James Brown had style. The ‘hardest working man in show business’ is working a different crowd now. He was seventy-three. He died on Christmas Day, probably the only day he had off. He worked from childhood to grave. On Christmas morning, he sat down, laid back, and sighed. And now he rests.
There was little time for rest for him. He was born on May 3, 1933 in South Carolina. It was not an easy time for an African-American male in America. At sixteen, he had been arrested for burglary, convicted, and sentenced to prison where he served three years at the Georgia Juvenile Training Institute in Toccoa, Georgia. His future seemed inevitable. But it was not.
“Please, Please, Please” was the song that set him free from a life that appeared headed toward nowhere. In 1956, King Records signed the young Brown and his group and distributed the song which sold a million copies. James Brown loved the crowds and the crowds loved James Brown. It was like a feeding frenzy – the crowd fed off of the energy of Brown and Brown fed off the energy of his fans.
His shows were captivating – and they were shows. Entertainment was the centerpiece, and James Brown was a master entertainer. By the time the James Brown show came to an end, every one was exhausted, except James Brown. Just when it appeared that the show was over, and his band was pulling the plug on the ‘Energizer Bunny’ Brown, there would be one more song, one more dance, and one more shout.
James Brown was who he was – a black man trying to make in America in a time when that was not very easy and even less likely. He sang “Say It Loud - I’m Black and I’m Proud.” He recorded it in 1968 – an important time in American history for him to be heard. But, he never abandoned his place as a part of American history. In the same year, he recorded “America is My Home.” And, sealing the deal, his recording of “Living in America” was a Top 10 hit.
Somehow, it made sense that a man who grew up in an Augusta brothel would have a song entitled “Get Up – I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine.” From age 6 until he left for jail, James Brown lived with his great-aunt Honey, who ran a brothel. It might also explain his Top Ten hit “Hot Pants – She Got to Use What She Got to Get What She Wants.”
It was not until after he was fifty that his industry would recognize his accomplishments as an entertainer. In 1986, James Brown was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1992, James Brown received the lifetime achievement Grammy.
In 1965, James Brown had two hits. One hit was a song that most of America never understood, but really liked – “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag.” The other one was a song that everyone understood – “I Got You – I Feel Good.”
James Brown did not live a perfect life. He did live an overpowering life. He squeezed every second out of every day. James Brown was the Godfather of Soul.
In 1969, James Brown recorded a song entitled “I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing.” What he got, he worked for – now he can rest.