James Brown
b. 3 May 1928, Barnwell, South Carolina, USA. 'The Hardest Working Man In Show-Business', 'The Godfather Of Soul', 'The Minister Of The New New Super Heavy Funk'—such sobriquets only hint at the protracted James Brown legend. Convicted of theft at 16, he was imprisoned at the Alto Reform School, but secured an early release on the approbation of local singer, Bobby Byrd. Brown later joined his group, the Gospel Starlighters, who evolved into the Flames after embracing R&B. In 1955 they recorded a demo of Please Please Please at WIBB, a Macon, Georgia, radio station. Local airplay was such that talent scout Ralph Bass signed the group to the King/Federal company. A recut version of the song was issued in March 1956. Credited to 'James Brown And The Famous Flames', it eventually climbed to number 5 in the USA R&B list. Releases which followed fared poorly until 1958 when Try Me rose to number 1 in the same chart. Once again Brown found it hard to maintain this level of success, but I'll Go Crazy and Think (both 1960) put his progress on a surer footing. From thereon, until 1977, almost every 'official' single charted. However, it was an album, LIVE AT THE APOLLO which assuredly established the singer. Raw, alive and uninhibited, this shattering collection confirmed Brown as the voice of black America, every track on the album is a breathtaking event. More than 30 years on, with all the advances in recording technology, this album stands as one of the greatest live productions of all time. His singles continued to enthrall. Energetic songs such as Night Train and Shout And Shimmy, contrasted with such slower sermons as I Don't Mind and Bewildered, but it was the orchestrated weepie, Prisoner Of Love (1963), which gave James his first US Top 20 pop single. Such eminence allowed Brown a new manoeuvrability. Dissatisfied with his record label King, he ignored contractual niceties and signed with Smash. By the time his former outlet had secured an injunction, Out Of Sight had become another national hit. More importantly, however, the single marked the beginning of a leaner, tighter sound which would ultimately discard accepted Western notions of harmony and structure. This innovative mid-'60s period is captured on film by his electrifying performance on the TAMI Show. 
Throughout the '60s, James proclaimed an artistic freedom with increasingly unconventional songs including Papa's Got A Brand New Bag, I Got You (I Feel Good), It's A Man's Man's Man's World (with a beautifully orchestrated string section) and Money Won't Change You. In 1967 Alfred Ellis replaced Nat Jones as Brown's musical director and Cold Sweat introduced further radical refinements to the group's presentation. With Clyde Stubblefield on drums, Say It Loud – I'm Black And I'm Proud (1968), Mother Popcorn (1969), and Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine (1970) were each stripped down to a nagging, rhythmic riff, over which the singer soared; sometimes screaming, sometimes pleading, but always with an assertive urgency. In 1971 Brown moved to Polydor and unveiled a new backing band, the JBs. Led by Fred Wesley, it featured such seasoned players as Maceo Parker and St. Clair Pinckney, as well as a new generation of musicians. Elsewhere, former bassist William "Bootsy" Collins defected with other ex-members to George Clinton's Funkadelic. Such changes, coupled with Sly Stone's challenge, simply reinforced Brown's determination. He continued to enjoy substantial hits; 1974 saw three successive number 1 R&B singles in The Payback, My Thang and Papa Don't Take No Mess (Part 1), and James also scored two film soundtracks, BLACK CAESAR and SLAUGHTER'S BIG RIP OFF. However, as the decade progressed, his work became less compulsive, suffering a drop in popularity with the advent of disco. A cameo role in the movie The Blues Brothers marked time, and in 1980 Brown left the Polydor label. 
Subsequent releases on such smaller labels as TK, Augusta Sound and Backstreet were only marginally successful. However, Brown returned with a vengeance in 1986 with Livin' In America, the theme song from the ROCKY IV film soundtrack. An international hit single, it was followed by two R&B Top 10 entries, How Do You Stop (1987) and I'm Real (1988), the latter of which inspired a compulsive album of the same name. The Brown resurrection was abruptly curtailed that same year when the singer was arrested after a high-speed car chase. Charged with numerous offences, including illegal possession of drugs and firearms, aggravated assault and failure to stop for the police, he was sentenced to six-and-a-half years imprisonment at the State Park Correctional Centre. He was released in 1991, having reportedly written new material while incarcerated. James Brown's considerable influence has increased with the advent of hip-hop. New urban-based styles are indebted to the raw funk espoused by ‘The Godfather of Soul’, while Stubblefield's rhythmic patterns, particularly those on 1970's Funky Drummer, have been heavily sampled as have Brown's notorious whoops, screams, interjections and vocal improvisations. Artists as disparate as Public Enemy, George Michael, Sinead O'Connor and Candy Flip have featured beats pulled from Brown's impressive catalogue, one of the most enduring and exciting in the history of popular music.