- (This page is about the American funk singer. For the Jamaican reggae singer of the same name, see James Brown(2)).
James Joseph Brown Jr (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American recording artist and musician. One of the founding fathers of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century popular music and dance, he is often referred to as "The Godfather of Soul". In a career that spanned six decades, Brown profoundly influenced the development of several different musical genres. Born in Barnwell, South Carolina, Brown moved to Augusta, Georgia, to live with relatives at the age of five. After a stint in prison for robbery, Brown began his career as a gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia. Joining an R&B vocal group called the Avons that later evolved to become The Famous Flames, Brown served as the group's lead singer. First coming to national public attention in the late 1950s as a member of The Flames with the ballads "Please, Please, Please" and "Try Me", Brown built a reputation as a tireless live performer with singing group The Famous Flames and his backing band, sometimes known as the James Brown Band, James Brown Orchestra or the JB's. Brown's success peaked in the 1960s with the live album, Live at the Apollo, and hit singles such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got You" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World"....(read more on wikipedia)
Links To Peel []
Peel was an avid fan of James Brown's early material and would often play these on his shows. On his BBC Radio One show from 10 November 1999, Peel played James Brown's "Lowdown Popcorn" as his Peelenium 1970. Down the years, his Christmas playlists often featured JB seasonal tunes.
Unsurprisingly, given the huge influence of James Brown over popular music in general,[1] the DJ played numerous artists who echoed different elements of JB, not only from the fields of R&B, soul and funk but also including Hip Hop outfits such as Public Enemy, who deployed many samples from Brown, and 80s British bands such as A Certain Ratio, who increasingly came to use dance music rhythms, among others.
Peelenium[]
- Peelenium 1970: Lowdown Popcorn
Shows Played[]
- 1970
- 28 March 1970: Ain't It Funky Now (7") Polydor
- 1973
- 08 May 1973: Please Come Home For Christmas (album - James Brown Sings Christmas Songs) Pye
- 30 August 1973 (Alexis Korner): King Slaughter (album - Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)) Polydor
- 16 October 1973: Woman (Part 1) (7" - Woman) Polydor
- 1974
- 10 October 1974: It's Hell (7" - It's Hell / Papa Don't Take No Mess) Polydor
- 1978
- 20 November 1978: Nature (Part I) (7") Polydor
- 21 November 1978: Nature (Part 1) (7")
- 1981
- 13 January 1981: Rapp Payback Part II (Where Iz Moses?) (7" - Rapp Payback (Where Iz Moses?)) RCA RCA 28
- 21 December 1981: Signs Of Christmas (album - James Brown Sings Christmas Songs)
- 1982
- 18 March 1982: I Can't Stand Myself When You Touch Me
- 23 March 1982: Let Yourself Go
- 30 March 1982: Get It Together
- 16 August 1982: Superbad, Superslick Part 1
- 1983
- 12 June 1983 (BFBS): Bring It On ... Bring It On (single) Sonet
- 28 July 1983: For Your Precious Love (album - Bring It On) Sonet
- 1984
- 23 January 1984: Begging, Begging (album - Roots Of A Revolution) Polydor REVO 1
- 28 January 1984 (BFBS): Begging, Begging (album - Roots Of A Revolution) Polydor REVO 1
- 30 January 1984: That Dood It (Double LP-Roots Of A Revolution) Polydor
- 19 August 1984 (BFBS) (& Afrika Bambaataa): Unity (Pt. 2 - Because It's Coming) (12" EP - Unity) Tommy Boy
- 02 September 1984 (BFBS) (& Afrika Bambaataa): Unity (Pt. 2 - Because It's Coming) (12" EP - Unity) Tommy Boy
- 06 September 1984 (& Afrika Bambaataa): Unity (Pt. 3 - Nuclear Wild Style) (12")
- 1985
- 13 May 1985: Talking Loud & Saying Nothing Part 2
- 05 June 1985: I Got Ants In My Pants (And I Want To Dance)
- 1986
- 13 January 1986: Living In America (7") Scotti Bros.
- 04 February 1986: Funky President (People It's Bad)
- 04 March 1986: Your Love (LP - Dead On The Heavy Funk 74-76) Polydor
- 25 March 1986: Bodyheat (Part 1) (LP - Dead On The Heavy Funk 74-76) Polydor
- 22 April 1986: Soul Power
- 23 July 1986: Mother Popcorn (You Got To Have A Mother For Me)
- 23 September 1986: Gravity (12") Scotti Bros. (JP: 'I suppose it's the most obvious thing to say that I could have done with a bit more James Brown and a bit less Dan Hartman, but that's the new single Gravity, taken from a forthcoming LP, I suppose it's better than nothing')
- 1987
- 14 July 1987: I Feel Good (LP - Sex Machine Today) Polydor
- 02 September 1987: Cold Sweat
- 09 December 1987: Get Up, Get Into It And Get Involved (LP - In The Jungle Groove) Polydor
- 16 December 1987: Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose (Remix) (2xLP - In The Jungle Groove) Polydor
- 1988
- 18 January 1988: She's The One (single) Urban
- 26 January 1988: She's The One (12") Urban
- 1989
- 25 September 1989: Just Won't Do Right (I Stay In The Chapel Every Night)
- 1993
- 05 April 1993 (John Peel Is Jakki Brambles): I'm A Soul Man
- 24 April 1993: I Got Ants In My Pants (Part 1) (CD-Funky President: The Very Best Of James Brown Vol. 2) Polydor
- 1994
- 18 March 1994: Pass The Peas (LP - James Brown's Funky People) Polydor
- 1996
- 17 November 1996: Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose (2xCD – 40th Anniversary Collection) Polydor
- 1999
- 10 November 1999: Lowdown Popcorn (2xLP-Sex Machine) Polydor Peelenium 1970
- 15 December 1999: Please Come Home For Christmas (CD-Funky Christmas) Spectrum
- 2000
- 21 December 2000: Please Come Home For Christmas (LP - James Brown Sings Christmas Songs) Pye
- 2001
- 10 January 2001: I'm Shook (LP - It's A Mother) Polydor
- 14 January 2001 (BFBS): 'Mother Popcorn (Part 1) (LP-It's A Mother)' (King)
- 27 February 2001: Nobody Knows (7" - Bring It Up / Nobody Knows) King
- 25 September 2001: Shuffling Sammy (78) Winner - Pig's Big 78 2001
- 25 December 2001: Go Power At Christmas Time (CD-Funky Christmas) Spectrum
- 2002
- 14 May 2002: Let A Man Come In And Popcorn (7" single) King
- 17 December 2002: Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto (LP - Funky Christmas) Spectrum
- 26 December 2002 (Radio Mafia): Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto (CD-Funky Christmas) Polygram
- 2003
- 02 January 2003 (Radio Eins): Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto (album - Funky Christmas) Spectrum
- 26 June 2003: Let A Man Come In And Do The Popcorn Part One (7") King
- December 2003 (FSK): Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved Pt. 1 (7") King
- 09 December 2003: Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved (7") King
- 18 December 2003: Please Come Home For Christmas (LP - Funky Christmas) Spectrum
- 23 December 2003: Hey America (7") King
- Others
- 2006 Festive Fifty: Get Up, I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine (Part 1 & 2) (DJ's choosing their favourite tracks on Dandelion Radio before the Festive Fifty)
Covered[]
(The list below was compiled only from the Cover Versions page of this site. Please add more information if known.)
Artist | Track | First Known Play
- Terence Trent D'Arby: Soul Power (session) 10 August 1987
- Screamin' Tony Baxter: Get Up Off That Thang 25 July 1984 (BFBS)
- Contortions: I Can’t Stand Myself 20 December 1978
- Fat Boys: Sex Machine (Dub) 06 May 1986
- Flying Lizards: Sex Machine 07 February 2003 (BBC World Service)
- LB: Superbad 03 August 2000
- Residents: It's A Man's Man's Man's World 05 November 1984 (BFBS)
See Also[]
- Record Boxes: Don Letts
- Record Collection: V&A LPs
- Singles Reviews
- Cabaret Voltaire: Peel gave multiple plays to the 1984 track "James Brown".
- Sounds
- J.B.'s