James Brown dies at 73/78?

[MaxFly]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16349975/

ATLANTA - James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured “Godfather of Soul,” whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died early Monday, his agent said. He was 73.

Brown was hospitalized with pneumonia at Emory Crawford Long Hospital on Sunday and died around 1:45 a.m. Monday, said his agent, Frank Copsidas of Intrigue Music. Longtime friend Charles Bobbit was by his side, he said.

Copsidas said Brown’s family was being notified of his death and that the cause was still uncertain. “We really don’t know at this point what he died of,” he said.

Along with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and a handful of others, Brown was one of the major musical influences of the past 50 years. At least one generation idolized him, and sometimes openly copied him. His rapid-footed dancing inspired Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson among others. Songs such as David Bowie’s “Fame,” Prince’s “Kiss,” George Clinton’s “Atomic Dog” and Sly and the Family Stone’s “Sing a Simple Song” were clearly based on Brown’s rhythms and vocal style.

If Brown’s claim to the invention of soul can be challenged by fans of Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, then his rights to the genres of rap, disco and funk are beyond question. He was to rhythm and dance music what Dylan was to lyrics: the unchallenged popular innovator.

“James presented obviously the best grooves,” rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy once told The Associated Press. “To this day, there has been no one near as funky. No one’s coming even close.”

His hit singles include such classics as “Out of Sight,” “(Get Up I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine,” “I Got You (I Feel Good)” and “Say It Out Loud — I’m Black and I’m Proud,” a landmark 1968 statement of racial pride.

“I clearly remember we were calling ourselves colored, and after the song, we were calling ourselves black,” Brown said in a 2003 Associated Press interview. “The song showed even people to that day that lyrics and music and a song can change society.”

He won a Grammy award for lifetime achievement in 1992, as well as Grammys in 1965 for “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (best R&B recording) and for “Living In America” in 1987 (best R&B vocal performance, male.) He was one of the initial artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, along with Presley, Chuck Berry and other founding fathers.

He triumphed despite an often unhappy personal life. Brown, who lived in Beech Island near the Georgia line, spent more than two years in a South Carolina prison for aggravated assault and failing to stop for a police officer. After his release on in 1991, Brown said he wanted to “try to straighten out” rock music.

From the 1950s, when Brown had his first R&B hit, “Please, Please, Please” in 1956, through the mid-1970s, Brown went on a frenzy of cross-country tours, concerts and new songs. He earned the nickname “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business.”

With his tight pants, shimmering feet, eye makeup and outrageous hair, Brown set the stage for younger stars such as Michael Jackson and Prince.

In 1986, he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And rap stars of recent years overwhelmingly have borrowed his lyrics with a digital technique called sampling.

Brown’s work has been replayed by the Fat Boys, Ice-T, Public Enemy and a host of other rappers. “The music out there is only as good as my last record,” Brown joked in a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

“Disco is James Brown, hip-hop is James Brown, rap is James Brown; you know what I’m saying? You hear all the rappers, 90 percent of their music is me,” he told the AP in 2003.

'Wanted to be somebody'

Born in poverty in Barnwell, S.C., in 1933, he was abandoned as a 4-year-old to the care of relatives and friends and grew up on the streets of Augusta, Ga., in an “ill-repute area,” as he once called it. There he learned to wheel and deal.

“I wanted to be somebody,” Brown said.

By the eighth grade in 1949, Brown had served 3½ years in Alto Reform School near Toccoa, Ga., for breaking into cars.

While there, he met Bobby Byrd, whose family took Brown into their home. Byrd also took Brown into his group, the Gospel Starlighters. Soon they changed their name to the Famous Flames and their style to hard R&B.

In January 1956, King Records of Cincinnati signed the group, and four months later “Please, Please, Please” was in the R&B Top Ten.

While most of Brown’s life was glitz and glitter, he was plagued with charges of abusing drugs and alcohol and of hitting his third wife, Adrienne.

In September 1988, Brown, high on PCP and carrying a shotgun, entered an insurance seminar next to his Augusta office. Police said he asked seminar participants if they were using his private restroom.

Police chased Brown for a half-hour from Augusta into South Carolina and back to Georgia. The chase ended when police shot out the tires of his truck.

Brown received a six-year prison sentence. He spent 15 months in a South Carolina prison and 10 months in a work release program before being paroled in February 1991. In 2003, the South Carolina parole board granted him a pardon for his crimes in that state.

Soon after his release, Brown was on stage again with an audience that included millions of cable television viewers nationwide who watched the three-hour, pay-per-view concert at Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles.

Adrienne Brown died in 1996 in Los Angeles at age 47. She took PCP and several prescription drugs while she had a bad heart and was weak from cosmetic surgery two days earlier, the coroner said.

More recently, he married his fourth wife, Tomi Raye Hynie, one of his backup singers. The couple had a son, James Jr.

Two years later, Brown spent a week in a private Columbia hospital, recovering from what his agent said was dependency on painkillers. Brown’s attorney, Albert “Buddy” Dallas, said singer was exhausted from six years of road shows.

RIP James Brown...

[Turntable]

That man was on stage here a few month's ago, to bad I wasnt able to go. One hell of an artist. R.I.P.

[bigted]

This is devastating for me, I was in such a great mood over the past few days, everything been looking up for me lately, the funny thing is the other day I emailed Krystle and told her how me and my papa like to chill at night and listen to James Brown tapes sometimes, music has been a bond between me and my papa, he's definately the greatest artist ever, every hip-hop artist in history deserves to pay respect that man, he was a trialblazer and he was going strong till the end, he's definately an inspiration to live life to the fullest, may soul brother #1 rest in peace forever, as

a young hip-hop artist that respects the history I'm gonna do the best to protect his legacy, his family is in my prayers...

'Godfather of Soul' James Brown dies

By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer 6 minutes ago

James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured "Godfather of Soul," whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died early Monday, his agent said. He was 73.

Brown was hospitalized with pneumonia at Emory Crawford Long Hospital on Sunday and died around 1:45 a.m. Monday, said his agent, Frank Copsidas of Intrigue Music. Longtime friend Charles Bobbit was by his side, he said.

Copsidas said Brown's family was being notified of his death and that the cause was still uncertain. "We really don't know at this point what he died of," he said.

Along with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and a handful of others, Brown was one of the major musical influences of the past 50 years. At least one generation idolized him, and sometimes openly copied him. His rapid-footed dancing inspired Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson among others. Songs such as David Bowie's "Fame," Prince's "Kiss," George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" and Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song" were clearly based on Brown's rhythms and vocal style.

If Brown's claim to the invention of soul can be challenged by fans of Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, then his rights to the genres of rap, disco and funk are beyond question. He was to rhythm and dance music what Dylan was to lyrics: the unchallenged popular innovator.

"James presented obviously the best grooves," rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy once told The Associated Press. "To this day, there has been no one near as funky. No one's coming even close."

His hit singles include such classics as "Out of Sight," "(Get Up I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine," "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "Say It Out Loud — I'm Black and I'm Proud," a landmark 1968 statement of racial pride.

"I clearly remember we were calling ourselves colored, and after the song, we were calling ourselves black," Brown said in a 2003 Associated Press interview. "The song showed even people to that day that lyrics and music and a song can change society."

He won a Grammy award for lifetime achievement in 1992, as well as Grammys in 1965 for "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (best R&B recording) and for "Living In America" in 1987 (best R&B vocal performance, male.) He was one of the initial artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, along with Presley, Chuck Berry and other founding fathers.

He triumphed despite an often unhappy personal life. Brown, who lived in Beech Island near the Georgia line, spent more than two years in a South Carolina prison for aggravated assault and failing to stop for a police officer. After his release on in 1991, Brown said he wanted to "try to straighten out" rock music.

From the 1950s, when Brown had his first R&B hit, "Please, Please, Please" in 1956, through the mid-1970s, Brown went on a frenzy of cross-country tours, concerts and new songs. He earned the nickname "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business."

With his tight pants, shimmering feet, eye makeup and outrageous hair, Brown set the stage for younger stars such as Michael Jackson and Prince.

In 1986, he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And rap stars of recent years overwhelmingly have borrowed his lyrics with a digital technique called sampling.

Brown's work has been replayed by the Fat Boys, Ice-T, Public Enemy and a host of other rappers. "The music out there is only as good as my last record," Brown joked in a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

"Disco is James Brown, hip-hop is James Brown, rap is James Brown; you know what I'm saying? You hear all the rappers, 90 percent of their music is me," he told the AP in 2003.

Born in poverty in Barnwell, S.C., in 1933, he was abandoned as a 4-year-old to the care of relatives and friends and grew up on the streets of Augusta, Ga., in an "ill-repute area," as he once called it. There he learned to wheel and deal.

"I wanted to be somebody," Brown said.

By the eighth grade in 1949, Brown had served 3 1/2 years in Alto Reform School near Toccoa, Ga., for breaking into cars.

While there, he met Bobby Byrd, whose family took Brown into their home. Byrd also took Brown into his group, the Gospel Starlighters. Soon they changed their name to the Famous Flames and their style to hard R&B.

In January 1956, King Records of Cincinnati signed the group, and four months later "Please, Please, Please" was in the R&B Top Ten.

While most of Brown's life was glitz and glitter, he was plagued with charges of abusing drugs and alcohol and of hitting his third wife, Adrienne.

In September 1988, Brown, high on PCP and carrying a shotgun, entered an insurance seminar next to his Augusta office. Police said he asked seminar participants if they were using his private restroom.

Police chased Brown for a half-hour from Augusta into South Carolina and back to Georgia. The chase ended when police shot out the tires of his truck.

Brown received a six-year prison sentence. He spent 15 months in a South Carolina prison and 10 months in a work release program before being paroled in February 1991. In 2003, the South Carolina parole board granted him a pardon for his crimes in that state.

Soon after his release, Brown was on stage again with an audience that included millions of cable television viewers nationwide who watched the three-hour, pay-per-view concert at Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles.

Adrienne Brown died in 1996 in Los Angeles at age 47. She took PCP and several prescription drugs while she had a bad heart and was weak from cosmetic surgery two days earlier, the coroner said.

More recently, he married his fourth wife, Tomi Raye Hynie, one of his backup singers. The couple had a son, James Jr.

Two years later, Brown spent a week in a private Columbia hospital, recovering from what his agent said was dependency on painkillers. Brown's attorney, Albert "Buddy" Dallas, said singer was exhausted from six years of road shows.

Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press

=================================================

Obituary: James Brown

James Brown on stage in 2000

The self-confessed Godfather of soul

When James Brown styled himself Soul Brother Number One, for once, this was no idle showbusiness exaggeration. His influence on popular music was, quite simply, enormous.

He transformed gospel music into rhythm and blues, and soul music into his own creation, funk, with its driving rhythms and insistent beat.

His performances remain unsurpassed for their urgency of expression and raw physicality, influencing later white rockers like Mick Jagger and Iggy Pop.

Born James Joe Brown Junior in 1933 in a one-room shack in the backwoods of South Carolina, by seven, he was boarding at a brothel in Augusta, Georgia.

Delighted and outraged audiences

He helped to pay the rent by shining shoes and tap-dancing on sidewalks.

Nine years later, he was harshly punished for trying to steal a car. Sent to prison for between eight and 16 years, he eventually served only three years and a day.

James Brown on the stage in the 1960s

Brown was a charismatic frontman

On his release, he joined a gospel group. While pursuing a promising but ultimately abortive career as a semi-professional boxer, he rose to become the leader of the James Brown Revue.

Audiences were delighted and outraged by the group's tight R&B sound, fronted by the charismatic Brown, whose stage antics caused him to shed up to seven pounds a night.

In 1956, Brown wrote the song Please, Please, Please. It sold a million copies and propelled the singer to stardom.

Other hits followed, as Brown worked up to 350 nights a year, earning himself another name, the hardest-working man in showbusiness.

Mould-breaking show

Though the financial returns were scant - Brown and his band members earned a derisory $150 each for Please Please Please - he refused to compromise on the quality of his performances.

His reason was simple. "When you're on stage, the people who paid money to get in are the boss, even if it cost them only a quarter. You're working for them."

The success: James Brown in the 1970s

The success: James Brown in the 1970s

He treated his band like an army, imposing fines for lateness, scruffy costumes and poor playing. By the early 1960s his growing reputation saw him playing to packed crowds at the Mecca of black music, Harlem's Apollo Theatre.

In 1961, realising that the essence of his music could only be captured live, Brown personally financed the recording of an album at the theatre.

The result, the mould-breaking James Brown Show Live at the Apollo, was a sensation. Establishing his reputation throughout the United States, it remains one of the most critically acclaimed live albums ever recorded.

His status was enhanced by a succession of worldwide hits like Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, I Got You (I Feel Good) and Get Up (I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine).

Thanks from the president

Artistically, James Brown was breaking new ground with a whole new musical form, funk. Songs like Cold Sweat, where the brass section and guitars drove the rhythm, exemplified the stylistic change which Brown wrought.

Success brought great wealth. James Brown owned radio stations, fast food restaurants and a private jet.

He embraced "black capitalism" even before the phrase was coined, urging his fellow countrypeople to live the American Dream.

The prisoner: James Brown in jail in the late 1980s

The prisoner: In jail in the late 1980s

He gave back, too, sponsoring food stamps for the poor and giving money and land to those in need, especially in Africa.

Some radicals, though, criticised him for his patriotism and he received death threats after playing to US troops in Vietnam.

Such was James Brown's influence that, when Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968, the order went out to broadcast Brown's show in Boston live across the United States.

Punctuated by his pleas for calm, the show helped to stem the tide of anger and Brown earned the personal thanks of President Johnson.

Living in America

The 1970s were bad times for James Brown. His son, Teddy, died in a car accident, he himself was beset by tax problems and disco music threatened to eclipse his career.

Sheer hard work on the club circuit brought him back from the brink. A cameo roll as a singing preacher in the cult 1980 film The Blues Brothers brought his music to another generation.

James Brown performing in 1999

Brown was still strutting in his sixties

His song Living in America, a paean to the American Dream, was chosen as the theme music to Rocky IV and James Brown was among the first group of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But James Brown's capacity for self-destruction was a constant danger. In 1988 an incident with a shotgun led to a high speed police chase and he spent two and a half years in jail.

His release coincided with a huge upswell in rap, and hip-hop music, both of which borrowed freely from Brown's work. His role as a pivotal musical innovator was recognised as never before.

Even with his faults, James Brown was an important role model to a whole generation of African Americans.

Triumphing over poverty and racism, his outlook is best summed up by the title of one of his greatest hits - Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud.

http://www.godfatherofsoul.com

http://www.godfatherofsoul.org/samples.htm

[Typhoon20]

R.I.P Godfather of Soul

[Guest Guest_bigted_*]

The funny thing is that I found out about James Brown dying when I was just going on the Public Enemy board to wish Chuck D a happy holiday since I know he checks the messages on the board, kinda strange it happened that way for me to find out, Chuck D's probably the biggest James Brown fan in the world, he always talks about him in his terrordomes, I just came across this one where he mentions how he met him at a BET concert back in 2000:

http://www.publicenemy.com/index.php?page=page3&item=13

BLOWN AWAY…

May 31, 2000

Smack dab within quite a few events am I, and none was more surprising and enjoyable than the BET 20th Anniversary Show on May 6th in LAS VEGAS. Ran into a lotta folk I ain’t seen in a while… so many to name although that’s what makes this Terrordome tick. However, while backstage I was putting my intro speech on the rap section in the teleprompter when I spotted two gentlemen in the green room area at the time. One brother was KIRK FRANKLIN who I greeted, the other brother turned around and ‘whoa’ it was THE GODFATHER OF SOUL himself, MR. DYNAMITE, SOUL BROTHER NUMBER ONE… JAAAAAAAAAAAMES BRRRRROWWWNNN… I nearly lost it, and politely said MR. BROWN I thank you… and then I introduced myself. He said ‘whoa’ and gave me, and PE, props for doin’ what we did for rap, black folks and music. My dumb ass was too slow with the camera and by the time I was ready he had to be whisked away for his duet (sort of) with GINUWINE. I couldn’t find him after that, and I was still stunned he knew me like that.

[viber_91]

R.I.P James.

I'm so glad that I went to see his concert this summer!

[J-o-e]

R.I.P 2 The Soul Legend

[Guest Guest_bigted_*]

The funny thing is I'm trying to get fuq to help me record "Pumped From Da Funk" song I wrote, wanted to bring a feel good vibe back again, hip-hop can't always be serious, gotta have that fun element too, I gave James Brown acknowledgement in the song 'cause he is the definition of feel good music, his music is living on for generations to come really, "Brand New Funk" had a James Brown sample too btw, sampling "My Thang":

"Like when I hear “Brand New Funk” by Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince

Plus Eric B.and Rakim's “I Know You Got Soul”

Like Uncle LI got “My Radio” bustin' out of control

My folks always wonder why I like to be like Public Enemy and “Bring The Noise”

I tell 'em to “Don't Believe The Hype”

I'm just tryin' to bring fun appeal to the 'hood

'Cause like James Brown does I'm just tryin' to make you “Feel Good”

[Luigie]

R.I.P.

[fresh_from_sofia]

damn i just saw that on a bulletin from Speech in myspace.com :( R.I.P

[Jazzy Julie]

rest in peace, if it wasnt for him we wouldnt have a lot of great music that he influenced.

[DaAce]

r.i.p. to one of the greatest musicians and entertainers of all time

this is a big loss in music... the man was irreplaceable

James Brown will forever rest in peace :worried:

[bigted]

MC Hammer shows love to James Brown:

http://mchammer.blogspot.com/

The GodFather Of Soul Moves On: James Brown We Love You

The man that influenced many of the greatest artist of all time has passed away. James Brown passed away this Christmas morning and I am saddened. I will mourn for yet a while and then I will celebrate his legacy and our friendship. I called him GodFather and he called me God Son. I am so glad that I honored him while he was living. The memories of our times together I will always cherish. His contributions to society and the African American community are numerous and significant. When we were weary during our journey and struggle for our civil rights and the country was a powder keg about to explode, when oppression and injustice burned like a wet log on an open fire, when the word "colored", was followed by the words," to the back" and "not served", James Brown gave us our pride, self-esteem and dignity with the song,"Say It Loud" which was followed by the words,"I'm Black and I'm Proud". This was during a time when full lips, and afros where not in vogue and were not considered a fashion statement and a movie look. It took a strong man to make the statement that the GodFather Of Soul made.

I was a young kid and I was amazed at the dance moves and energy that The GodFather put down. He was a one man showstopper! A master of the stage. His songs resonated throughout the community. Please, Please, Please, This is A Mans World, Cold Sweat, Hot Pants, Super Bad, Try Me, and many more. From our many conversations and numerous performances together, I had my own personal relationship with the man I was influenced by and whom I held in the highest regards. He would prove over and over again his love and concern for me and I appreciated him for it. Whenever he requested my presence I would make sure to get wherever he wanted me. I felt it was the least I could do to show my respect for a legend who did so much for his people and this country as well as world relations with his life and music.

For the past 50 years James brown has performed around the world and continued to create hot and meaningful music. From Michael Jackson, Prince, and MC Hammer to Usher, Chris Brown , Ne-Yo and Justin Timberlake the James Brown effect and legacy lives on.

In 1991 when I wrote the treatment for my Too Legit to Quit short film, I thought it would be a good time to honor my legend and hero, especially since he had just went through a tough time and being incarcerated. My perspective was that no one is perfect and his mistake did not take away one bit from his many sacrifices and contributions to music and society. I also filmed a special for HBO in Oakland called, "Influences" and chose The GodFather as my greatest influence. I even honored him on the, "Please Hammer Don't Hurt'em", album and tour with my theme song ,"Here Comes The Hammer", remixed to "Super Bad" and put his images in the video. I did a James Brown solo every night. I loved my God Father. I remember him asking me about some evil looking statues in the video we did together and he questioned the meaning of the symbols on the Kings chair I got him for the video. He was concerned that it could be sacrilegious and I said we on the same page thank you Jesus. GodFather would call me and check on me throughout the years and I'm going to miss his voice and laugh. From now on every year I will play James Brown on Christmas Day and honor his memory.

It's fitting that the King would pass into the King Of Kings arms on Christmas morning. He deserved such an honor. I love you GodFather.

[KevTastic]

RIP James, a huge influence of the modern day era of music.

[Silver Tiger]

Man... I was just wondering about how he was doing the other day. He was a great musician. He did it all.

Keep it funky.

God Blessa!