James Brown is a popular American singer, musician and actor. James is recognized as one of the most influential personalities in pop music of the 50th century. The musician has been on stage for over XNUMX years. This time was enough for the development of several musical genres. It is safe to say that Brown is a cult figure.
James worked in several musical directions: soul, gospel, rhythm and blues, funk. The singer's path to popularity can be safely called thorny. He went through all the circles of "hell" so that his talent was finally recognized at the international level.
The musician had many nicknames. He has been called the "Godfather of Soul" and Mr. Dynamite. Even those who rarely listen to music have heard James Brown's I Got You (I Feel Good). By the way, the presented musical composition is still considered the hallmark of the singer.
Childhood and youth
James Brown was born on May 3, 1933 into a poor family in the US state of South Carolina. The boy's childhood passed elsewhere. At an early age, the guy was transferred to the upbringing of his aunt, who was the owner of a brothel in the city of Atlanta (Georgia).
As a teenager, James took a completely wrong turn. Still, the lack of a good upbringing made itself felt. Soon he began to steal in local shops. Brown started by taking goodies "for free" and ended up doing real robberies. At the age of 16, the young man went to jail.
Once in prison, James Brown seemed to start looking for himself. In prison, the guy learned the basics of music, performing well-known hits to the accompaniment of ... a washboard.
After his release and rethinking his behavior, James actively took up sports. He became interested in boxing and baseball. Soon hobbies faded into the background. Brown was invited to become part of the musical group The Famous Flames. The group was created by a producer who saw James perform in prison.
At first, the team earned by traveling around the southern states. The musicians did not have their own repertoire. They sang gospel and rhythm and blues.
The creative path of James Brown
James has been on stage for 10 years. The musician worked, but, unfortunately, was known only in the circles of the Negro environment of the southern states. Despite this, Brown already managed to stand out from the rest - he often shouted out non-standard phrases from the stage. And dynamic and energetic motifs fascinated the audience from the first seconds.
Please Please Please is a track that James Brown first recorded in a recording studio. The musical composition is rightfully considered a pioneer in the soul genre. A little later, the singer released an album of the same name, which was warmly received by critics and music lovers.
Over the years, the authority of James Brown only grew stronger. The musician devoted himself completely to the creative process. He lived on stage and performances. Some of his concerts were so powerful that after the performance, Brown went backstage and fainted from exhaustion.
The Peak of James Brown
In the mid-1960s, the singer finally gained the long-awaited recognition. First, the ballad It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World appeared in music stores. And soon the groovy composition I Got You (I Feel Good) came out.
By the way, the last track still delights music lovers. At the same time, James received his first Grammy Award. He gained recognition with the song Papa's Got a Brand New Bag.
James Brown has been on the Billboard Hot 99 100 times in his long career. None of the musician's tracks took the 1st position.
In the 1970s he released the dance track Sex Machine. Here the first experiments with styles began to take place. No wonder authoritative music critics call James Brown the father of not only soul music, but also such a popular genre as funk.
They say that if not for Brown's work in the 1960s and 1970s, then music lovers would have met with hip-hop later.
James Brown began to politicize the tracks. This can be clearly heard in the musical composition Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud.
Around this time, Brown focused on African countries. Most of the artist's concerts took place there. In the mid-1980s, when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame organization was created, James Brown was declared one of the integral personalities of that period.
James Brown
The first debut in the cinema took place in the mid-1960s. Then James got a role in the movie Ski Party. Then there was a break, which ended with participation in films: "Phinx", "The Blues Brothers", "Doctor Detroit", etc. The musician played the role of a rock musician in the sports drama "Rocky 4" with Sylvester Stallone in the title role.
The musician has participated in more than 80 feature and biographical films. In most cases, James did not have to try on the roles - he played himself.
Personal life of James Brown
James Brown has never been deprived of female attention. Moreover, he bathed in female attention not only at the peak of his creative career. Thanks to his charm, there were always beautiful women around him.
The first wife of a celebrity was his longtime girlfriend Wilma Warren. James talked about how he and his first wife were on the same wavelength. Their marriage was more like a strong friendship. After 10 years they divorced. After the divorce, James and Wilma continued to communicate. The singer has always said that a woman is on the list of his best friends.
The second wife of the singer was the charming Didi Jenkins. This union cannot be classified as strong. There was everything in marriage - both good and bad. James divorced Didi also after 10 years.
But with his third wife, Adriana Rodriguez, Brown lived until her death. Despite the fact that the wife was with the musician to the last, it was the most scandalous relationship in the life of James Brown. The police often came to the celebrity's house. The wife called the department and complained about domestic violence.
The last wife of the singer was Tomi Rae Hynie. The woman settled in Brown's heart a year after he buried his third wife Adriana. Initially, she worked as a backing vocalist in Brown's team, but later the working relationship turned into a love one.
The couple married on December 23, 2002. The marriage was declared valid. However, after Brown's death, other relatives began to challenge the legality of the last marriage. By the time of the wedding, Tommy's divorce from her first husband did not have time to take effect due to the bureaucratic system.
The fact that James Brown well "inherited" in this life became known after the death of a genius. The man recognized nine children - 5 sons and 4 daughters. Several of his children were able to prove that they are relatives of Brown by passing a DNA analysis.
Interesting facts about James Brown
- Tate Taylor released a biopic about James Brown "James Brown: The Way Up" (2014).
- The phrase from the track I Feel Good: I feel nice like sugar and spice ("I feel nice like sugar and spice") is a reworking of the verse: Sugar and spice and everything nice that's what like girls are made of.
- In total, during his career, James Brown recorded 67 albums. Most of the collections received high marks from music critics.
- The most significant awards for James were: Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Kennedy Center Award.
- In 2008, he was named the tenth most famous singer of the rock era in a Rolling Stone poll.
James Brown: The Last Days
James Brown met his old age in a country house, which was located in Beach Island (South Carolina). The famous musician suffered from diabetes. In addition, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The artist died during the celebration of the Catholic Christmas in 2006. Death was due to pneumonia. Relatives gathered strength to organize a public farewell to James. The farewell ceremony was attended by Michael Jackson, Madonna and other pop stars.
The burial of James Brown was accompanied by legal proceedings. This made it difficult to properly bury the body of the star. Only six months later, the body was buried, and, so to speak, on a temporary basis. Brown's burial site remains a mystery.
If you want to know a little more about the singer's life, then you should watch the film by Tate Taylor "James Brown: The Way Up". In the state of Georgia, a full-length monument to the performer was erected.
