Brown, James (1933—)
Known as the "Godfather of Soul," this influential African-American singer was, in the 1950s and 1960s, one of the seminal figures in the transformation of gospel music and blues to soul. Also known as "Soul Brother Number 1" and "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business," Brown amassed a record-setting total of 98 entries on Billboard's top-40 R&B singles chart while influencing scores of performers such as Sly and the Family Stone, Kool and the Gang, and Prince, as well as contemporary rap and hip-hop performers. Brown is also a charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has won numerous awards for his recordings. Despite these professional successes, Brown is notorious for his "bad-boy" reputation stemming from several run-ins with the law over the years; he served prison time as a youth for theft and later for resisting arrest and traffic violations. He also experienced serious personal and business troubles in the 1970s, complicated by a longstanding dispute with the IRS over millions of dollars in back taxes that were resolved in part by his hiring of the radical attorney William Kunstler.
Born James Joe Brown, Jr. on May 3, 1933 in Barnwell, South Carolina, Brown early on became accustomed to grinding poverty and the struggle for survival.
This is a free page. This page contains 201 words. This
article contains 1,986 words (approx. 7 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Article with our Brown, James (1933—) Access Pass.
