)
US
R&B14 (10 weeks)
R&B
Body heat - - - - US126 (10 weeks)
US
R&B20 (13 weeks)
R&B
1977 Mutha's Nature - - - - - R&B31 (7 weeks)
R&B
1978 Jam 1980's - - - - US121 (22 weeks)
US
R&B30 (22 weeks)
R&B
1979 Take a Look at Those Cakes - - - - - R&B58 (3 weeks)
R&B
The Original Disco Man - - - - US152 (6 weeks)
US
R&B37 (9 weeks)
R&B
1980 People - - - - - R&B68 (3 weeks)
R&B
Soul Syndrome - - - - - -
1981 Nonstop! - - - - - -
1983 Bring It On! - - - - - -
1986 Gravity DE23 (7 weeks)
DE
- - UK85 (3 weeks)
UK
US156 (6 weeks)
US
R&B39 (27 weeks)
R&B
1988 I'm real DE39 (5 weeks)
DE
AT28 (4 weeks)
AT
CH19 (1 week)
CH
UK27 (5 weeks)
UK
US96 (14 weeks)
US
R&B15 (21 weeks)
R&B
1991 Love over-due - AT39 (2 weeks)
AT
CH35 (1 week)
CH
- - R&B51 (10 weeks)
R&B
1993 Universal James - - CH34 (2 weeks)
CH
- - -
1998 I'm back - - - - - -
1999 The Merry Christmas Album - - - - - -
2002 The next step - - - - - R&B72 (2 weeks)
R&B

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

literature

  • James Brown with Bruce Tucker: The Godfather of Soul . 1988 (English).
  • Geoff Brown: James Brown: Let's Get Personal - The Biography . Bosworth Music, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-86543-364-0 . (German).
  • Duane Tudahl: Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions 1983 and 1984 (Expanded Edition). Rowman & Littlefield, London 2018, ISBN 978-1538114629 .

Movies

swell

  1. welt.de
  2. Tudahl (2018), p. 143.
  3. 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Rolling Stone , December 2, 2010, accessed August 7, 2017 .
  4. 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Rolling Stone , December 2, 2010, accessed August 7, 2017 .
  5. The 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. Rolling Stone , August 2015, accessed August 7, 2017 .
  6. "James Brown, the 'Godfather of Soul,' dies at 73" , Associated Press / CNN , December 25, 2006 with two videos
  7. "A soulful farewell for James Brown"  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Buffalo News, Dec. 31, 2006@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.buffalonews.com  
  8. “Peace at last for James Brown” , Tages-Anzeiger , February 21, 2007
  9. "Brown not buried as family estate tackles issues" , CNN.com January 9, 2007
  10. "James Brown's body Placed in SC crypt" , USA Today , March 10 of 2007.
  11. What the Godfather of Soul murdered? Retrieved February 6, 2019 .
  12. Freekbass, Buckethead and Chuck D Pay Tribute to James Brown with Bootsy Collins ( Memento of the original from February 9, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.jambands.com
  13. Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US US2
  14. ^ Joel Whitburn : The Billboard Albums. 6th edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .
  15. ^ Joel Whitburn : Top R&B Albums 1965–1998, ISBN 0-89820-134-9 .

Web links

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