Godfather of Soul James Brown Dies at 73 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 12-25-2006, 03:59 AM

ATLANTA - James Brown, the legendary singer known as the "Godfather of Soul," has died, his agent said early Monday. He was 73.

Brown was hospitalized Sunday at Emory Crawford Long Hospital with pneumonia and died around 1:45 a.m. Monday, said his agent, Frank Copsidas of Intrigue Music. Longtime friend Charles Bobbit was by his side, Copsidas said.

The agent said Brown's family was being notified of his death and that the cause was still uncertain. "We really don't know at this point what he died of," Copsidas said

Along with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and a handful of others, Brown was one of the major musical influences of the past 50 years. At least one generation idolized him, and sometimes openly copied him. His rapid-footed dancing inspired
Mick Jagger and
Michael Jackson among others. Songs such as
David Bowie's "Fame," Prince's "Kiss," George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" and Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song" were clearly based on Brown's rhythms and vocal style.

If Brown's claim to the invention of soul can be challenged by fans of Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, then his rights to the genres of rap, disco and funk are beyond question. He was to rhythm and dance music what Dylan was to lyrics: the unchallenged popular innovator.

"James presented obviously the best grooves," rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy once told The Associated Press. "To this day, there has been no one near as funky. No one's coming even close."

His hit singles include such classics as "Out of Sight," "(Get Up I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine," "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "Say It Out Loud — I'm Black and I'm Proud," a landmark 1968 statement of racial pride.

"I clearly remember we were calling ourselves colored, and after the song, we were calling ourselves black," Brown said in a 2003 Associated Press interview. "The song showed even people to that day that lyrics and music and a song can change society."

He won a Grammy award for lifetime achievement in 1992, as well as
Grammys in 1965 for "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (best R&B recording) and for "Living In America" in 1987 (best R&B vocal performance, male.) He was one of the initial artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, along with Presley,
Chuck Berry and other founding fathers.

He triumphed despite an often unhappy personal life. Brown, who lived in Beech Island near the Georgia line, spent more than two years in a South Carolina prison for aggravated assault and failing to stop for a police officer. After his release on in 1991, Brown said he wanted to "try to straighten out" rock music.

From the 1950s, when Brown had his first R&B hit, "Please, Please, Please" in 1956, through the mid-1970s, Brown went on a frenzy of cross-country tours, concerts and new songs. He earned the nickname "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business."

With his tight pants, shimmering feet, eye makeup and outrageous hair, Brown set the stage for younger stars such as Michael Jackson and Prince.

In 1986, he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And rap stars of recent years overwhelmingly have borrowed his lyrics with a digital technique called sampling.

Brown's work has been replayed by the Fat Boys, Ice-T, Public Enemy and a host of other rappers. "The music out there is only as good as my last record," Brown joked in a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

"Disco is James Brown, hip-hop is James Brown, rap is James Brown; you know what I'm saying? You hear all the rappers, 90 percent of their music is me," he told the AP in 2003.

Born in poverty in Barnwell, S.C., in 1933, he was abandoned as a 4-year-old to the care of relatives and friends and grew up on the streets of Augusta, Ga., in an "ill-repute area," as he once called it. There he learned to wheel and deal.

"I wanted to be somebody," Brown said.

By the eighth grade in 1949, Brown had served 3 1/2 years in Alto Reform School near Toccoa, Ga., for breaking into cars.

While there, he met Bobby Byrd, whose family took Brown into their home. Byrd also took Brown into his group, the Gospel Starlighters. Soon they changed their name to the Famous Flames and their style to hard R&B.

In January 1956, King Records of Cincinnati signed the group, and four months later "Please, Please, Please" was in the R&B Top Ten.

While most of Brown's life was glitz and glitter, he was plagued with charges of abusing drugs and alcohol and of hitting his third wife, Adrienne.

In September 1988, Brown, high on PCP and carrying a shotgun, entered an insurance seminar next to his Augusta office. Police said he asked seminar participants if they were using his private restroom.

Police chased Brown for a half-hour from Augusta into South Carolina and back to Georgia. The chase ended when police shot out the tires of his truck.

Brown received a six-year prison sentence. He spent 15 months in a South Carolina prison and 10 months in a work release program before being paroled in February 1991. In 2003, the South Carolina parole board granted him a pardon for his crimes in that state.

Soon after his release, Brown was on stage again with an audience that included millions of cable television viewers nationwide who watched the three-hour, pay-per-view concert at Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles.

Adrienne Brown died in 1996 in Los Angeles at age 47. She took PCP and several prescription drugs while she had a bad heart and was weak from cosmetic surgery two days earlier, the coroner said.

More recently, he married his fourth wife, Tomi Raye Hynie, one of his backup singers. The couple had a son, James Jr.

Two years later, Brown spent a week in a private Columbia hospital, recovering from what his agent said was dependency on painkillers. Brown's attorney, Albert "Buddy" Dallas, said singer was exhausted from six years of road shows

moeee · 12-25-2006, 04:18 AM

A true music legend that will be missed.

canuckkidd · 12-25-2006, 04:36 AM

Wow, he was a legend idolized by many!! RIP

ABlairican Pie · 12-25-2006, 05:06 AM

Wow. It is so hard to imagine the world of music without James Brown. He was the Godfather of Soul. In my teens I saw him on one t.v. special where he was putting on quite a performance--he was singing so powerfully, and acting like he was about to have a major meltdown, and people onstage were putting on jackets where he would constantly drop them to the floor to be replaced by more jackets. I thought, this guy is quite a sight to see live!

Only James Brown could play the preacher in The Blues Brothers.

Zoneboy · 12-25-2006, 05:10 AM

Heres a 10 minute short film called Beat the Devil starring James Brown, Gary Oldman & Clive Owen. This is from the BMW films The Hire DVD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADzTu2NM8Lg

vashti1999 · 12-25-2006, 05:31 AM

Godfather of Soul James Brown Dies at 73

My heart just sank as I read that. I thought he'd live forever. His music definitely will.

December 25, 2006 = The day funk died

Rest in peace, Godfather

PrettyinPink55 · 12-25-2006, 05:44 AM

Wow! I just saw this on Yahoo news! My jaw dropped!!

R.I.P to a legendary genious!

80sTrivia · 12-25-2006, 07:54 AM

R.I.P., Mr. Godfather of Soul...

jpcanes · 12-25-2006, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vashti1999

My heart just sank as I read that. I thought he'd live forever. His music definitely will.

December 25, 2006 = The day funk died

Rest in peace, Godfather

Absolutely!!!

I got to see James in concert about 5 years ago. It was a night I'll never forget. Sat (but mostly danced) in the front row with 3 of my buddies and he came over and shook our hands from the stage a couple of times! The energy the man had was unbelievable!!!

I am DJing a new year's eve party and will be paying tribute to the man, trust me!

Janice · 12-25-2006, 11:16 AM

How sad. I read late last night that he took ill, but I never expected this. The man had boundless energy and talent.

bossradio93 · 12-25-2006, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janice

How sad. I read late last night that he took ill, but I never expected this. The man had boundless energy and talent.

I couldn't believe it now that he's gone. What a way to wake up to especially on Christmas Day to read about this. James left a massive body of work that will live forever.

James was one of a kind.

Jrnygrl · 12-25-2006, 11:51 AM

What a shock.

There will never be another like James.

RIP GODFATHER!!!! HEAVEN JUST GO A LITTLE MORE SOUL!!!!

GoldenGirlsFan92 · 12-25-2006, 12:03 PM

R.I.P. James Brown. Thanks for all your great Music.

Janice · 12-25-2006, 12:26 PM

I'll never forget a wedding that I attended about 15 years ago. It was a traditional and beautiful church ceremony, complete with a Priest, flowers, organ music, bridal party, etc.

After the actual vows were exchanged and the ceremony was over -- it was time for the bride and groom to walk down the aisle to exit the church.

As they turned to face everyone and begin their walk down the aisle, James Brown's song, 'I Feel Good' started blaring from the speakers. His actual song, played on a boom box or something, who knows, lol. Everybody had a smile of their face.

The bride was a hot ticket, and she managed to keep that part of the ceremony a secret, even from her husband. Everytime I hear that song, I think of that. It's what I call one of those 'movie moments'...where it felt like you were in a movie.

Brian Damage · 12-25-2006, 12:28 PM

Another shocking loss!

He was truly the "Godfather of Soul."

12-25-2006, 03:59 AM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,454	Godfather of Soul James Brown Dies at 73 ATLANTA - James Brown, the legendary singer known as the "Godfather of Soul," has died, his agent said early Monday. He was 73. Brown was hospitalized Sunday at Emory Crawford Long Hospital with pneumonia and died around 1:45 a.m. Monday, said his agent, Frank Copsidas of Intrigue Music. Longtime friend Charles Bobbit was by his side, Copsidas said. The agent said Brown's family was being notified of his death and that the cause was still uncertain. "We really don't know at this point what he died of," Copsidas said Along with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and a handful of others, Brown was one of the major musical influences of the past 50 years. At least one generation idolized him, and sometimes openly copied him. His rapid-footed dancing inspired Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson among others. Songs such as David Bowie's "Fame," Prince's "Kiss," George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" and Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song" were clearly based on Brown's rhythms and vocal style. If Brown's claim to the invention of soul can be challenged by fans of Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, then his rights to the genres of rap, disco and funk are beyond question. He was to rhythm and dance music what Dylan was to lyrics: the unchallenged popular innovator. "James presented obviously the best grooves," rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy once told The Associated Press. "To this day, there has been no one near as funky. No one's coming even close." His hit singles include such classics as "Out of Sight," "(Get Up I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine," "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "Say It Out Loud — I'm Black and I'm Proud," a landmark 1968 statement of racial pride. "I clearly remember we were calling ourselves colored, and after the song, we were calling ourselves black," Brown said in a 2003 Associated Press interview. "The song showed even people to that day that lyrics and music and a song can change society." He won a Grammy award for lifetime achievement in 1992, as well as Grammys in 1965 for "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (best R&B recording) and for "Living In America" in 1987 (best R&B vocal performance, male.) He was one of the initial artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, along with Presley, Chuck Berry and other founding fathers. He triumphed despite an often unhappy personal life. Brown, who lived in Beech Island near the Georgia line, spent more than two years in a South Carolina prison for aggravated assault and failing to stop for a police officer. After his release on in 1991, Brown said he wanted to "try to straighten out" rock music. From the 1950s, when Brown had his first R&B hit, "Please, Please, Please" in 1956, through the mid-1970s, Brown went on a frenzy of cross-country tours, concerts and new songs. He earned the nickname "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business." With his tight pants, shimmering feet, eye makeup and outrageous hair, Brown set the stage for younger stars such as Michael Jackson and Prince. In 1986, he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And rap stars of recent years overwhelmingly have borrowed his lyrics with a digital technique called sampling. Brown's work has been replayed by the Fat Boys, Ice-T, Public Enemy and a host of other rappers. "The music out there is only as good as my last record," Brown joked in a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone magazine. "Disco is James Brown, hip-hop is James Brown, rap is James Brown; you know what I'm saying? You hear all the rappers, 90 percent of their music is me," he told the AP in 2003. Born in poverty in Barnwell, S.C., in 1933, he was abandoned as a 4-year-old to the care of relatives and friends and grew up on the streets of Augusta, Ga., in an "ill-repute area," as he once called it. There he learned to wheel and deal. "I wanted to be somebody," Brown said. By the eighth grade in 1949, Brown had served 3 1/2 years in Alto Reform School near Toccoa, Ga., for breaking into cars. While there, he met Bobby Byrd, whose family took Brown into their home. Byrd also took Brown into his group, the Gospel Starlighters. Soon they changed their name to the Famous Flames and their style to hard R&B. In January 1956, King Records of Cincinnati signed the group, and four months later "Please, Please, Please" was in the R&B Top Ten. While most of Brown's life was glitz and glitter, he was plagued with charges of abusing drugs and alcohol and of hitting his third wife, Adrienne. In September 1988, Brown, high on PCP and carrying a shotgun, entered an insurance seminar next to his Augusta office. Police said he asked seminar participants if they were using his private restroom. Police chased Brown for a half-hour from Augusta into South Carolina and back to Georgia. The chase ended when police shot out the tires of his truck. Brown received a six-year prison sentence. He spent 15 months in a South Carolina prison and 10 months in a work release program before being paroled in February 1991. In 2003, the South Carolina parole board granted him a pardon for his crimes in that state. Soon after his release, Brown was on stage again with an audience that included millions of cable television viewers nationwide who watched the three-hour, pay-per-view concert at Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. Adrienne Brown died in 1996 in Los Angeles at age 47. She took PCP and several prescription drugs while she had a bad heart and was weak from cosmetic surgery two days earlier, the coroner said. More recently, he married his fourth wife, Tomi Raye Hynie, one of his backup singers. The couple had a son, James Jr. Two years later, Brown spent a week in a private Columbia hospital, recovering from what his agent said was dependency on painkillers. Brown's attorney, Albert "Buddy" Dallas, said singer was exhausted from six years of road shows
	__________________ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas And All Through The Full House Not A Creature Was Stirring, Not Even Mighty Mouse. All My Children We're Nestled All Snug In Their Beds While Visions Of Sugarbakers Danced In Their Heads. Last edited by Zoneboy; 12-25-2006 at 04:19 AM.

12-25-2006, 05:06 AM	#4
ABlairican Pie Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Dec 12, 2001 Location: Living where cats reign more Supreme than a pizza. Posts: 31,619	Wow. It is so hard to imagine the world of music without James Brown. He was the Godfather of Soul. In my teens I saw him on one t.v. special where he was putting on quite a performance--he was singing so powerfully, and acting like he was about to have a major meltdown, and people onstage were putting on jackets where he would constantly drop them to the floor to be replaced by more jackets. I thought, this guy is quite a sight to see live! Only James Brown could play the preacher in The Blues Brothers.
	__________________ Release the kitties. --Nathan Explosion

12-25-2006, 05:31 AM	#6
vashti1999 NY METS - #1 Forum Fanatic Join Date: Oct 14, 2003 Location: The world's greatest city - New York City Posts: 11,404	Godfather of Soul James Brown Dies at 73 My heart just sank as I read that. I thought he'd live forever. His music definitely will. December 25, 2006 = The day funk died Rest in peace, Godfather
	__________________ .

12-25-2006, 05:44 AM	#7
PrettyinPink55 Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: Feb 11, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 24,601	Wow! I just saw this on Yahoo news! My jaw dropped!! R.I.P to a legendary genious!
	__________________ ♥♥♥

12-25-2006, 07:54 AM	#8
80sTrivia Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 23, 2002 Posts: 21,714	R.I.P., Mr. Godfather of Soul...
	__________________ Perfect Gift Books for Pop Culture Fanatics: Thank You for Being a Friend: A Golden Girls Trivia Book The Bouquet Residence: A Keeping Up Appearances Trivia Book Cooking With the Golden Girls: Fun & Delicious Recipes from a Hilarious Miami Kitchen Love in the Afternoon: The Ultimate Soap Opera Trivia Book The Last Great Decade: The Ultimate 90s Trivia Book Betty White: A Celebration

12-25-2006, 04:18 AM	#2
moeee Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie Forum Legend Join Date: Jul 31, 2003 Posts: 40,094	A true music legend that will be missed.

12-25-2006, 04:36 AM	#3
canuckkidd :) Senior Member Join Date: Oct 02, 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 1,065	Wow, he was a legend idolized by many!! RIP

12-25-2006, 05:10 AM	#5
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,454	Heres a 10 minute short film called Beat the Devil starring James Brown, Gary Oldman & Clive Owen. This is from the BMW films The Hire DVD. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADzTu2NM8Lg

12-25-2006, 11:16 AM	#10
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	Rest In Peace James Brown How sad. I read late last night that he took ill, but I never expected this. The man had boundless energy and talent.

12-25-2006, 11:51 AM	#12
Jrnygrl Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 03, 2003 Location: wheel in the sky Posts: 4,540	What a shock. There will never be another like James. RIP GODFATHER!!!! HEAVEN JUST GO A LITTLE MORE SOUL!!!!

12-25-2006, 12:03 PM	#13
GoldenGirlsFan92 Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 21, 2005 Location: Louisana Posts: 2,243	R.I.P. James Brown. Thanks for all your great Music.
	__________________ The Golden Girls Seasons 1-7 are out! Buy Dolly Parton's NEW Single on Itunes! VOTE FOR "THE GOLDEN PALACE" & "EMPTY NEST" TO COME OUT ON DVD.

12-25-2006, 12:26 PM	#14
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	I'll never forget a wedding that I attended about 15 years ago. It was a traditional and beautiful church ceremony, complete with a Priest, flowers, organ music, bridal party, etc. After the actual vows were exchanged and the ceremony was over -- it was time for the bride and groom to walk down the aisle to exit the church. As they turned to face everyone and begin their walk down the aisle, James Brown's song, 'I Feel Good' started blaring from the speakers. His actual song, played on a boom box or something, who knows, lol. Everybody had a smile of their face. The bride was a hot ticket, and she managed to keep that part of the ceremony a secret, even from her husband. Everytime I hear that song, I think of that. It's what I call one of those 'movie moments'...where it felt like you were in a movie.

12-25-2006, 12:28 PM	#15
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Another shocking loss! He was truly the "Godfather of Soul."
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