i've only just heard... & after getting "star time" on to play for the rest of the day, i thought i'd put in a word or two to acknowledge the passing of soul brother #1, james brown. i don't think there's been an entertainer who has more nicknames. or who earns 'em all... even watching him struggling to lip synch with whatever the song it was at a superbowl halftime show a few years back, he was the hardest working man on the stage.
DAMN, it's been too long since i listened to this. for those of you too young to remember... "star time" was one of the earliest career-overview multi-cd "box sets" that became a rage before the internet rendered them obsolete.
the four discs are titled "mr dynamite", "the hardest working man in show business", "soul brother #1", & "the godfather of soul". you can't argue with any of them.
regardless of your race, age or creed... if you groove on any aspect of black american culture of the past four decades, then this is the biggest loss to "black america" since the passing of ray charles back in 04. seriously, ask one of yer black friends about james brown & sit back. you won't have to do much talking for the next hour or two.
funk... soul... hip hop... blaxploitation... rocky movies... gospel... multi-state police chases fueled on cocaine & alcohol... james brown played second fiddle to no one.
george clinton learned everything he taught the p-funk empire from the "james brown handbook on being generally funky". available on amazon pretty soon, i'll betcha.
& james brown is the 2006 recipient of the w.c. fields award for dying christmas day.