The legendary James Brown, the Godfather of Soul Music, died at 1:45am today in an Atlanta hospital. He had been admitted to the hospital suffering from pneumonia, but it is not known what caused his death.
Born in 1933, Brown went from reform school to being one of the world's most respected and honored entertainers. His songs included:
"Please, Please, Please" [1956-his first hit]
"Out of Sight"
"Sex Machine"
"I Got You (I Feel Good)"
"Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" [1965 Grammy winner]
"Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud"
"Living in America" [1987 Grammy winner]
The great James Brown also won a Grammy in 1992 for lifetime achievement, and was one of the initial inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I grew up with his music and loved it, and to this day I refuse to say his name without preceding it with another word such as "legendary" or "great". I will miss him, but his music will always live with me. Rest in peace JB, you've earned it.
Feliz Navidad!
ReplyDeleteI was holed up over the holiday, working on a book, and not watching the news (the radio was an all music station), so... having emerged today (27-Dec) and seeing the flags at half-staff, my first thought was "Yes, the passing of James Brown merits national mouring"... silly me, it was only Jerry Ford.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I was priviliged to see JB do a split at a concert in Kansas City on his 60th birthday. I hope I feel (half-that) good on mine!
I just turned that age this year and if I tried to do a split, it was cause serious damage!
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