Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday James Brown Edition

Today we pay tribute to one of the giants of American music, James Brown. A juvenile delinquent, Brown was paroled after serving time for armed robbery and joined a band called the Famous Flames. By the late ‘50s, Brown was in charge, and his incredible string of R & B chart hits. At first, he was a testifying soul shouter, who crossed over with his Live at the Apollo album. Brown was the ultimate road house trouper, with his dynamic live show. As his bands got tighter and tighter, the first seeds of funk were planted. Combining syncopation with precise guitar parts and simple vocal lines, Brown broke down his music into the simplest of elements, but put them together in complex combinations. The reverberations of funk are still being felt today, around the world. I go could on and on about Brown’s political songs, how he stopped a riot, and many other things, but I only have so much time. He’s right up there with Duke Ellington, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson and Hank Williams among the most important figures in American. In his honor, grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up.

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