History Music / JamesBrown

Sadly died of pneumonia in 2006, on Christmas Day no less. But his legacy lives on and in 2014, a biographical film, ''Film/GetOnUp'', was made about his life.

!!! "Papa's got a brand new trope":

Also, Soul Brother Number One, Sex Machine, Mr. Dynamite, The King of Soul, Mr. Please-Please-Please, [[OverlyLongGag The King of Funk]], and last but not least, [[IHaveManyNames The Hardest Working Man In Show Business]].

* ButNotTooBlack: Defied, he is the creator of "Say It Loud: I'm Black And I'm Proud" after all. Though he admitted that the song cost him a lot of his crossover audience, he had no regrets.

* ListingCities: "Living In America" and "Night Train."
* LocationSong: "Livin' In America" is a PatrioticFervor song about all the good things about livin' in the USA.

* LongTitle: James had many in his catalogue. "I Don't Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door, I'll Get It Myself)", "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's, Man's World", "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose", "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud", "Mother Popcorn (You Got to Have a Mother for Me)" and "Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine" were just the big singles that had long titles.

->''WOOOW! I feel good!''[[note]](NA-na-NA-na-NA-na-NA)[[/note]]
-->'''James Brown''', "I Got You (I Feel Good)"

* SpiritualSuccessor: Music/MichaelJackson named Brown his main inspiration and much like him he combined showmanship, an excellent voice, and amazing dancing.
** Music/{{Prince}} borrowed a lot from Brown's sexual energy and outrageousness.

* BadToTheBone: "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (''not'' titled just [[RefrainFromAssuming "I Feel Good"]]) has been used in many movie scenes with happy people. It is also a StandardSnippet in comedy trailers.

* ThreeChordsAndTheTruth: One simple groove could last for minutes, but you never doubt its excellence.

* AnthropomorphicVice: "King Heroin."

* ButNotTooBlack: Defied, he is the creator of "Say It Loud: I'm Black And I'm Proud" after all...

* DomesticAbuser: Was arrested for domestic violence at least 5 times and sued for forcible rape (the case was dropped due to insufficient evidence)

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Many of his fans seem to completely ignore that he was a hardened criminal.
** At least 4 counts of domestic abuse
** Two counts of attempted murder
** Numerous rape accusations
** [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking One count of theft.]] (However, he was [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior only 16 years old at the time...)]]

Brown's musical output is prolific. Brown actively recorded from 1959 to 1981, with varying amounts of live albums coming out every so often. During his heyday in the late '60s to mid-'70s, he put out anywhere from six to nine singles, and two to four albums, per year. His stage show and presence were bombastic and always brimming with energy. Live recordings became more and more prevalent when Brown stopped recording in the studio.

James Joseph Brown, Jr. (May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006) was one of the biggest music stars of all time. This singer, dancer, and bandleader left his mark on rock, R&B, and {{Soul}} and practically invented {{Funk}} music. His live performances were extremely memorable, and ''Live at the Apollo'' is considered one of the best albums, let alone live albums, of all time. He was also famous for his social activism, solidifying his influence on African-American culture. Brown's accolades include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, UsefulNotes/KennedyCenterHonors, and inductions into the UsefulNotes/RockAndRollHallOfFame (as part of its initial class of 1986) and UsefulNotes/SongwritersHallOfFame.

** One count of attempted murder

* JohnBarleycornAndFriends: "King Heroin."