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"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 has earned them more than any other performer. Other singers were more popular, others were equally skilled, but few other African-American musicians have been so influential on the course of popular music. And no other musician put on a more exciting, exhilarating stage show - performances that are 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 black music. He was one of the figures most responsible for turning R&B into soul;he was the figure most responsible for turning soul music into the funk of the late '60s and early '70s. His music is now more influential than ever, as his voice and rhythms are sampled on innumerable rap and hip-hop recordings, and critics have belatedly hailed his innovations as among the most important in all of rock or soul.
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 were known in the mid-'50s, were signed by Federal/King, and had a huge R&B hit right off the bat with the wrenching, churchy ballad Please, Please, Please. By now the Flames had become JAMES BROWN &the Famous Flames, the charisma, energy, and talent of BROWN making him the natural star attraction.
What made BROWN succeed where hundreds of others failed is his superhuman determination, working the chillin’ circuit to death, sharpening his band, and keeping an eye on new trends.
BROWN's style of R&B got harder as the '60s began, as he added more complex, Latin- and jazz-influenced rhythms on hits like Good Good Lovin', I'll Go Crazy, Think and Night Train, alternating these with torturous ballads that featured some of the most frayed screaming to be heard outside of the church. Black audiences already knew that BROWN had the most exciting live act around, but he truly started to become a phenomenon with the release of Live at the Apollo in 1963. Capturing a JAMES BROWN concert in all its whirling-dervish energy and calculated spontaneity, it reached number two in the album charts, an unprecedented feat for a hardcore R&B LP.
With the explosion of rap, which frequently samples vintage JB records, BROWN is now hipper than ever. He collaborated with Afrika Bambaataa on the critical smash single Unity. Rock critics, who had always ranked BROWN considerably below Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin in the soul canon, began to reevaluate his output, particularly his funk years, sometimes anointing him not just as Soul Brother Number One, but as the most important black musician of the rock era.
It's probably safe to assume that BROWN will not make any more important recordings, although he continues to perform and release new material like 1998's I'm Back. Yet his music is probably more popular in the American mainstream today than it has been since the 1970s, and not just among young rappers and samplers - BROWN is recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century music!
"Helping people understand the things they can't see". Portland born, BRAILLE has used that one sentence to explain the meaning behind his name for the last 7 years. The poetic nature and concepts of his lyrics intrigued listeners from the beginning. BRAILLE often expresses things of either a "spiritual", "emotional" or "personal" nature. Visual lyrics that paint pictures of the unseen have become a trademark stamp of BRAILLE's style. Another trademark is his passionate and un-structured delivery. These characteristics have placed BRAILLE in a category of his own;not sounding like other artists, but just standing alone as himself… Nothing more, nothing less.
BRAILLE's new record Box of Rhymes (following 2004's debut Shades of Grey featuring production by 9th Wonder and Rob Swift (of X-Executioners) features the track Antenna with a special guest appearance from Grammy Winner Speech (of Arrested Development) - listen here!
JAMES BROWN concert
July 28, 20:00, doors 18:00
Arena Riga (21 Skanstes street, Riga, Latvia)
Tickets on sale at Ticketservice box offices and online at ticketservice.lv
this entry is filed under: concerts
posted on January 18th, 2007 at 2007 16:16, by index1.html.