James Brown Biography

James Brown is famously known as the King of Soul music, he was a music icon, prolific singer, songwriter and bandleader. He mainly worked in the genre of R&B music, he is also considered as the progenitor of the funk music genre. This is the music genre that particularly describes the music and vocals of the African American communities.  Brown was among the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he was first inducted at the inaugural induction in New York on January 23, 1986. He primarily rose to fame and contributed prominently to the music industry between 1953 to 1991. 

Apart from being known as the king of soul music or the godfather of soul music, he is also known for his turbulent personality and philanthropic work. His social activism was reflected in some of his songs like,  "America is My Home," "Black and Proud". He was an advocate and activist who worked on advocating the benefits of education to schoolchildren. 

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James Brown Family and Early Life

On May 3, 1933, James Brown was born in a one-room shack in the woods of Barnwell, South Carolina, which is east of the Georgia border. His parents were Susie and 21-year-old Joseph Gardner Brown, his parents were only 16 and 21 years old when he was born. He was named Joseph James Brown Jr., but his name on the birth certificate was mentioned as James Brown due to some confusion. He changed his name to James Brown Jr. legally after some years and this was the name he used in his autobiography. 

He was born into an extremely poor family, he lived in Elko, South Carolina, which was an impoverished town at the time. When Brown was around four or five years old the family moved to Augusta, Georgia, with one of her aunts. 

James was raised in some of the most tragic conditions, he spent most of his childhood alone, hustling in the streets to make a living as her mother was also financially struggling to provide for herself and young James Brown. James managed to have a formal education till grade sixth.

Growing up in Abject poverty James was forced to take up odd jobs from his very childhood. He was a child during the era of the Great Depression ( the largest economic crisis in the history of the American economy) which only added to his struggles. James Brown worked as an entertainer for the troops passing his home during the second world war, one of the American troops to whom he performed as a child was the troop from Fort Gordon, apart from this he also earned a living by washing cars and shining shoes. It was during this time he learned musical instruments like piano, guitar, and harmonica.

James mentions his childhood in his autobiography and the extreme impoverished state he lived in, it is mentioned in the James Brown biography that he had the “determination to go and be somebody” in his life.

Beginning of Musical Career

James was dismissed from school for not having proper clothing according to the school’s code of conduct, he was 12 years old when he was removed from the school. Managing his odd jobs and earning a living, James developed his interest in music, he music as an escape from the harsh reality of growing up Black in the rural South during the Great Depression. He devoted his time to religion and music, he soon started singing in the church choir, it was during that time he developed his uniquely emotive voice. While growing up trying various odd jobs and sports he finally got his big break when he was invited to join the Famous Flames band.

He joined the band called The Famous Flames in the year of 1954, the founder of the band was Byrd, along with Byrd and Brown other members of the band were, Sylvester Keels, Doyle Oglesby, Fred Pulliam, Nash Knox and Nafloyd Scott. The band particularly produced music in the R&B genre. Famous Flames moved to Macon, Georgia, where they performed at local nightclubs. Because of Brown’s unique voice and style, he was soon promoted as a lead singer of the band. 

Some of the famous hits produced by the band were, "Please, Please, Please". In 1956, the band played the demo of the song for Ralph Bass, a talent scout for the music record company called King Records. Impressed by the song and composition the band was offered a record deal. It was the first huge commercial success for the band and James Brown. The song  "Please, Please, Please" was one of the famous James Brown songs. It was this song that led the singer to fame and stardom.

Rise to Fame

James Brown made his name as a solo singer and as a lead singer of the band with the first James Brown songs, although the songs after the hit  "Please, Please, Please" was not commercially successful as it nonetheless were successful. 

After the hit song, the band went on tour and opened for legendary musicians like B.B. King and Ray Charles. It was until 1958 James Brown and the band produced yet another hit called "Try Me." This song made it to the top of the R&B list, it was the number 1 song of its genre. Following the hit James Brown produced songs like, "Lost Someone," "Night Train" and "Prisoner of Love," his first song to crack the Top 10 on the pop charts, peaking at No. 2. 

James Brown voice type was defined as a unique voice that was very emotive and calm, it was due to this he was given the nickname as King of soul music. Apart from producing hit songs as the lead singer of the band, he also toured relentlessly. He toured almost every year. He is known to be a charismatic performer, apart from singing he danced and improvised his notes in the song while performing live during the show. Many define James as a shrewd and smart businessman. He mastered almost all the dance forms that were in trend during the 60s and performed it on the stage. 

It was his devotion to work that he performed six nights a week throughout the 1950s and '60s, it was because of this disciplined routine that he earned the reputation of the hardest working man in show business.

In the 1960s, he recorded some of the most famous James Brown songs that included "I Got You (I Feel Good)," "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." The song called "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" earned him his first Grammy award. All the songs were a huge commercial success, they had a unique rhythmic style to them which was achieved by playing each instrument to an essentially percussive role. These songs were great examples of unique James Brown voice types. "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" is often considered as the song that started a new genre of music called funk, often considered as an offshoot of soul music.

Social Activism and Philanthropy

James Brown was deeply involved in social activism especially in the field of education, many biographers believe that it was mainly due to the hardship of his childhood. He was an advocate for the education of youths. He made a song for advising the importance of education especially for the marginalised community like the African American community, the song was called  "Don't Be a Dropout," was believed to be an eloquent plea to motivate young black people of African American descent to continue and join the school. This song was important especially because of the increased rate of dropout in the country, especially among the marginalised communities in the 1960s. The song was a commercial success and the money from the song was given to the dropout-prevention charity programs.

Due to his work in the field of education, James Brown got the opportunity to meet the president of the United States of America,  Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House. The president described the star musician as a positive influencer for the black community. 

In 2002 he proposed in his will that the majority of the money will go to the  I Feel Good, Inc. Trust to benefit disadvantaged children and provide scholarships for his grandchildren, his last single named, "Killing Is Out, School Is In" was a song that advocated against the murder and gun violence in America.

On  April 5, 1968, the day after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, there were many riots and communal tension across the country, Brown made a public appeal to stop violence and riots. It was after this he gave one of the famous protest anthems that he wrote and recorded called "Say It Loud: I'm Black and I'm Proud," a protest anthem that has unified and inspired generations.

James Brown Death

James Brown died on December 25, 2006. He suffered from pneumonia and this was the fatal disease due to which the musician passed away at the age of 73 years old. James Brown unquestionably was one of the most influential names in the music industry his style and patterns are adopted by various famous musicians to date including names like Jay-Z and Michael Jackson.