Jon Hammond at the Organ and Microphone
*LISTEN TO THE AUDIO HERE: HammondCast 36 Downloaded 701 times http://archive.org/details/JonHammondHammondCast36 
HammondCast 36 Jon Hammond in New York City just back
from Germany music tour and 20th year at Musikmesse Frankfurt trade show...digging deep in to the archives to present a special show put together by Jon in 1993 in Frankfurt Hausen-BROTFABRIK (the
old Bread Factory) Jon Hammond presenting French Pianist FRANCOISE PUJOL first time in Germany along with RICHARD BONA on bass from Cameroon & Paris, now living in NY and FRANCIS LASSOUS -
drums/batterie. A crazy story about how Jon convinced Bonsedorfer Piano Company to bring their most expensive concert-grand piano for Francoise to play there. The musicians got in to an argument at
sound check and Jon almost had to play the famous piano, but thankfully it worked out and the tension made for some great playing! .. Midnight Cake with James Brown Godfather of Soul - visiting his
Godson of Soul Michael Falkenstein and Michael's Family in Setzingen, after a long drive with his entourage in 2 white limousines - that's the manager Judge Bradley on Michael's right - it's good to
have a Judge for your personal manager when you are James Brown folks! Jon Hammond Youtube http://youtu.be/VjiDnJM0bd0 Congratulations 30th year Hammond
Organ Germany Studio pictorial James Brown Visiting his God Son Michael Falkenstein - incredible must see and hear: 
James Brown the Godfather of Soul and his God Son Michael Falkenstein at the Hammond organ
with original music soundtrack from Jon Hammond radio program HammondCast - musical selections: Time With You Six Year Itch Get Back In The Groove Watermelon Man Late Rent / HammondCast Outro R.I.P.
Godfather of Soul James Brown - here in Hammond Organ Germany Studios with his actual God Son Michael Falkenstein, amazing but true. enjoy, Jon Hammond http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and
recording artist. He is one of the founding fathers of funk music and is a major figure of 20th century popular music and dance. In a career that spanned six decades, Brown profoundly influenced the
development of many different musical genres.[7] Brown moved on a continuum of blues and gospel-based forms and styles to a profoundly "Africanized" approach to music making.[8] First coming to
national public attention in the mid 1950's as a member of the R&B singing group The Famous Flames[9][10], Brown performed in concerts, first making his rounds across the Chitlin' Circuit, and
then across the country and later around the world, along with appearing in shows on television and in movies. Although he contributed much to the music world through his hitmaking, Brown holds the
record as the artist who charted the most singles on the Billboard Hot 100 without ever hitting number one on that chart.[11][12] For many years, Brown's touring show was one of the most extravagant
productions in American popular music. At the time of Brown's death, his band included three guitarists, two bass guitar players, two drummers, three horns and a percussionist.[13] The bands that he
maintained during the late 1960s and 1970s were of comparable size, and the bands also included a three-piece amplified string section that played during ballads.[14] Brown employed between 40 and 50
people for the James Brown Revue, and members of the revue traveled with him in a bus to cities and towns all over the country, performing upwards of 330 shows a year with almost all of the shows as
one-nighters.[15][16] In 1986, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2000 into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[17] Brown died on Christmas Day 2006 from heart failure after
becoming ill two days earlier and being hospitalized for hours. He is buried in Beech Island, South Carolina. Background information Birth name James Joseph Brown, Jr.[1] Also known as "The Godfather
of Soul"[2][3][4] Born May 3, 1933 Barnwell, South Carolina, United States Origin Toccoa, Georgia Died December 25, 2006 (aged 73) Atlanta, Georgia[5] Genres R&B, soul, funk, doo-wop, rock 'n'
roll, blues, jazz Occupations Musician, songwriter, dancer, bandleader, record producer, actor Instruments Vocals, drums, percussion, piano, keyboards, organ Years active 1945[6]–2006 Labels Federal,
King, Dade, Try Me, Smash, People, Polydor, Scotti Bros. Associated acts The Famous Flames, The J.B.'s, Bobby Byrd, The Soul Generals, Lyn Collins, Bobby Bennett, Bootsy Collins Early life James
Brown was born in Barnwell, South Carolina on May 3, 1933, to Susie (née Behlings) Brown (August 8, 1916 – February 26, 2004)[18] and Joseph ("Joe") Gardner (March 29, 1911 – July 10, 1993) (who
changed his surname to Brown after Mattie Brown who raised him).[18] Although Brown was to be named after his father Joseph, his first and middle names were mistakenly reversed on his birth
certificate. He therefore became James Joseph Brown, Jr.[1] As a young child, Brown was called Junior. When he later lived with his aunt and cousin, he was called Little Junior since his cousin's
nickname was also Junior.[1] Later as an adult, Brown legally changed his name to remove the "Jr." designation. Brown claimed to have African, Chinese and Native American ancestry.[19][20] As a young
child, Brown and his family lived in extreme poverty[11] in nearby Elko, South Carolina, which at the time was an impoverished town in Barnwell County. When Brown was two years old, his parents
separated after his mother left his father for another man.[21] After his mother abandoned the family, Brown continued to live with his father and his father's live-in girlfriends until he was six
years old. His father then sent him to live with an aunt, who ran a house of prostitution.[22] Even though Brown lived with relatives, he spent long stretches of time on his own, hanging out on the
streets and hustling to get by.[11] Brown managed to stay in school until he dropped out in the seventh grade.[23] During his childhood, Brown earned money shining shoes, sweeping out stores, selling
and trading in old stamps, washing cars and dishes and singing in talent contests.[11] Brown also performed buck dances for change to entertain troops from Camp Gordon at the start of World War II as
their convoys traveled over a canal bridge near his aunt's home.[21][22] Between earning money from these adventures, Brown taught himself to play a harmonica given to him by his father.[21] He
learned to play some guitar from Tampa Red, in addition to learning to play piano and drums from others he met during this time.[21] Brown was inspired to become an entertainer after watching Louis
Jordan, a popular jazz and R&B performer during the 1940s, and Jordan's Tympany Five performing "Caldonia" in a short film.[24] Brown began his performing career at the age of 12, forming his
first vocal group, the Cremona Trio in 1945, where they won local talent shows at Augusta concert halls such as the Lenox and Harlem theaters.[6] As a result of this success, the group would later
gig at several high schools and local army bases.[6] At the age of sixteen, he was convicted of armed robbery and sent to a juvenile detention center upstate in Toccoa in 1949.[8] While in prison, he
formed a gospel quartet with fellow cell mates Johnny Terry, "Hucklebuck" Davis and a person named "Shag", and made homemade instruments – a comb and paper, a washtub bass, a drum kit made from lard
tubs and for Brown, what he called "a sort of mandolin [made] out of a wooden box."[6] Due to the latter instrument, Brown was given his first nickname, "Music Box". In 1952, while still in reform
school, Brown met future R&B legend Bobby Byrd, who was there playing baseball against the reform school team. Byrd saw Brown perform there and admired his singing and performing talent.[21] As a
result of this friendship, Byrd's family helped Brown secure an early release on June 14, 1952 after serving three years of his sentence. The authorities agreed to release Brown on the condition that
he would get a job and not return to Augusta or Richmond County and also under the condition he find a decent job and sing for the Lord as he had promised in his parole letter. After stints as a
boxer[25] and baseball pitcher in semi-professional baseball (a career move ended by a leg injury), Brown turned his energy toward music.[26] [edit]Career [edit]1954–1960: The Famous Flames Main
article: The Famous Flames By 1954, Brown had tried to get a deal with his gospel group, the Ever Ready Gospel Singers after recording a version of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow", but returned to Toccoa
when they failed to get a deal.[6] Returning, his friend Bobby Byrd asked Brown to join his R&B group, the Avons, who had previously gone under the name the Gospel Starlighters to avoid
controversy with church leaders. Brown replaced another vocalist, Troy Collins, who died in a car crash.[6] The group, which included alongside Byrd and Brown; Sylvester Keels, Doyle Oglesby, Fred
Pulliam and Johnny Terry, modeled themselves after the R&B groups of the day including The Orioles, The Five Keys, and Billy Ward and His Dominoes.[6] Gigging through Georgia and South Carolina,
they again changed their name to the Toccoa Band to avoid confusion with two other groups who shared the Avons moniker.[6] Under this name, Brown recruited guitarist Nafloyd Scott and, under their
manager Barry Tremier, added assorted percussion.[6] While performing in Macon, Georgia, having now changed their name to The Flames, a club promoter, Clint Brantley (then agent of Brown's idol,
Little Richard[27]), suggested the band add "Famous" in front of their name to draw more people to his club.[6] The group began composing and performing their own songs during this time including a
Brown composition called "Goin' Back to Rome" and a ballad Brown co-wrote with Terry titled "Please, Please, Please". After Little Richard left Macon for Los Angeles after the release of "Tutti
Frutti", Brantley included the band at every venue Richard had performed, leading to the growth of the group's success. Before Christmas 1955, Brantley had the group record a demo of "Please, Please,
Please" for a local Macon radio station.[6] Based on two accounts, "Please, Please, Please" was inspired in the following manner: Etta James stated that during her first meeting with Brown in Macon,
Brown "used to carry around an old tattered napkin with him, because Little Richard had written the words, 'please, please, please' on it and James was determined to make a song out of it...";[28]
the remainder of the song came together after the group heard The Orioles' rock 'n' roll version of Big Joe Williams' hit, "Baby Please Don't Go", taking its melody from the song.[6] Federal Records
president Ralph Bass signed the Famous Flames to his label in February 1956 and had them record the song in Cincinnati's King Studios. Released the following March, the song became the Famous Flames'
first R&B hit, selling over a million copies.[29] Despite the song's success, other songs such as "I Don't Know", "No No No", "Just Won't Do Right", and "Chonnie-On-Chon" failed to chart.[6] By
March 1957, a full year after the release of "Please, Please, Please", most members of the Famous Flames had left the group after the group's new manager, Universal Attractions Agency Chief Ben Bart,
insisted that the group's billing be "James Brown and The Famous Flames".[6] After Little Richard left show business for the ministry, Brown was asked to fill in leftover dates leading to an increase
in his concert success and the eventual recruitment of members of the vocal group, the Dominions, to replace the Famous Flames. The first single under this new lineup, "That Dood It", failed to
chart. In late 1958, Brown financed the demo of the ballad, "Try Me". Released that October, it returned the Famous Flames to the charts and reached No. 1 on the R&B chart in February 1959
becoming the first of 17 chart-topping hits on the R&B chart which were credited to Brown over the next 15 years with six of them credited to the Famous Flames.[30] Bolstered by this success,
Brown recruited a new band that consisted of saxophonist J. C. Davis, guitarist Bobby Roach, bassist Bernard Odum, trumpeter Roscoe Patrick, saxophonist Albert Corley, drummer Nat Kendrick and his
old band mate Bobby Byrd, who had rejoined Brown's band on organ. This resulted in the next Brown hit, "I Want You So Bad", which peaked in the Top 20 on the Billboard R&B chart.[6] The newly
hailed "James Brown Band" debuted at the Apollo Theater on April 24, 1959, opening for Little Willie John.[6] Following his dismissal of the 1957–58 Famous Flames lineup, he hired "Baby" Lloyd
Stallworth and Bobby Bennett as replacements with Byrd and Johnny Terry returning as members.[6] The lineup of Brown,Byrd,Bennett,Stallworth, and Terry proved to be the permanent and definitive
Famous Flames lineup. The confusion concerning the Famous Flames singing group in the eyes of the public was that, for years, the Famous Flames were often mistaken for, and confused with, Brown's
backing band; fellow Famous Flame Byrd was also a member of the backing band at one point. Initially a vocal and instrumental group, the Famous Flames, after signing with Federal, developed into a
straight vocal group, a separate entity from the James Brown Band. In early 1960, Brown's band recorded the top ten R&B hit, "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" on Dade Records, owned by Henry Stone,
under the pseudonym "Nat Kendrick & The Swans" because Brown's label refused to release it.[31] As a result of this, Syd Nathan decided to shift Brown's contract from Federal to Federal's parent
label, King Records.[6] [edit]1960–1966: Commercial breakthrough By 1960, having been influenced more by jazz music than blues, Brown began incorporating jazz styled arrangements in his music, with
Brown naming the Famous Flames hits "I'll Go Crazy" and "Think" as examples of his changing style away from more traditional forms of R&B and rock 'n' roll.[6] Following the two "albums", Please,
Please, Please and Try Me under the name James Brown and The Famous Flames, Think! was Brown's first full-length 'solo' album, .[6] Brown's next albums displayed a range from vocal performances to
instrumentals. Brown's band recorded the instrumental hit, "Night Train", which was among the first to credit Brown as composer, and which became a Top 5 R&B hit and even briefly crossed over
into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. The ballad "Lost Someone" became, along with "Please, Please, Please", an early show-stopper during Brown's performances, while the recording of the Joe Tex
composition, "Baby You're Right" (which Brown altered substantially), increased his reputation with R&B audiences. On October 24, 1962, Brown financed a live recording of a midnight performance
at the Apollo and convinced Syd Nathan to release the album. Nathan felt that, because everyone had already brought the singles Brown performed live on this recording, no one would be interested in
an album that contained no new material, and he warned Brown that live albums usually were bad sellers. Brown refused to listen, and thus the album, Live at the Apollo was released. The album was a
great success, reaching No. 2 on the pop chart and selling a million copies; it stayed on the charts for fourteen months.[32] Influenced by the crossover success of Ray Charles, Brown began to
perform pop standards and succeeded with his first Top 20 single, "Prisoner of Love". That year, Brown also launched Try Me Records, releasing records by Tammy Montgomery and Johnny & Bill
(Famous Flame Johnny Terry and former Flame Bill Hollings) and the Poets (the latter composed of members of Brown's backing band). In 1964, figuring his deal with King was at an end, Brown and fellow
Famous Flame Bobby Byrd formed the production company, Fair Deal, linking the operation to a new label, Mercury imprint Smash Records.[6][33] However, King Records fought Brown's departure and was
granted an injunction preventing Brown from releasing any vocal recordings for his new label. Prior to this injunction, Brown had already released three vocal singles, including a cover of Louis
Jordan's "Caldonia", and the 12-bar blues rock and roll number, "Out of Sight", which further indicated the direction his sound was going to take.[34] Touring throughout 1964, Brown and The Flames
soon grabbed more national attention when they performed a explosive performance in the live concert film The T.A.M.I. Show, where Brown's energetic dance moves together with the polished
choreography and timing of the Famous Flames let them upstage the show's closing act, The Rolling Stones. In June 1965, King and Brown signed a new recording contract and released "Papa's Got a Brand
New Bag", which became his first Top 10 hit single, winning Brown his first Grammy.[35] Later in 1965, King released the uptempo rock 'n' roll song, "I Got You (I Feel Good)", which, in late 1965,
reached No. 1 on the R&B charts and, in early 1966, reached the mainstream Top 10, peaking at No. 3. Later in 1966, Brown's reputation as a hit maker was confirmed with the release of the
blues-inspired soul ballad, "It's a Man's Man's Man's World".[35] [edit]1967–1969: Soul Brother No. 1 Brown's success on the charts continued vastly in 1967. His No. 1 R&B hit that year, "Cold
Sweat", sometimes cited as the first true funk song, was the first of his recordings to contain a drum break and the first that featured a harmony that was reduced to a single chord.[36][37] The
instrumental arrangements on tracks such as "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose" and "Licking Stick-Licking Stick" (both recorded in 1968) and "Funky Drummer" (recorded in 1969) featured a more developed
version of Brown's mid-1960s style, with the horn section, guitars, bass and drums meshed together in intricate rhythmic patterns based on multiple interlocking riffs. Changes in Brown's style that
started with "Cold Sweat" also established the musical foundation for Brown's later hits, such as "I Got the Feelin'" (1968) and "Mother Popcorn" (1969). By this time Brown's vocals frequently took
the form of a kind of rhythmic declamation, not quite sung but not quite spoken, that only intermittently featured traces of pitch or melody. This would become a major influence on the techniques of
rapping, which would come to maturity along with hip hop music in the coming decades. Brown's style of funk in the late 1960s was based on interlocking syncopated parts: funky bass lines, drum
patterns, and iconic guitar riffs.[38] The main guitar ostinatos for "Ain't it Funky" (c. late 1960s), and "Give it Up or Turn it Lose" (1969), are examples of Brown's refinement of New Orleans funk;
irresistibly danceable riffs, stripped down to their rhythmic essence. On "Ain't it Funky" (c. late 1960s), and "Give it Up or Turn it Lose" (1969), the tonal structure is bare bones. The pattern of
attack-points is the emphasis, not the pattern of pitches. It's as if the guitar is an African drum, or idiophone. Alexander Stewart states that this popular feel was passed along from "New
Orleans—through James Brown's music, to the popular music of the 1970s."[39] Those same tracks were later resurrected by countless hip-hop musicians from the 1970s onward. As a result, James Brown
remains to this day the world's most sampled recording artist,[40] with "Funky Drummer" itself becoming the most sampled individual piece of music "Bring it Up" has an Afro-Cuban guajeo-like
structure. In fact, on a 1976 version, Cuban bongos are used. All three of these guitar riffs are based on an onbeat/offbeat structure. Stewart states: "This model, it should be noted, is different
from a time line (such as clave and tresillo) in that it is not an exact pattern, but more of a loose organizing principle." It was around this time as the musician's popularity increased that he
acquired the nickname, "Soul Brother No. 1", after failing to win the title "King of Soul" from Solomon Burke during a Chicago gig two years prior.[43] Brown's recordings during this period
influenced musicians across the industry, most notably groups such as Sly and the Family Stone, Funkadelic, Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s as well
as vocalists such as Edwin Starr, David Ruffin and Dennis Edwards from The Temptations, and Michael Jackson, who, throughout his career, cited Brown as his ultimate idol.[44] Brown's band during this
period employed musicians and arrangers who had come up through the jazz tradition. He was noted for his ability as a bandleader and songwriter to blend the simplicity and drive of R&B with the
rhythmic complexity and precision of jazz. Trumpeter Lewis Hamlin and saxophonist/keyboardist Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis (the successor to previous bandleader Nat Jones) led the band. Guitarist Jimmy
Nolen provided percussive, deceptively simple riffs for each song, and Maceo Parker's prominent saxophone solos provided a focal point for many performances. Other members of Brown's band included
stalwart Famous Flames singer and sideman Bobby Byrd, drummers John "Jabo" Starks, Clyde Stubblefield and Melvin Parker, saxophonist St. Clair Pinckney, trombonist Fred Wesley, guitarist Alphonso
"Country" Kellum and bassist Bernard Odum. During this period, Brown's music empire also expanded along with his influence on the music scene. As Brown's music empire grew, his desire for financial
and artistic independence grew as well. Brown bought radio stations during the late 1960s, including WRDW in his native Augusta, where he shined shoes as a boy.[35] In November 1967, James Brown
purchased radio station WGYW in Knoxville, Tennessee for a reported $75,000, according to the January 20, 1968 Record World magazine. The call letters were changed to WJBE reflecting his initials.
WJBE began on January 15, 1968 and broadcast a Rhythm & Blues format. The station slogan was "WJBE 1430 Raw Soul". Brown also bought WEBB in Baltimore in 1970. At the time it was mentioned "Brown
has also branched out into real estate and music publishing in recent months". Brown also branched out to make several recordings with musicians outside his own band. In an attempt to appeal to the
older, more affluent, and predominantly white adult contemporary audience, Brown recorded Gettin' Down To It (1969) and Soul on Top (1970)--two albums consisting mostly of romantic ballads, jazz
standards, and homologous reinterpretations of his earlier hits—with the Dee Felice Trio and the Louie Bellson Orchestra. In 1968, he recorded a number of funk-oriented tracks with The Dapps, a white
Cincinnati bar band, including the hit "I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)". He also released three albums of Christmas music with his own band. [edit]1970–1976: Godfather of Soul In March
1970, most of the members of Brown's mid-to-late 1960s road band walked out on him due to money disputes. Additionally, The Famous Flames singing group disbanded for the same reason, with only
original and founding member Bobby Byrd electing to remain with Brown. Brown and Byrd subsequently recruited several members of the Cincinnati-based The Pacemakers, which included Bootsy Collins and
his brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins; augmented by the remaining members of the 1960s road band (including Fred Wesley, who rejoined Brown's outfit in December 1970) and other newer musicians, they
would form the nucleus of The J.B.'s, Brown's new backing ensemble. Shortly following their first performance together, the band entered the studio to record the Brown-Byrd composition, "Get Up (I
Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine"; the song and other contemporaneous singles would further concretize Brown's influence in the nascent genre of funk music. This iteration of The J.B.'s dissolved after
a March 1971 European tour (documented on the 1991 archival release Love Power Peace) due to additional money disputes and Bootsy Collins' use of LSD; the Collins brothers would soon become integral
members of Parliament-Funkadelic, while a new lineup of The J.B.'s coalesced around Wesley, St. Clair Pinckney, and drummer John Starks. I
HammondCast 36 Jon Hammond in New York City just back
from Germany music tour and 20th year at Musikmesse Frankfurt trade show...digging deep in to the archives to present a special show put together by Jon in 1993 in Frankfurt Hausen-BROTFABRIK (the
old Bread Factory) Jon Hammond presenting French Pianist FRANCOISE PUJOL first time in Germany along with RICHARD BONA on bass from Cameroon & Paris, now living in NY and FRANCIS LASSOUS -
drums/batterie. A crazy story about how Jon convinced Bonsedorfer Piano Company to bring their most expensive concert-grand piano for Francoise to play there. The musicians got in to an argument at
sound check and Jon almost had to play the famous piano, but thankfully it worked out and the tension made for some great playing! .. Midnight Cake with James Brown Godfather of Soul - visiting his
Godson of Soul Michael Falkenstein and Michael's Family in Setzingen, after a long drive with his entourage in 2 white limousines - that's the manager Judge Bradley on Michael's right - it's good to
have a Judge for your personal manager when you are James Brown folks! Jon Hammond Youtube http://youtu.be/VjiDnJM0bd0 Congratulations 30th year Hammond
Organ Germany Studio pictorial James Brown Visiting his God Son Michael Falkenstein - incredible must see and hear: 
James Brown the Godfather of Soul and his God Son Michael Falkenstein at the Hammond organ
with original music soundtrack from Jon Hammond radio program HammondCast - musical selections: Time With You Six Year Itch Get Back In The Groove Watermelon Man Late Rent / HammondCast Outro R.I.P.
Godfather of Soul James Brown - here in Hammond Organ Germany Studios with his actual God Son Michael Falkenstein, amazing but true. enjoy, Jon Hammond http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and
recording artist. He is one of the founding fathers of funk music and is a major figure of 20th century popular music and dance. In a career that spanned six decades, Brown profoundly influenced the
development of many different musical genres.[7] Brown moved on a continuum of blues and gospel-based forms and styles to a profoundly "Africanized" approach to music making.[8] First coming to
national public attention in the mid 1950's as a member of the R&B singing group The Famous Flames[9][10], Brown performed in concerts, first making his rounds across the Chitlin' Circuit, and
then across the country and later around the world, along with appearing in shows on television and in movies. Although he contributed much to the music world through his hitmaking, Brown holds the
record as the artist who charted the most singles on the Billboard Hot 100 without ever hitting number one on that chart.[11][12] For many years, Brown's touring show was one of the most extravagant
productions in American popular music. At the time of Brown's death, his band included three guitarists, two bass guitar players, two drummers, three horns and a percussionist.[13] The bands that he
maintained during the late 1960s and 1970s were of comparable size, and the bands also included a three-piece amplified string section that played during ballads.[14] Brown employed between 40 and 50
people for the James Brown Revue, and members of the revue traveled with him in a bus to cities and towns all over the country, performing upwards of 330 shows a year with almost all of the shows as
one-nighters.[15][16] In 1986, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2000 into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[17] Brown died on Christmas Day 2006 from heart failure after
becoming ill two days earlier and being hospitalized for hours. He is buried in Beech Island, South Carolina. Background information Birth name James Joseph Brown, Jr.[1] Also known as "The Godfather
of Soul"[2][3][4] Born May 3, 1933 Barnwell, South Carolina, United States Origin Toccoa, Georgia Died December 25, 2006 (aged 73) Atlanta, Georgia[5] Genres R&B, soul, funk, doo-wop, rock 'n'
roll, blues, jazz Occupations Musician, songwriter, dancer, bandleader, record producer, actor Instruments Vocals, drums, percussion, piano, keyboards, organ Years active 1945[6]–2006 Labels Federal,
King, Dade, Try Me, Smash, People, Polydor, Scotti Bros. Associated acts The Famous Flames, The J.B.'s, Bobby Byrd, The Soul Generals, Lyn Collins, Bobby Bennett, Bootsy Collins Early life James
Brown was born in Barnwell, South Carolina on May 3, 1933, to Susie (née Behlings) Brown (August 8, 1916 – February 26, 2004)[18] and Joseph ("Joe") Gardner (March 29, 1911 – July 10, 1993) (who
changed his surname to Brown after Mattie Brown who raised him).[18] Although Brown was to be named after his father Joseph, his first and middle names were mistakenly reversed on his birth
certificate. He therefore became James Joseph Brown, Jr.[1] As a young child, Brown was called Junior. When he later lived with his aunt and cousin, he was called Little Junior since his cousin's
nickname was also Junior.[1] Later as an adult, Brown legally changed his name to remove the "Jr." designation. Brown claimed to have African, Chinese and Native American ancestry.[19][20] As a young
child, Brown and his family lived in extreme poverty[11] in nearby Elko, South Carolina, which at the time was an impoverished town in Barnwell County. When Brown was two years old, his parents
separated after his mother left his father for another man.[21] After his mother abandoned the family, Brown continued to live with his father and his father's live-in girlfriends until he was six
years old. His father then sent him to live with an aunt, who ran a house of prostitution.[22] Even though Brown lived with relatives, he spent long stretches of time on his own, hanging out on the
streets and hustling to get by.[11] Brown managed to stay in school until he dropped out in the seventh grade.[23] During his childhood, Brown earned money shining shoes, sweeping out stores, selling
and trading in old stamps, washing cars and dishes and singing in talent contests.[11] Brown also performed buck dances for change to entertain troops from Camp Gordon at the start of World War II as
their convoys traveled over a canal bridge near his aunt's home.[21][22] Between earning money from these adventures, Brown taught himself to play a harmonica given to him by his father.[21] He
learned to play some guitar from Tampa Red, in addition to learning to play piano and drums from others he met during this time.[21] Brown was inspired to become an entertainer after watching Louis
Jordan, a popular jazz and R&B performer during the 1940s, and Jordan's Tympany Five performing "Caldonia" in a short film.[24] Brown began his performing career at the age of 12, forming his
first vocal group, the Cremona Trio in 1945, where they won local talent shows at Augusta concert halls such as the Lenox and Harlem theaters.[6] As a result of this success, the group would later
gig at several high schools and local army bases.[6] At the age of sixteen, he was convicted of armed robbery and sent to a juvenile detention center upstate in Toccoa in 1949.[8] While in prison, he
formed a gospel quartet with fellow cell mates Johnny Terry, "Hucklebuck" Davis and a person named "Shag", and made homemade instruments – a comb and paper, a washtub bass, a drum kit made from lard
tubs and for Brown, what he called "a sort of mandolin [made] out of a wooden box."[6] Due to the latter instrument, Brown was given his first nickname, "Music Box". In 1952, while still in reform
school, Brown met future R&B legend Bobby Byrd, who was there playing baseball against the reform school team. Byrd saw Brown perform there and admired his singing and performing talent.[21] As a
result of this friendship, Byrd's family helped Brown secure an early release on June 14, 1952 after serving three years of his sentence. The authorities agreed to release Brown on the condition that
he would get a job and not return to Augusta or Richmond County and also under the condition he find a decent job and sing for the Lord as he had promised in his parole letter. After stints as a
boxer[25] and baseball pitcher in semi-professional baseball (a career move ended by a leg injury), Brown turned his energy toward music.[26] [edit]Career [edit]1954–1960: The Famous Flames Main
article: The Famous Flames By 1954, Brown had tried to get a deal with his gospel group, the Ever Ready Gospel Singers after recording a version of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow", but returned to Toccoa
when they failed to get a deal.[6] Returning, his friend Bobby Byrd asked Brown to join his R&B group, the Avons, who had previously gone under the name the Gospel Starlighters to avoid
controversy with church leaders. Brown replaced another vocalist, Troy Collins, who died in a car crash.[6] The group, which included alongside Byrd and Brown; Sylvester Keels, Doyle Oglesby, Fred
Pulliam and Johnny Terry, modeled themselves after the R&B groups of the day including The Orioles, The Five Keys, and Billy Ward and His Dominoes.[6] Gigging through Georgia and South Carolina,
they again changed their name to the Toccoa Band to avoid confusion with two other groups who shared the Avons moniker.[6] Under this name, Brown recruited guitarist Nafloyd Scott and, under their
manager Barry Tremier, added assorted percussion.[6] While performing in Macon, Georgia, having now changed their name to The Flames, a club promoter, Clint Brantley (then agent of Brown's idol,
Little Richard[27]), suggested the band add "Famous" in front of their name to draw more people to his club.[6] The group began composing and performing their own songs during this time including a
Brown composition called "Goin' Back to Rome" and a ballad Brown co-wrote with Terry titled "Please, Please, Please". After Little Richard left Macon for Los Angeles after the release of "Tutti
Frutti", Brantley included the band at every venue Richard had performed, leading to the growth of the group's success. Before Christmas 1955, Brantley had the group record a demo of "Please, Please,
Please" for a local Macon radio station.[6] Based on two accounts, "Please, Please, Please" was inspired in the following manner: Etta James stated that during her first meeting with Brown in Macon,
Brown "used to carry around an old tattered napkin with him, because Little Richard had written the words, 'please, please, please' on it and James was determined to make a song out of it...";[28]
the remainder of the song came together after the group heard The Orioles' rock 'n' roll version of Big Joe Williams' hit, "Baby Please Don't Go", taking its melody from the song.[6] Federal Records
president Ralph Bass signed the Famous Flames to his label in February 1956 and had them record the song in Cincinnati's King Studios. Released the following March, the song became the Famous Flames'
first R&B hit, selling over a million copies.[29] Despite the song's success, other songs such as "I Don't Know", "No No No", "Just Won't Do Right", and "Chonnie-On-Chon" failed to chart.[6] By
March 1957, a full year after the release of "Please, Please, Please", most members of the Famous Flames had left the group after the group's new manager, Universal Attractions Agency Chief Ben Bart,
insisted that the group's billing be "James Brown and The Famous Flames".[6] After Little Richard left show business for the ministry, Brown was asked to fill in leftover dates leading to an increase
in his concert success and the eventual recruitment of members of the vocal group, the Dominions, to replace the Famous Flames. The first single under this new lineup, "That Dood It", failed to
chart. In late 1958, Brown financed the demo of the ballad, "Try Me". Released that October, it returned the Famous Flames to the charts and reached No. 1 on the R&B chart in February 1959
becoming the first of 17 chart-topping hits on the R&B chart which were credited to Brown over the next 15 years with six of them credited to the Famous Flames.[30] Bolstered by this success,
Brown recruited a new band that consisted of saxophonist J. C. Davis, guitarist Bobby Roach, bassist Bernard Odum, trumpeter Roscoe Patrick, saxophonist Albert Corley, drummer Nat Kendrick and his
old band mate Bobby Byrd, who had rejoined Brown's band on organ. This resulted in the next Brown hit, "I Want You So Bad", which peaked in the Top 20 on the Billboard R&B chart.[6] The newly
hailed "James Brown Band" debuted at the Apollo Theater on April 24, 1959, opening for Little Willie John.[6] Following his dismissal of the 1957–58 Famous Flames lineup, he hired "Baby" Lloyd
Stallworth and Bobby Bennett as replacements with Byrd and Johnny Terry returning as members.[6] The lineup of Brown,Byrd,Bennett,Stallworth, and Terry proved to be the permanent and definitive
Famous Flames lineup. The confusion concerning the Famous Flames singing group in the eyes of the public was that, for years, the Famous Flames were often mistaken for, and confused with, Brown's
backing band; fellow Famous Flame Byrd was also a member of the backing band at one point. Initially a vocal and instrumental group, the Famous Flames, after signing with Federal, developed into a
straight vocal group, a separate entity from the James Brown Band. In early 1960, Brown's band recorded the top ten R&B hit, "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" on Dade Records, owned by Henry Stone,
under the pseudonym "Nat Kendrick & The Swans" because Brown's label refused to release it.[31] As a result of this, Syd Nathan decided to shift Brown's contract from Federal to Federal's parent
label, King Records.[6] [edit]1960–1966: Commercial breakthrough By 1960, having been influenced more by jazz music than blues, Brown began incorporating jazz styled arrangements in his music, with
Brown naming the Famous Flames hits "I'll Go Crazy" and "Think" as examples of his changing style away from more traditional forms of R&B and rock 'n' roll.[6] Following the two "albums", Please,
Please, Please and Try Me under the name James Brown and The Famous Flames, Think! was Brown's first full-length 'solo' album, .[6] Brown's next albums displayed a range from vocal performances to
instrumentals. Brown's band recorded the instrumental hit, "Night Train", which was among the first to credit Brown as composer, and which became a Top 5 R&B hit and even briefly crossed over
into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. The ballad "Lost Someone" became, along with "Please, Please, Please", an early show-stopper during Brown's performances, while the recording of the Joe Tex
composition, "Baby You're Right" (which Brown altered substantially), increased his reputation with R&B audiences. On October 24, 1962, Brown financed a live recording of a midnight performance
at the Apollo and convinced Syd Nathan to release the album. Nathan felt that, because everyone had already brought the singles Brown performed live on this recording, no one would be interested in
an album that contained no new material, and he warned Brown that live albums usually were bad sellers. Brown refused to listen, and thus the album, Live at the Apollo was released. The album was a
great success, reaching No. 2 on the pop chart and selling a million copies; it stayed on the charts for fourteen months.[32] Influenced by the crossover success of Ray Charles, Brown began to
perform pop standards and succeeded with his first Top 20 single, "Prisoner of Love". That year, Brown also launched Try Me Records, releasing records by Tammy Montgomery and Johnny & Bill
(Famous Flame Johnny Terry and former Flame Bill Hollings) and the Poets (the latter composed of members of Brown's backing band). In 1964, figuring his deal with King was at an end, Brown and fellow
Famous Flame Bobby Byrd formed the production company, Fair Deal, linking the operation to a new label, Mercury imprint Smash Records.[6][33] However, King Records fought Brown's departure and was
granted an injunction preventing Brown from releasing any vocal recordings for his new label. Prior to this injunction, Brown had already released three vocal singles, including a cover of Louis
Jordan's "Caldonia", and the 12-bar blues rock and roll number, "Out of Sight", which further indicated the direction his sound was going to take.[34] Touring throughout 1964, Brown and The Flames
soon grabbed more national attention when they performed a explosive performance in the live concert film The T.A.M.I. Show, where Brown's energetic dance moves together with the polished
choreography and timing of the Famous Flames let them upstage the show's closing act, The Rolling Stones. In June 1965, King and Brown signed a new recording contract and released "Papa's Got a Brand
New Bag", which became his first Top 10 hit single, winning Brown his first Grammy.[35] Later in 1965, King released the uptempo rock 'n' roll song, "I Got You (I Feel Good)", which, in late 1965,
reached No. 1 on the R&B charts and, in early 1966, reached the mainstream Top 10, peaking at No. 3. Later in 1966, Brown's reputation as a hit maker was confirmed with the release of the
blues-inspired soul ballad, "It's a Man's Man's Man's World".[35] [edit]1967–1969: Soul Brother No. 1 Brown's success on the charts continued vastly in 1967. His No. 1 R&B hit that year, "Cold
Sweat", sometimes cited as the first true funk song, was the first of his recordings to contain a drum break and the first that featured a harmony that was reduced to a single chord.[36][37] The
instrumental arrangements on tracks such as "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose" and "Licking Stick-Licking Stick" (both recorded in 1968) and "Funky Drummer" (recorded in 1969) featured a more developed
version of Brown's mid-1960s style, with the horn section, guitars, bass and drums meshed together in intricate rhythmic patterns based on multiple interlocking riffs. Changes in Brown's style that
started with "Cold Sweat" also established the musical foundation for Brown's later hits, such as "I Got the Feelin'" (1968) and "Mother Popcorn" (1969). By this time Brown's vocals frequently took
the form of a kind of rhythmic declamation, not quite sung but not quite spoken, that only intermittently featured traces of pitch or melody. This would become a major influence on the techniques of
rapping, which would come to maturity along with hip hop music in the coming decades. Brown's style of funk in the late 1960s was based on interlocking syncopated parts: funky bass lines, drum
patterns, and iconic guitar riffs.[38] The main guitar ostinatos for "Ain't it Funky" (c. late 1960s), and "Give it Up or Turn it Lose" (1969), are examples of Brown's refinement of New Orleans funk;
irresistibly danceable riffs, stripped down to their rhythmic essence. On "Ain't it Funky" (c. late 1960s), and "Give it Up or Turn it Lose" (1969), the tonal structure is bare bones. The pattern of
attack-points is the emphasis, not the pattern of pitches. It's as if the guitar is an African drum, or idiophone. Alexander Stewart states that this popular feel was passed along from "New
Orleans—through James Brown's music, to the popular music of the 1970s."[39] Those same tracks were later resurrected by countless hip-hop musicians from the 1970s onward. As a result, James Brown
remains to this day the world's most sampled recording artist,[40] with "Funky Drummer" itself becoming the most sampled individual piece of music "Bring it Up" has an Afro-Cuban guajeo-like
structure. In fact, on a 1976 version, Cuban bongos are used. All three of these guitar riffs are based on an onbeat/offbeat structure. Stewart states: "This model, it should be noted, is different
from a time line (such as clave and tresillo) in that it is not an exact pattern, but more of a loose organizing principle." It was around this time as the musician's popularity increased that he
acquired the nickname, "Soul Brother No. 1", after failing to win the title "King of Soul" from Solomon Burke during a Chicago gig two years prior.[43] Brown's recordings during this period
influenced musicians across the industry, most notably groups such as Sly and the Family Stone, Funkadelic, Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s as well
as vocalists such as Edwin Starr, David Ruffin and Dennis Edwards from The Temptations, and Michael Jackson, who, throughout his career, cited Brown as his ultimate idol.[44] Brown's band during this
period employed musicians and arrangers who had come up through the jazz tradition. He was noted for his ability as a bandleader and songwriter to blend the simplicity and drive of R&B with the
rhythmic complexity and precision of jazz. Trumpeter Lewis Hamlin and saxophonist/keyboardist Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis (the successor to previous bandleader Nat Jones) led the band. Guitarist Jimmy
Nolen provided percussive, deceptively simple riffs for each song, and Maceo Parker's prominent saxophone solos provided a focal point for many performances. Other members of Brown's band included
stalwart Famous Flames singer and sideman Bobby Byrd, drummers John "Jabo" Starks, Clyde Stubblefield and Melvin Parker, saxophonist St. Clair Pinckney, trombonist Fred Wesley, guitarist Alphonso
"Country" Kellum and bassist Bernard Odum. During this period, Brown's music empire also expanded along with his influence on the music scene. As Brown's music empire grew, his desire for financial
and artistic independence grew as well. Brown bought radio stations during the late 1960s, including WRDW in his native Augusta, where he shined shoes as a boy.[35] In November 1967, James Brown
purchased radio station WGYW in Knoxville, Tennessee for a reported $75,000, according to the January 20, 1968 Record World magazine. The call letters were changed to WJBE reflecting his initials.
WJBE began on January 15, 1968 and broadcast a Rhythm & Blues format. The station slogan was "WJBE 1430 Raw Soul". Brown also bought WEBB in Baltimore in 1970. At the time it was mentioned "Brown
has also branched out into real estate and music publishing in recent months". Brown also branched out to make several recordings with musicians outside his own band. In an attempt to appeal to the
older, more affluent, and predominantly white adult contemporary audience, Brown recorded Gettin' Down To It (1969) and Soul on Top (1970)--two albums consisting mostly of romantic ballads, jazz
standards, and homologous reinterpretations of his earlier hits—with the Dee Felice Trio and the Louie Bellson Orchestra. In 1968, he recorded a number of funk-oriented tracks with The Dapps, a white
Cincinnati bar band, including the hit "I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)". He also released three albums of Christmas music with his own band. [edit]1970–1976: Godfather of Soul In March
1970, most of the members of Brown's mid-to-late 1960s road band walked out on him due to money disputes. Additionally, The Famous Flames singing group disbanded for the same reason, with only
original and founding member Bobby Byrd electing to remain with Brown. Brown and Byrd subsequently recruited several members of the Cincinnati-based The Pacemakers, which included Bootsy Collins and
his brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins; augmented by the remaining members of the 1960s road band (including Fred Wesley, who rejoined Brown's outfit in December 1970) and other newer musicians, they
would form the nucleus of The J.B.'s, Brown's new backing ensemble. Shortly following their first performance together, the band entered the studio to record the Brown-Byrd composition, "Get Up (I
Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine"; the song and other contemporaneous singles would further concretize Brown's influence in the nascent genre of funk music. This iteration of The J.B.'s dissolved after
a March 1971 European tour (documented on the 1991 archival release Love Power Peace) due to additional money disputes and Bootsy Collins' use of LSD; the Collins brothers would soon become integral
members of Parliament-Funkadelic, while a new lineup of The J.B.'s coalesced around Wesley, St. Clair Pinckney, and drummer John Starks. I