Soul Singer Profile 1 -- Godfather of Soul: James Brown

James Brown

James Brown, commonly referred to as “the Godfather of Soul,” was one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music. He was renowned for his shouting vocals, feverish dancing and his unique rhythmic style. As a prolific singer, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer, Brown was a pivotal force in the evolution of gospel and rhythm and blues into soul and funk.

Brown began his professional music career in 1953, and rose to fame during the late 1950s and early 1960s on the strength of his thrilling live performance and string of smash hits. When I first saw his videos on the Net, except for his extraordinary shouting vocals, his dance impressed me the most. The power out of his throat and his body was like there was an engine installed inside of his stomach. “How could he be so energetic?” Let’s see one of his best-known songs, “I Feel Good,” and you’ll understand what I was saying.



Isn’t his dance and music incredible? Even Michael Jackson is a huge fan of him. From several similar steps, we can clearly observe that the great dancer, Michael, is partially influenced by Brown. Also, Michael had once said that he loved James Brown. In the age of mine, I consider Michael Jackson as a legend of music, especially of dancing. As a result, to know about James Brown is like meeting the idol of my idol, and the feelings are complicated but wonderful.

Michael Jackson & James Brown


Brown also had another trademark feature in his stage performance—the cape. For several times, when he had worked himself to exhaustion during his performance and was going to get off the stage, the MC would drape a cape over Brown’s shoulders so as to escort him off stage. As Brown was escorted by the MC, Brown’s vocal group chanted the background vocals “Please, please don’t-go-oh.” Then Brown would suddenly shake of the cape and staggered back to the microphone to perform an encore, often singing the hit “Please, Please, Please.”

Brown also had taken part in a movie of Jacky Chen, named “The Tuxedo,” and it was also the first time I heard about him. Being a successful musician and entertainer, Brown enjoyed his profession but had a rather tough life. He had had troubles with wine, politics, religion and also relationships. He had been in jail, described as a social activism, and was married for four times. It seems that it’s not easy for an entertainer to succeed in both career and life.

To conclude, no matter how ridiculous the life James Brown had lead, the contribution of Brown to music is certain. His talent and his work on Soul and the later Funk and other types of music are unquestionable. In my opinion, even though he had passed away, his music always will be classic and never going to fade away.

James Brown—Please, Please, Please

written by Angel



References:
Collins, Willie. "James Brown." BNET. 29 January, 2002. FindArticles.com. 01 June, 2008 <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_bio/ai_2419200141>.
“James Brown.” The History of Rock 'n' Roll. 01 June, 2008 <http://www.history-of-rock.com/james_brown.htm>.
“James Brown, the ‘Godfather of Soul,’ dies at 73.” CNN.com. 25 December, 2006. 02 June, 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/25/obit.brown/index.html>.
“James Brown.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.” 02 June, 2008. 02 June, 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Brown>.