by Robert Wilkinson
There are three musical giants who share a May 3 birthday who are all being celebrated this weekend. Today and tonight our main stage features a musical birthday spotlight put on the Godfather of Soul, said to be "the hardest working man in show business." Time to get down with some funky soul music for your listening and dancing pleasure!
Mister James Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was the premier funk performer of his time, one of the few people who actually did create key elements of what we call “Soul music.” And what a dancer! Early clips of the Stones clearly show Mick was doing straight imitations of James Brown’s moves. And even Michael Jackson paid tribute to the influence of James Brown on his own dancing.
James Brown was a rough kid from a rough street life. After working on a farm, kicking around, and doing time in prison, he went into a career as a gospel and then R&B singer. Once he met the group that became The Fabulous Flames, the rest was history! From Wikipedia:
One of the founding fathers of funk music and a major figure of 20th century popular music and dance, he is often referred to as "The Godfather of Soul". In a career that spanned six decades, Brown profoundly influenced the development of many different musical genres.First coming to national public attention in the late 1950s as a member of The Flames with the ballads “Please, Please, Please” and “Try Me,” Brown built a reputation as a tireless live performer with singing group The Famous Flames and his backing band, sometimes known as the James Brown Band or the James Brown Orchestra. Brown's success peaked in the 1960s with the live album, Live At the Apollo, and hit singles such as “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag,” “I Got You,” and “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” During the late 1960s, Brown moved from a continuum of blues and gospel-based forms and styles to a profoundly “Africanized” approach to music-making that influenced the development of funk music. By the early 1970s, 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.” Brown also became notable for songs of social commentary including the 1968 hit, “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud.” Brown continued to perform and record for the duration of his life until his death in 2006 from congestive heart failure and pneumonia.
Brown recorded seventeen number-one singles on the Billboard R&B charts. Brown also holds the record as the artist to have charted the most singles on the Billboard Hot 100 which did not reach number-one on that chart. Brown was honored by many institutions including inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. In Joel Whitburn’s analysis of the Billboard R&B charts from 1942 to 2010, Hot R&B Songs, James Brown is ranked as number one in The Top 500 Artists. Brown is ranked seventh on the music magazine Rolling Stone’s list of its 100 greatest artists of all time.
In a final nod to this man’s ability to take control of the house, he was doing a show in Boston just after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The city was freaked out at the possibility of everything being torched at any moment. James Brown literally saved Boston at that show. I have the entire story down a few paragraphs, with links to that historic performance!
We’ll begin with his performance that electrified the world! If you don't watch any other clip, this one's unbelievable! From the TAMI show in 1964, a full 18 minutes of the Godfather of Soul! James Brown and the Fabulous Flames (He was the next to the last act, and the promoter had to beg Mick, Keith, and the Stones to follow James and close the show. Keith says it was the worst career move the Stones ever made. When you see James’ moves in this clip, you’ll understand why.)
For pure entertainment and great theater, from that same show, a brief clip of James closing “Please, Please, Please” with a cape and major drama! “Please, Please, Please”
From that era, “live” on Shindig, “Please, Please, Please”
Likely from November 1965 on Where the Action Is, James lip synching to “Bewildered”
On Shivaree, James “live” dancing to ”Outta Sight”
We have three Ed Sullivan live clips of serious “James Brownmanship!” From May 1, 1966 on the Ed Sullivan Show, Mister James Brown offering up two of his biggest! Again, check out the dance moves as James enters the stage! Wow. ”Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” and “I Got You (I Feel Good).”
Also from the May 1 show, ” It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” and ”Please, Please, Please.”
On October 30, 1966, James came back! Here’s James at his dramatic best, with capes of different colors coming out, on his knees shouting out ”Please, Please, Please,” and “Night Train.” Look at his dance moves exiting the stage!
Last year I had the entire 27 minute clip of James and the Flames live at the Olympia in Paris in 1966 but it’s disappeared. Here are two videos from that show which cook!”Outta Sight” and close with a 10 minute performance of “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” (“I Feel Good” has disappeared.)
He went back to the Olympia in 1967, and gave us an even better show! We begin with the ”The Sidewinder,” groove into “Outasight,” and close this section with “Sunny” (“Kansas City” has disappeared.)
From that same gig, here's 7 minutes of James sending up ”Sweet Bernadette” and “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag,” followed by “The Last Time” and “Cold Sweat.”
We'll close the show with a video of “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” and the audio of “Prisoner of Love.”
Here’s the audio 2 hour and 9 album of James Brown and the Fabulous Flames In Paris – 1967
I found it again! From February 1968 on the Hollywood Palace television show, an awesome live performance of "Can't Stand It", "If I Ruled the World", "Cold Sweat", "Try Me", "I Feel Good", and "There Was a Time."
Live at the Apollo in March 1968 “Please, Please, Please” From the same concert, “Try Me” and “Kansas City.”
This 1968 concert was historic. It took place just after Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, and many cities from coast to coast we in flames from urban riots and protests. It is said that this concert prevented Boston from being burned to the ground. The second clip is sobering for those of us who experienced firsthand how lousy the Spring of 1968 was. For your remembrance of a time when civil and human rights were on the table, 1 hour and 50 minutes of pure awesome! Each clip autoloads when the previous one is done. The speech is the second clip. James Brown at the Boston Garden (To learn more about this historic concert, please check out James Brown Calms Boston Following the King Assassination)
Here’s an hour and 15 documentary on that April 6, 1968 show. The Night James Brown Saved Boston
Sometime in late 1968 he played Paris again! Here’s a 1 hour and 20 video of that show! James Brown live at L’Olympia – 1968.
From March 1969 on the Hollywood Palace, James and the Fabulous Flames cranking out "I'm Black & I'm Proud," "I Got The Feeling," "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose," "Please Please Please," and "I Feel Good" (with Sammy Davis Jr.)
Before we launch into the 70s, here are 3 studio recordings from 1961. The root of soul music! We begin with “Bewildered” groove into “Baby You’re Right” and close with “Just You and Me Darling”
And from 1962, the album of his legendary show at the Apollo! James Brown At The Apollo - 1962
Into the 70s!
Live in Italy in March 1971, James and the Flames live giving us 16 intense minutes of ”Give It Up or Turn it Loose,” “Sex Machine,” “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” “Soul Power” and “Get Up, Get Into It.”
Seriously funky! James Brown Live in Monterey
Last year I had an 11 minute clip of pure funk called “James Brown on Soul Train 1974,” but it disappeared, along with a 55 minute video clip of another with that title. This year, we still have this one and the singles. This is an 8 minute video clip of James Brown on Soul Train 1974 (Set list: “Cold Sweat,” “Tighten Up,” “Papa's Got A Brand New Bag,” “The Payback”)
Here are several single clips from Soul Train 1970-74.
This one’s from Zaire, Africa, in September 1974! “Soul Power”
Live on television in 1976, James giving us a funky version of “Sex Machine”
From 1979 a 1 hour video of James Brown Live in Monterey
I found a great 1 hour show from 1985, where James and the great BB King give us a meeting of the icons! James Brown Live in Concert with BB King (Michael Jackson is in the audience, and about 37 minutes in James calls him out and asks him to take the stage. Great show!)
Live at the Las Vegas House of Blues in 1999, here’s a full hour and a quarter of James Brown Live in Las Vegas – 1999
Live at the Roundhouse in London in 2006, just a few weeks before he died, this is one of his last concerts. For your enjoyment, the fulfillment of a life! Here’s a full hour of James Brown Live in London - 2006
While the 45 minute A&E documentary titled < i>James Brown – Godfather of Soul is gone, I found this hour and 4 A&E documentary called Biography: James Brown
The hour and 24 documentary titled Soul Survivor – the James Brown Story has vanished, as has the 45 minute documentary titled James Brown – Soul Brother Number 1
So, instead, here’s a one hour documentary titled Soul Connection – the James Brown Story (1978)
Here’s an hour and 7 documentary titled James Brown – The Man, the Music, and the Message
We’ll close with a great clip from 1982 on Letterman, 13 serious minutes of funk called The Last Great James Brown Television performance
Our first encore is 52 minutes of all of his Letterman performances! James Brown on Letterman - 1982, 1983, 1985, 1992 and 1993.
Our second encore is the clip of James and the Fabulous Flames appearing in the movie Ski Party, lip-synching to a pre-recorded soundtrack version of “I Feel Good!” So this year our encore is his legendary movie performance of “I Feel Good”
Thanks for the tunes and the moves, Funk Brother Number One!
© Copyright 2025 Robert Wilkinson
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