James Brown · Daily Hub

About

James Masnae Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by various nicknames, among them "Mr. Dynamite", "the Hardest-Working Man in Show Business", "Minister of New Super Heavy Funk", "Godfather of Soul", "King of Soul", and "Soul Brother No. 1". In a career that lasted more than 50 years, he influenced the development of several music genres. Brown was one of the first ten inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 23, 1986. His music has been heavily sampled by hip-hop musicians and other artists.

Brown began his career as a gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia. He first rose to prominence in the mid-1950s as the lead singer of the Famous Flames, a rhythm and blues vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd. With the hit ballads "Please, Please, Please" and "Try Me", Brown built a reputation as a dynamic live performer with the Famous Flames and his backing band, sometimes known as the James Brown Band or the James Brown Orchestra. His success peaked in the 1960s with the live album Live at the Apollo and hit singles such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World".
During the late 1960s, Brown moved from a continuum of blues and gospel-based forms and styles to a new approach to music-making, emphasizing stripped-down interlocking rhythms that influenced the development of funk music. By the early 1970s, Brown had fully established the funk sound after the formation of the J.B.s with records such as "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" and "The Payback". He also became noted for songs of social commentary, including the 1968 hit "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud". Brown continued to perform and record until his death from pneumonia in 2006.
Brown recorded and released 17 singles that reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts. He also holds the record for the most singles listed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that did not reach No. 1. Brown was posthumously inducted into the first class of the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013 as an artist and then in 2017 as a songwriter. He received honors from several other institutions, including inductions into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In Joel Whitburn's analysis of the Billboard R&B charts from 1942 to 2010, Brown is ranked No. 1 in the Top 500 Artists. He is ranked seventh on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and at No. 44 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

From James Brown on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Member of

James Brown & The Famous Flames 1955–now eponymous
The J.B.’s now
The James Brown Band now
George Clinton and Family now
The Soul Generals now
Various Artists for Children’s Promise now

Discography

Albums 53

EPs 7

Singles 68

Showing 60 of 68. See them all on MusicBrainz

Live 78

Showing 60 of 78. See them all on MusicBrainz

Compilations 234

Showing 60 of 234. See them all on MusicBrainz

Other 12

Links

Listen

Official

Social

Concerts

Buy

Reference

Instrumental supporting musician

Larry Sadler now

Involved with

Tammi Terrell

Parent

Teacher

Heather Hayes now

Tribute

Titanic Soul Band now

Vocal supporting musician

Heather Hayes now

Also known as

Brown, James · J. B. · J. Brown · J.B. · James Browm · James Brown at the Organ · James Joseph Brown · James Joseph Brown, Jr. · Jim Jam · Ted Wright · ジェームス・ブラウン

Identifiers

MusicBrainz: 20ff3303-4fe2-4a47-a1b6-291e26aa3438
ISNI: 0000000120293582
IPI: 00004345815