James Brown

James Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of funk music and is a major figure of 20th century popular music and dance.

Brown profoundly influenced the development of many different musical genres. He performed in concerts, first making his rounds across the Chitlin' Circuit, and then across the country and later around the world, along with appearing in shows on television and in movies. Although he contributed much to the music world through his hitmaking, Brown holds the record as the artist who charted the most singles on the Billboard Hot 100 without ever hitting number one on that chart.

For many years, Brown's touring show was one of the most extravagant productions in American popular music. In 1986, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2000 into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Brown died on Christmas Day 2006 from heart failure after becoming ill two days earlier and being hospitalized for hours.

Songs such as "I Know You Got Soul" by Bobby Byrd, "Think (About It)" by Lyn Collins and "Doing It to Death" by Fred Wesley & The J.B.'s are considered as much a part of Brown's recorded legacy as the recordings released under his own name.

In 1973, Brown provided the score for the blaxploitation film Black Caesar. He also recorded another soundtrack for the film, Slaughter's Big Rip-Off. In 1974, he returned to the #1 spot on the R&B charts with "The Payback", with the parent album reaching the same spot on the album charts; he would reach #1 two more times in 1974 including "My Thang" and "Papa Don't Take No Mess". He performed in Kinshasa as part of the buildup to The Rumble in the Jungle fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.

Brown's "Papa Don't Take No Mess" would be his final single to reach the #1 spot on the R&B charts and his final top 40 pop single of the 1970s. Among his top ten R&B hits during this latter period included "Funky President (People It's Bad)" and "Get Up Offa That Thing.

He released "Body Heat" in 1976 and "It's Too Funky in Here" in 1979 which reachied the R&B top fifteen and "Kiss in '77" reached the top 20.

Brown would make cameo roles in the feature films The Blues Brothers, Doctor Detroit and Rocky IV, as well as guest starring in the Miami Vice episode. In 1984, Brown teamed with rap musician Afrika Bambaattaa on the song, "Unity". A year later he issued the moderately successful album, Gravity, in 1986, which included Brown's final top ten pop hit, "Living in America", marking his first top 40 entry since 1974 and his first top 10 pop entry since 1968. The song was featured prominently on the Rocky IV film and soundtrack. Brown performed the song in the film at Apollo Creed's final fight, shot in the Ziegfeld Room at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and was credited in the film as "The Godfather of Soul." In 1987, Brown won the Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Living in America."

In 1988, Brown worked with the production team Full Force on the new jack swing-influenced album I'm Real, which spawned his final two top ten R&B hits, "I'm Real" and "Static".

In 1991, Brown returned with the album, Love Overdue, which included the single, "(So Tired Of Standing Still We Got To) Move On", which peaked at #48 on the R&B chart. He also released the four-CD box set, Star Time, featuring nearly all of Brown's hit recordings.

In 1993, he released the album, Universal James, which included Brown's final Billboard charted single, "Can't Get Any Harder", which peaked at #76 on the US R&B chart and #59 on the UK chart. Brown also released the singles, "How Long" and "Georgia-Lina". In 1995, Brown returned to the Apollo, and released the live album, Live at the Apollo 1995, which included "Respect Me". He followed that song by releasing the megamix, "Hooked on Brown", in 1996.

Brown's final studio albums, I'm Back and The Next Step, were released in 1998 and 2002 respectively. I'm Back featured Brown's final charted single to date, "Funk On Ah Roll". The Next Step issued Brown's final single, "Killing is Out, School is In".

Brown is noted for charting at least 96 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 and at least 110 entries on the R&B chart. Seventeen of Brown's singles, including five credited as James Brown and the Famous Flames, hit number-one on the R&B chart.