Harriet Brown Obsessions

James Brown "Soul Brother Number One," "The Godfather of Soul," "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business," "Mr. Dynamite" – those are mighty titles, but no one can question that James Brown earned them more than any other performer. Other singers were more popular, others were equally skilled, but few other musicians were so influential over the course of popular music. And no other musician put on a more exciting, exhilarating stage show: Brown's performances were marvels of athletic stamina and split-second timing. Through the gospel-impassioned fury of his vocals and the complex polyrhythms of his beats, Brown was a crucial midwife in not just one, but two revolutions in American music; he was one of the figures most responsible for turning R&B into soul and he was, most would agree, the one figure most responsible for transforming soul music into funk. Fittingly, his music became even more influential as it aged, since his voice and rhythms were sampled on innumerable hip-hop recordings, and critics belatedly hailed his innovations as among the most important in all of rock or R&B.

"Integral James Brown 1957-1962" is a comprehensive collection of James Brown's early work. This album showcases some of his most influential recordings during the formative years of his career.

Brown's rags-to-riches-to-rags story has heroic and tragic dimensions of mythic resonance. Born into poverty in the South, he ran afoul of the law by the late '40s on an armed robbery conviction. With the help of singer Bobby Byrd's family, Brown gained parole and started a gospel group with Byrd, changing their focus to R&B as the rock revolution gained steam. The Flames, as the Georgian group was known in the mid-'50s, signed to Federal/King and had a huge R&B hit right off the bat with the wrenching, churchy ballad "Please, Please, Please." By that point, the Flames had become James Brown & the Famous Flames; the charisma, energy, and talent of Brown made him the natural star attraction. All of Brown's singles over the next two years flopped, as he sought to establish his own style, recording material that was obviously derivative of heroes like Roy Brown, Hank Ballard, Little Richard, and Ray Charles. In retrospect, it can be seen that Brown was in the same position as dozens of other R&B one-shots: talented singers in need of better songs, or not fully on the road to a truly original sound.

"Please, Please, Please"; "Think"; "Try Me";"The Amazing James Brown" plus four bonus tracks.An early version of The Famous Flames (with ever evolving name changes) was formed by Bobby Byrd in 1953 featuring among others, the one and only James Brown.

Born October 13, 1926, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ray Matthew Brown took piano lessons from the age of eight, but after noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one. With a vacancy in the high school jazz orchestra, he took on the upright bass. A major early influence on Brown's bass playing was Jimmy Blanton, the bassist in the Duke Ellington band. As a young man Brown became increasingly well known in the Pittsburgh jazz scene, with his first experiences playing in bands with the Jimmy Hinsley Sextet and the Snookum Russell band. After graduating high school, having heard stories about the burgeoning jazz scene on 52nd Street, he bought a one-way ticket to New York. He arrived in the city at the age of 20, met up with Hank Jones, with whom he had previously worked, and was introduced to Dizzy Gillespie, who was looking for a bass player. Gillespie hired Brown on the spot, and he soon played with such established musicians as Art Tatum and Charlie Parker. Later, Brown left Dizzy's band to start a trio with Hank Jones and Charlie Smith. This delightful 4CD set features many of Brown’s finest early albums, up to the mid-1960s, and includes recordings he made alongside Ella Fitzgerald, Milt Jackson, The Pollwinners, and of course all the records from this era on which he performed as leader.

Le James Brown funk c'est le James Brown qui ne se contente pas du langage R&B et surtout soul des 60's. La soul, ce médium positif, qui n'a pas coupé le cordon avec le gospel, et tente d'allier sophistication des arrangements et pop music (au vrai sens de musique populaire). Leurs génies même ne lui suffisent pas. Et contrairement à un Nat King Cole, James n'aspire pas à rentrer dans une case façonnée par les Blancs. Il sait très bien qu'à son apogée, LeRoi Jones écrira « James Brown est notre poète noir n°1 ». Mais avant de porter une telle armure, James Brown ne pouvait échapper au conte de fée que la bannière étoilée aime raconter à ses enfants les soirs d'hiver près de la cheminée. Ces histoires improbables d'un moins que rien langé dans les eaux anthracites des caniveaux des bleds pouilleux du sud de l'Amérique, qui se termine sur des affiches placardées en lettres de feu dans les plus grandes salles de concerts du territoire et du reste du monde.

"Take A Look At Those Cakes" is the 47th studio album by American musician James Brown. The album was released in December 1978, by Polydor Records.

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 1950s 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 1960s 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".