James Brown

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Barnwell SC, United States (1956 – 2006)

James Brown, (James Joseph Brown, 1933-2006) is recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century music. He was a seminal force in the evolution of gospel and rhythm and blues into soul and funk. He has also left his mark on numerous other musical genres, including rock, jazz, reggae, disco, dance and electronic music, and hip-hop 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 new orleans, essentially defined the foundation of funk 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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Popular tags: funk, soul, rhythm and blues, blues, rnb  See more

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1		I Got You (I Feel Good)			1,751
2		It's A Man's Man's Man's World			1,629
3		Get Up Offa That Thing			1,049
4		Papa's Got A Brand New Bag			964
5		The Boss			941
6		The Payback			911
7		Living In America			838
8		Try Me			725
9		Think			618
10		Sex Machine			575
11		Night Train			553
12		PLease, Please, Please			523
13		I FEEL GOOD			503
14		Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine			489
15		Please Please Please			433

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