James Brown

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Biography

Barnwell SC, United States (1956 – 2006)

James Brown, (James Joseph Brown, May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) is recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century music. He was a seminal force in the evolution of and into and . He has also left his mark on numerous other musical genres, including , , , , and music, and music.

Joining Bobby Byrd’s vocal group The Famous Flames in 1955, Brown’s early recordings from the mid-50s, were fairly straightforward gospel-inspired R&B compositions, heavily influenced by the work of contemporary musicians such as Ray Charles and Little Richard. Little Richard’s relations with Brown were particularly significant in Brown’s development as a musician and showman.

Brown followed the success of his 1963 Live At The Apollo with a string of singles that, along with the work of Allen Toussaint in , essentially defined the foundation of music. During the mid-1960s, two of Brown’s signature tunes Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag and I Got You (I Feel Good), both from 1965, were his first Top 10 pop hits, as well as major #1 R&B hits, with each remaining the top-selling singles in black venues for over a month. As the 1960s decade neared its end, Brown continued to refine the new funk idiom. Brown’s 1967 #1 R&B hit, Cold Sweat, sometimes cited as the first true funk song, was the first of his recordings to contain a drum break and the first that featured a harmony that was reduced to a single chord change.
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