James Brown
James Joseph Brown was born on the 3rd of May 1933, inside a small wooden shack in Barnwell, South Carolina. His mother Susie Behling was only sixteen years old when he arrived into the world. The family lived in poverty within Elko, South Carolina, an impoverished town during that year. They moved to Augusta, Georgia when James was four or five years old. His family first settled at one of his aunt's brothels before moving into a shared house. Brown began singing in talent shows as a young child. He appeared at Augusta's Lenox Theater in 1944 and won after performing the ballad So Long. While living in Augusta, he performed buck dances for change to entertain troops from Camp Gordon. During this period, he learned to play piano, guitar, and harmonica. He became inspired to become an entertainer after hearing Caldonia by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five.
Brown and his band debuted at the Apollo Theater on the 24th of April 1959. They opened for his idol Little Willie John. Federal Records issued two albums credited to Brown and the Famous Flames containing previously released singles. In 1960, the band released the top ten R&B hit Do The Mashed Potatoes on Dade Records under the pseudonym Nat Kendrick & the Swans. King president Syd Nathan shifted Brown's contract from Federal to the parent label King. That same year, Brown financed a live recording of a performance at the Apollo. He convinced Syd Nathan to release the album despite Nathan believing no one would buy it. Live at the Apollo was released in June 1963 and reached number two on the Top LPs chart. It sold more than a million copies and stayed on the charts for fourteen months. By 1967, Brown's emerging sound began to be defined as funk music. He released what some critics cited as the first true funk song Cold Sweat that year. It hit number-one on the R&B chart and contained a drum break. This track featured a harmony reduced to a single chord. Changes in Brown's style established the musical foundation for later hits like I Got The Feelin and Mother Popcorn.
Before James Brown appeared on stage, his personal MC gave him an elaborate introduction accompanied by drumrolls. The introduction by Fats Gonder captured on Brown's 1963 album Live at the Apollo is a representative example. His performances were famous for their intensity and length. Brown stated his goal was to give people more than they came for and make them tired. A trademark feature involved Brown dropping to his knees while clutching the microphone stand during Please Please Please. This prompted the show's longtime MC Danny Ray to come out and drape a cape over Brown's shoulders. He would then shake off the cape and stagger back to perform an encore. The routine was inspired by professional wrestler Gorgeous George. During concerts, Brown danced in front of his band with his back to the audience. He flashed hand signals and splayed his pulsating fingers to the beat of the music. This practice alerted offending members of the troupe who played or sang the wrong note. He used these signals to alert the person of the fine they must pay him for breaking rules. Band members wore tuxedoes and cummerbunds long after casual wear became the norm among younger acts.
On the 5th of April 1968, a day after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, Brown provided a free citywide televised concert at the Boston Garden. The police chief wanted to call off the concert fearing it would incite violence. Mayor Kevin White arranged to have the performance broadcast multiple times on WGBH to keep potential rioters off the streets. Brown demanded $60,000 for gate fees since the concert was broadcast for free. White eventually lobbied a behind-the-scenes power-brokering group known as The Vault to contribute $100,000. Brown received $15,000 from them via the city. Following this successful performance, President Johnson counseled him to urge cities ravaged from riots not to resort to violence. In response to pressure from black activists, Brown wrote lyrics to Say It Loud I'm Black and I'm Proud. Released late that summer, the song helped make it an anthem for the civil rights movement. During the 1972 presidential election, Brown openly proclaimed his support of Richard Nixon over George McGovern. This decision led to a boycott of his performances and cost him a big portion of his black audience. His record sales and concerts were in a lull in 1973.
Although records were mainstays of the vanguard New York underground disco scene from 1969 onwards, Brown did not consciously yield until Sex Machine Today in 1975. By 1977, he was no longer a dominant force in R&B. After Get Up Offa That Thing, thirteen recordings failed to reach the Top 10 of the R&B chart. Only Bodyheat in 1976 and It's Too Funky in Here in 1979 reached the R&B Top 15. After 1976's Bodyheat, he failed to appear on the Billboard Hot 100. Concert attendance began dropping as reported disputes with the IRS caused his business empire to collapse. Several longtime bandmates including Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker pivoted to Parliament-Funkadelic. The emergence of disco forestalled Brown's success because its slicker style superseded his rawer one-chord funk productions. In 1984, he teamed with rap musician Afrika Bambaataa on Unity. A year later he signed with Scotti Brothers Records and issued Gravity in 1986. This included Living in America which marked his first Top Ten pop entry since 1968. Produced by Dan Hartman, it featured prominently on the Rocky IV film soundtrack.
Brown faced four criminal charges within a twelve-month span relating to driving, PCP, and gun possession by January 1988. He was arrested for domestic abuse in April 1988 and again in May 1988 on drug and weapons charges. On the 24th of September 1988, he followed a high-speed car chase on Interstate 20 near the Georgia-South Carolina state border. He was convicted of carrying an unlicensed pistol and assaulting a police officer along with various drug-related offenses. He was sentenced to six years in prison. He was released on parole on the 27th of February 1991 after serving two years of his sentence. FBI files released in 2007 related Brown's claim that local police shot at his car several times during harassment. Local authorities found no merit to these accusations. By the mid-1980s, it was widely alleged that Brown used drugs including PCP known as angel dust. Vicki Anderson confirmed regular use began before 1982. After meeting Adrienne Rodriguez in 1984, they began using PCP together. This often resulted in violent outbursts and arrests for domestic violence while high on the drug.
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Common questions
When and where was James Brown born?
James Joseph Brown was born on the 3rd of May 1933 inside a small wooden shack in Barnwell, South Carolina. His mother Susie Behling was only sixteen years old when he arrived into the world.
What album did James Brown release at the Apollo Theater in June 1963?
Live at the Apollo was released in June 1963 after Brown convinced King president Syd Nathan to issue the recording. The album reached number two on the Top LPs chart and sold more than a million copies while staying on the charts for fourteen months.
Why did James Brown perform a free concert at Boston Garden on April 5 1968?
Brown provided a free citywide televised concert at the Boston Garden on the 5th of April 1968 following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Mayor Kevin White arranged for the performance to be broadcast multiple times on WGBH to keep potential rioters off the streets.
How many criminal charges did James Brown face by January 1988?
James Brown faced four criminal charges within a twelve-month span relating to driving, PCP, and gun possession by January 1988. He was convicted of carrying an unlicensed pistol and assaulting a police officer along with various drug-related offenses before being sentenced to six years in prison.
Which song became an anthem for the civil rights movement written by James Brown in 1968?
In response to pressure from black activists James Brown wrote lyrics to Say It Loud I'm Black and I'm Proud which helped make it an anthem for the civil rights movement. The song was released late that summer after his successful free concert in Boston.