James Joseph Brown

 James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006)

A progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music and dance, he is often referred to as the "Godfather of Soul" and "Soul Brother No. 1". In a career that lasted over 50 years, he influenced the development of several music genres. Brown began his career as a gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia. He joined a rhythm and blues vocal group, the Gospel Starlighters (which later evolved into the Famous Flames) founded by Bobby Byrd, in which he was the lead singer. First coming to national public attention in the late 1950's as a member of the singing group The Famous Flames with the hit ballads "Please, Please, Please" and "Try Me", Brown built a reputation as a tireless live performer with the Famous Flames and his backing band, sometimes known as the James Brown Band or the James Brown Orchestra. His success peaked in the 1960's with the live album Live at the Apollo and hit singles such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World". By the early 1970's, Brown had fully established the funk sound after the formation of the J.B.s with records such as "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" and "The Payback". He also became noted for songs of social commentary, including the 1968 hit "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud." Brown recorded 17 singles that reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts. Brown was inducted into 1st class of the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013 as an artist and then in 2017 as a songwriter. He also received honors from many other institutions, including inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Brown's last televised appearance was at his induction into the UK Music Hall of Fame in November 2006, before his death the following month. Brown died from heart failure and complications from pneumonia on Christmas Day in 2006, he was 73 years old. Married four times, he was accused of abusing his third wife. He also spent time in prison for PCP use, brandishing a firearm in public, and engaging in a high speed chase with police officers. Fifteen years later, the State of South Carolina pardoned him.