The Godfather of Soul –
James Brown

by Erika Cox

James Brown has earned many nicknames because of his great contribution to soul and pop music. Known as the Godfather of Soul, the Hardest Working Man in Show Business, and Soul Brother No. 1, what James Brown brought to soul music has been unmatched.

He lit up soul music with his extravagant shows, high energy and powerful, hard-core singing. James Brown was born James Joseph Brown on May 3, 1933 in Barnwell, South Carolina. His family eventually moved to Augusta, Georgia.

As a child, Brown learned how to play the keyboard, drums and bass in his spare time. Born during the depression, Brown dropped out of school in the seventh grade to help support his family; he picked cotton, danced and shined shoes for pennies all over Augusta. At times, making pennies wasn’t enough and Brown often stole just so him and his family could have the necessities in life.

Because of this, Brown ended up in juvenile detention where he met Bobby Byrd, who sang with a popular gospel group, Byrd helped Brown get released from detention by getting him a job. Once out and promising to free himself from stealing, Brown tried several jobs in sports, the first as a boxer, and the last one as a baseball pitcher, after injuring his leg playing baseball Brown decided to pursue and focus his energy on music.

Brown decided to join Byrd and his gospel group performing around different locations in Georgia. However, after seeing a rock and roll concert featuring Hank Ballard and the Midnighters and Fats Domino, Brown and Byrd decided to change directions and start singing secular music.

The two men changed the name of the group to the Flames and incorporated instruments in which each member played an instrument. The group had been touring around the south performing in small locales when Ralph Bass, president of Federal Records, signed them with the label in 1956. The first single released was “Please, Please, Please”, which became a huge R&B hit and sold over a million copies.

Subsequent releases were not as successful and Brown was thinking of leaving the group and going solo. However, in 1958 the group released a new single called “Try Me”, which made it to the top of the R&B and Pop charts. Because of Brown’s high-strung energy, professionalism, strong desire to become a success, and the fact that he was co-writing most of the songs, he eventually became the lead singer and the group, renamed the Famous Flames, became his back-up group. Brown also changed the name to the James Brown Revue.

The revues were a complete theatrical stage act with plenty of dancing and singing, but although he was having regional success with his songs and shows, Brown didn’t receive national success until he appeared at the Apollo Theater in 1962. Brown recorded one of his live performances and released it as “Live at the Apollo” in 1963, it sold more than a million copies and Brown finally obtained nationwide success.

Brown would demand perfection when preparing and performing for his shows, not only from himself but from his band members as well. Outfits had to be clean, iron, and in perfect condition, if not, he wouldn’t hesitate to charge hefty fines on band members. After the live show at the Apollo, Brown would go on to have a number of hits on the Pop and R&B charts including, “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” and “I Got You” released in 1965.

His shows were high-strung with choreographic dancing and a number of entertaining stints. Brown would sweat so much during his shows that he would lose up to seven pounds during his performances. He was hot, literally and figuratively, his shows sold out all over the country and he became the biggest soul performer around.

Brown would continue his career throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s. Wealthy, independent, and talented, he became a hero to many Blacks back when racism was rampant. His song “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” became the theme song during the civil unrest of the 1960’s and a motto for Black pride and unity. Brown also worked with children, performed for the troops in Vietnam and even helped ease tension pleading for claim on TV after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

During the 1970’s Brown had some financial and personal problems but in the 1980’s he would see resurgence in his popularity and music when the hip-hop culture began to flourish and artists used his music in their songs. Even after a number of run-ins with the law, Brown continues to perform today, and unlike some performers from the 1950’s, his popularity never diminished he remains just as popular today. In November 1993, a street in Augusta was named after him and also a statue erected as a dedication to him.

Brown was also one of the first artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. He has also received numerous awards and recognitions for his contribution to music.

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