Please, Please, Please! It’s the Birthday of the Godfather of Soul – and Funk!
It is May 3rd, the birthday of the man responsible for the funk. Every funk band you’ve heard, every rock band that employs that jangly rhythm guitar, every soul-stirring front man singer with dance moves — every last one of k’em owes the deepest debt of gratitude to the man who once famously said:
“Now when we finish with this session, they’ll KNOW where the funk come from!”
We’re talking, of course, about Soul Brother Number One. Mr. Dynamite. The Hardest-Working Man in Show Business. The Godfather of Soul.
James Brown
Here is a man who, by the Wikipedia count, had 63 studio albums, 15 live ones, 49 compilations such as greatest hits, 7 video albums, 10 music videos, 2 movie soundtracks, and a dozen dozen singles (144). One of the most important videos of all was The Night James Brown Saved Boston, recorded April 5, 1968, the day after the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., when Brown and band performed a free show to calm the volatile situation brewing.
There were so many memorable songs and song titles, including “The Payback,” “Hot Pants (She Got to Use What She Got to Get What She Wants),” “Doin’ It to Death,” “Get Up (I Feel Like a) Sex Machine,” “Get Up Offa That Thing,” and “Too Funky in Here.”
Perhaps no song, however, has had the impact on almost every funk and rock musician more than this one:
That guitar! THAT GUITAR! And he was an astounding dancer. This is a great collection of clips:
Here is the famous 1964 T.A.M.I. performance that forced The rolling Stones to up their game:
Finally, this 18-minute sequence from James Brown Live at the Apollo (1968) seals the deal for me:”Let Yourself Go > There Was a Time > I Feel Alright > Cold Sweat.” Brown is the one artist I regret not seeing.
Happy Birthday, James Brown — the Godfather of Soul — and Funk!