James Brown, also known by the nicknames of "Godfather Of Soul", "Mr. Dynamite" and other "Soul Brother No.1", was an American singer-songwriter who could boast of having rated no less than 17 singles N°1 in American R&B Charts, just that ! But paradoxically, he also holds the record for the most Billboard Hot 100 singles ever to reach N°1 spot ...
A talented early singer, he began to stand out at the age of 11 when he won a local song contest with a track called "So long". The start of a great adventure that takes a somewhat less glorious turn when he is arrested at the age of 16 for theft and sent to Toccoa Juvenile Penitentiary.
Incredibly, he had the idea of forming a Gospel quartet during this incarceration with 4 other prisoners including a certain Johnny Terry. A risky bet but a winning bet because it will allow him to stand out in a positive way, to say the least, and quickly obtain early release ...
We find him from the year 1954 in an R&B group called Avons, which will quickly be renamed Toccoa Band and then The Flames. Group which will begin to shine on the university campuses of Georgia and South Carolina.
A year later, the band changed their name to The Famous Flames and it was in 1956 that the band's career took off for good with the release of the track "Please, please, please". Title that will sell over a million copies !
A rise in power that will accelerate from the year 1958 with the release of the single "Try me". A rise in power which will pass a new level during the 1960s with the release of several high-caliber singles such as "Think" in 1960, "Bewildered" in 1961, "Night train" in 1962, "Prisoner of love" in 1963 and “Out of sight” in 1964.
The year 1964 saw the group perform a landmark performance in the T.A.M.I. Show. The voice of the Flames, the careful choreography and timing as well as the dance movements of Brown will altogether create the event and totally eclipse another group present for the concert namely…the Rolling Stones !
The solo career of Brown finds its true point of departure in 1965 with the release of the title "Papa's got a brand new bag", a title which will make a huge success and propel the young singer in a sensational way on the front of the international scene. An exceptional year which saw him release the title “I got you (I feel good)”, a title which was going to be almost as strong as its predecessor.
And as if that were not enough, he returned a year later in 1966 with the sublime title "It's a man's man's man's world", a title which will remain as one of the jewels of the 1960s and which will propel him to a new level of planetary notoriety that he would never have imagined.
New notorious title in 1967 with "Cold sweat", flagship title of his discography that some critics consider today as one of the precursor titles of the future Funk movement. A 'Brown' style which is increasingly establishing himself as unique both in terms of music and vocals, notably in 2 new titles which are "I got the feelin" in 1968 and "Mother ppcorn" in 1969.
A career which reached its peak in 1970 with the release of the now cult "Get up (I feel like being a) Sex Machine", a title which will undoubtedly remain as one of his greatest masterpieces if not the bigger.
A 1970s which will prove to be more complicated to manage than expected with a James Brown who decides to support Richard Nixon for the presidential election of 1972, support to the detriment of the democratic candidate George McGovern. Support that he will pay dearly in terms of public disaffection, especially the African-American public. Not to mention the problems with the US Tax, which is asking him for more than $ 2 million in arrears.
He will still manage to save the furniture a little bit with titles like "Hot pants" in 1971, "The payback" and "My thang" in 1974 and "Get up offa thaht thing" in 1976.
While it was thought that mass was said for him, he will make a resounding comeback during the 80s with one of the flagship titles of the soundtrack of the film Rocky IV, namely the enormous "Living in America". The title in 1985 gave him one of his biggest global successes and, above all, put him back in the race in a spectacular fashion.
A comeback that enabled him to sign a new major title the following year in 1986 with the title "Gravity".
He will sign two last big caliber titles in 1988 with the singles "I’m real" and "Static".
The rest will be much less glorious with a James Brown who will be more headline news during his last part of life.
His life will end on December 25, 2006, when he will die at the age of 73 from heart failure, itself linked to pneumonia.
To discover or rediscover.
Discography (among others ...) :
Please, please, please 1956
Try me 1958
I want you so bad 1959
Think 1960
You've got the power 1960
Bewildered 1961
Baby you're right 1961
Night train 1962
Prisoner of love 1963
These foolish things 1963
Oh baby don't you weep 1964
Out of sight 1964
Try me 1965
Papa’s got a brand new bag 1965
I got you (I feel good) 1965
Ain't that a groove 1966
It’s a man’s man’s man’s world 1966
Bring it up 1967
Cold sweat 1967
I can't stand myself (When you touche me) 1967
I got the feelin' 1968
Say it loud - I'm black and I'm proud 1968
Give it up or turnit a loose 1969
Mother popcorn (You've got to have a mother for me) 1969
It's a new day 1970
Get up (I feel like being a) Sex Machine 1970
Super bad 1970
Hot pants 1971
Make it funky 1971
Talkin' loud and sayin' nothing 1972
King heroin 1972
Get on the good foot 1972
I got ants in my pants 1973
Sexy, sexy, sexy 1973
The payback 1974
Woman 1974
Reality 1975
Get up offa that thing 1976
Bodyheat 1976
Give me some skin 1977
The spank 1978
It’s too funky in here 1979
Rapp payback (Where iz moses) 1980
Stay with me 1981
Bring it on...bring it on 1983
Unity 1984
Living in America 1985
Gravity 1986
How do you stop 1987
I’m real 1988
Static 1988
Gimme your love 1989
(So tired of standing still we got to) Move on 1991
Can't get any harder 1993
Funk on Ah roll 1998
Clips :
1956 ... at the beginning of the genesis. Who would imagine at this moment that this young singer will become a true legend in a few decades ...
1958 ... after a noticeable start to his career and a year 1956 which saw him obtain a first classified title, the singer still struggles to confirm all the good that we can think of him during the year 1957. We will therefore have to wait for 1958 to see him return to the race ...
1959 ... what is certain is that his predispositions for the Intimist are obvious. And the future will prove it in a brilliant way to say the least ...
1960 ... which does not prevent him from also doing in the rhythmic and the festive. This artist is therefore complete and has every reason to hope for beautiful, even very beautiful achievements later ...
1960 ... the artist gains in importance in an obvious way and the classified titles begin to follow one another. Certainly minor hits but still ...
1961 ... the singer has established himself in just a few years as one of the sure values of the moment and certainly does not intend to stop there. When you see what is on the horizon, the best is to come for him, that's for sure ...
1961 ... all the same, it will take him a few more years to hope to win the cup. Everything is in place for the big fireworks display but he must now find the little extra that will be able to make all the difference ...
1962 ... the production of titles is bloated each year with an average of 3 to 4 titles minimum. Afterwards, quantity does not mean everything ...
1963 ... year after year, title after title, the singer slowly but surely approaches the 1st places of the Charts. At least, for some titles including this one because for others, it is rather the passage 'through' ...
1963 ... a know-how in the Intimist which is also confirmed year after year. We therefore suspect that something big will inevitably happen, even very very big in the years to come ...
1964 ... for the great fireworks display, it will not yet be this year 1964. We will therefore have to be a little patient ...
1964 ... anyway he continues on a frenzied rhythm literally and figuratively. A brand that will be its own until the end ...
1965 ... more big caliber Intimist, one more. A year 1965 which started off ideally and which could reserve a huge surprise for us ...
1965 ... and the huge surprise, here it is ! He delivers here quite simply a title with formidable effectiveness and which will become an enormous planetary hit. A title that will reveal him in a shattering way to the eyes of the whole world and suddenly literally explode its notoriety internationally !
1965 ... but that's without counting on THIS title ! In just 2 tracks, the singer will have become one of the biggest global phenomena of the moment and intends to take advantage of the enormous suction effect generated by these 2 enormous successes to climb even higher towards the stars !
1966 ... unfortunately, the bellows will fall somewhat at the beginning of the year 1966. But the artist is not discouraged for all that and will bounce back in an incredible way with the following title ...
1966 ... which will undoubtedly remain as one of his finest titles. Here he delivers an absolutely incredible Intimist title which will deeply mark the 1960s, if not the end of the 20th century. MAS-TER-PIE-CE !
1967 ... impossible for the following titles to compete with such a gem as the bar has been set high. It will therefore be necessary to be satisfied with the crumbs as they say ...
1967 ... fortunately all is not lost with the arrival of this title. Brown's brilliant inspiration is going to do wonders again and show in a dazzling way that we will have to count on him in the years to come !
1967 ... a good year 1967 in the end with a plethora of titles and quality on every level. The essential is preserved as they say !
1968 ... production of titles remains at an astounding level and each title that comes out is ranked. Then there are the titles that reach the top of Charts like this one and others with a more banal destiny ...
1968 ... this one will also know a nice journey in the Charts. The problem with the singer is that the production of songs is huge with a lot of songs that look alike. We will only remember the best ...
1969 ... even if the titles are similar, the craze for this gifted music does not weaken. The decade of the 60s saw him ramp up in a phenomenal way. But it is the decade of 70 which will consecrate him definitively ...
1969 ... the end of the sixties which saw him unroll quietly without forcing his talent too much. It is clear that he cannot produce Masterpieces for every title. It will therefore be necessary to wait the following decade to see the arrival of the next...Masterpiece precisely
1970 ... he begins his 3rd decade at his best. The artist masters his subject perfectly and the title that follows will show it in a masterly way !
1970 ... the title of the consecration, the real one ! This time the singer gets his direct ticket to posterity here and engraves his name in the musical Pantheon at the end of the 20th century. MAS-TER-FUL !
1970 ... as always, a title which follows an exceptional title can only seem very pale next to it. This one will be no exception ...
1971 ... this one on the other hand will know a much more favorable destiny. It must be said that it has been a year since 'Sex machine'. It helps...
1971 ... always that inimitable style that sticks to his skin. A truly unique style of its kind which has been as much its strength as its weakness ...
1972 ... for the moment the adventure continues unabated and sees the artist remain in the leading pack without too much difficulty. Hope it lasts ...
1972 ... he will have known most of his biggest successes on particularly rhythmic titles. But what he delivered on the Intimist side is also well worth the detour. A new proof with this title ...
1972 ... a BIG year 1972 with a new shower of hit titles. But once again, big successes and less ...
1973 ... the beginning of the decade saw him reach the top of the mountain but it is clear that he will now have to come back down. Hard law of the trade ...
1973 ... he is far from demerit, it is clear but he does not manage to reinvent himself and remains well sheltered in its comfort zone. Totally counterproductive strategy ...
1974 ... the fact of not succeeding in reinventing himself will force him to stagnate in the Charts and this in a lasting way. Never out of fashion but never on top either ...
1974 ... a very strong resemblance to "It's a man's man's man's world" which once again shows its difficulty now in making something new. Be careful not to fall asleep on your laurels ...
1975 ... a second part of the 1970s which turned out to be much more complicated to manage than expected. It must be said that we felt the problems, and especially the gradual disaffection of the public, are coming soon ...
1976 ... he will succeed in saving the furniture during this year 1976 but it will indeed be the last year of the 1970s when he will succeed in doing so. Attention danger...
1976 ... the second big-caliber title of the year. All thanks to a sound that fits perfectly with the latest trends of the moment and which above all allows him to finally show another face ...
1977 ... the start of the tumble. The singer is no longer a shadow of himself and will now do more some figuration than anything else ...
1978 ... it is high time for the decade to end because the singer absolutely does not manage to take the measure of the enormous wave Disco which is in the process of submerging everything in its path. Big error of judgment ...
1979 ... finally a little better. We can therefore hope for a possible renaissance during the following decade. Case to be continued as they say ...
1980 ... for the rebirth, it will not be for now. But it may well be that he has a huge surprise in store for us in the middle of a decade ...
1981 ... the singer slowly but surely rises to the surface. The light at the end of the tunnel is not very far at first sight ...
1983 ... the production of titles slowed down considerably, it is clear. It must be said that there is no point in producing in order to produce ...
1984 ... the shock of the generations ! At one point, it is clear that he has to try everything to try to get back into the race. Including accepting a singer with young people who are at least 20 years younger ...
1985 ... and finally the miracle arrives ! While one could fear the worst concerning him, here he is reborn from his ashes in a spectacular way to say the least. Here he simply signs one of the biggest dance hits of the decade and proves in a masterly way that nothing is ever over with him. HU-GE !
1986 ... an unexpected rebirth that he confirms with this second big-caliber title. He took a long time to adapt to new musical trends but now that it's done, it's going !
1987 ... a mid-80s which saw him at his best. At 50 years old, the performance is all the more remarkable. Who would've believed that...?
1988 ... while everything seemed to be over at the end of the 1970s, he managed the feat of coming back in force during the 1980s. And in what way !
1988 ... we still suspect that this comeback will not last for decades and decades. But what is taken is no longer to be taken ....
1989 ... when 2 of the greatest glories of soul music decide to push the song, one suspects that the result will not be trivial. And it doesn't have to be !
1991 ... we will even find him the following decade. But it will be the decade too long, the one that will see him disappear from the radar for good ...
1993 ... the musical world has really changed too much around him and it is clear that a hypothetical comeback is no longer really relevant. An incredible adventure which unfortunately comes to an end ...
1998 ... an adventure that is not quite over yet. A little more than 40 years after his debut, he delivers here a title that will be more enduring than anything else. But what a career and above all what talent !
Wiki :
Official Website :
Greatest Hits :
Discography :