Taking soul onto the R&B charts, James Brown helped push the genre further into the mainstream by the mid-1960s with his first No. 1 hit, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” which earned him his first ...

The foundations of funk were laid down in the mid-1960s, when James Brown began to emphasize the first beat of each measure ...

James Brown was an iconic American musician who is recognized as one of the most influential figures in rhythm and blues, soul, funk and protest civil rights music. Born and raised in Augusta, Georgia ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) When I first wrote about James Brown, I thought I’d covered enough ground with the big hits—the songs everyone knows and loves. But not long after that article went live, I started ...

Brown was born in 1933, raised in extreme poverty in South Carolina, and later, in Georgia, according to Biography. After discovering his deep affinity for gospel music at an early age, Brown decided ...

James Brown set the standard for dynamic live performance in American music. Inspired by preachers in the Black church, Brown started out singing in gospel quartets. As the "Godfather of Soul," he ...

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, ...

Godfather of Soul, Soul Brother No. 1, and the Hardest Working Man in Show Business—James Brown easily earned all those honorary nicknames, and then some, throughout the many stages of his 50-year ...