James Joseph Brown, Jr. (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006), commonly referred to as "The Godfather of Soul", "King of Funk", and "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business", was an American entertainer. He is recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music and was renowned for his vocals, and feverish dancing.
As a prolific singer, songwriter, bandleader, Brown was a pivotal force in the music industry. He left his mark on numerous artists. Brown's music also left its mark on the rhythms of African popular music, such as afrobeat, jùjú and mbalax, and provided a template for go-go music.
Brown began his professional music career in 1953, and rose to fame during the late 1950s and early 1960s on the strength of his thrilling live performances and string of smash hits. In spite of various personal problems and setbacks he continued to score hits in every decade through the 1980s. In addition to his acclaim in music, Brown was a presence
More about James Brown (From Wikipedia)
At The End Of His Life, James Brown Lived In A Riverfront Home In Beech Island, South Carolina, Directly Across The Savannah River From Augusta, Georgia. Brown Was Once Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer, Which Was Successfully Treated With Surgery. Regar
At the end of his life, James Brown lived in a riverfront home in Beech Island, South Carolina, directly across the Savannah River from Augusta, Georgia. Brown was once diagnosed read more...
Marriages And Children
Brown was married four times — Velma Warren (19 June 1953–1969, divorced), Deidre "Deedee" Jenkins (22 October 1970–10 January 1981, divorced), Adrienne Lois read more...
Legal Issues
Brown's personal life was marred by several brushes with the law. At the age of 16, was arrested for theft and served 3 years in prison. In 1988, Brown was arrested following an read more...
Notable Albums
Four of James Brown's albums appeared on the Rolling Stone Magazine's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time:
In addition, Brown's 1970 double album Sex Machine was read more...
Notable Singles
Until the early 1970s, Brown was famous mostly for his road show and singles, rather than his albums (with his live LPs as a major exception). Six of his hit singles appeared on read more...
Complete Singles Reissue
In 2006, Hip-O Select Records began a multi-volume reissue of James Brown's complete singles (both A-sides and B-sides) on CD. As of February 2008, five volumes have been released: read more...
James Joseph Brown, Jr. (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006), commonly referred to as "The Godfather of Soul", "King of Funk", and "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business", read more...
James Brown received a variety of awards and honors throughout his lifetime and after his death. At one city, fans voted to honor James Brown by naming a bridge after the entertainer. read more...