This day in music - January 10, 1997: James Brown receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

By Richard K. Barry

(Ed. note: It's also the great Shawn Colvin's birthday today. And Pat Benatar's -- real name: Patricia Mae Andrzejewski. And some guy named Rod Stewart's. And on this day in 1984 (it's hard not to feel old when you realize that was 28 years ago) Cyndi Lauper became the first female recording artist since since Bobbie Gentry in 1967 to be nominated for five Grammy Awards. -- MJWS)

James Brown (1933-2006) was referred to by himself and others as "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business," "Mr. Dynamite," "Soul Brother Number One," and the "Godfather of Soul." And I'm sure it was true in every case.

He was in the first class of those inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 34th annual Grammy Awards, in addition to his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And that just scratches the surface.

Can't do any better than the AllMusic entry on James Brown, which has this to say:

Other singers were more popular, others were equally skilled, but few other African-American musicians were so influential over the course of popular music. And no other musician, pop or otherwise, put on a more exciting, exhilarating stage show: Brown's performances were marvels of athletic stamina and split-second timing.

Through the gospel-impassioned fury of his vocals and the complex polyrhythms of his beats, Brown was a crucial midwife in not just one, but two revolutions in black American music. He was one of the figures most responsible for turning R&B into soul and he was, most would agree, the figure most responsible for turning soul music into the funk of the late '60s and early '70s.

Here's a discography, if you're interested.

Let's go with the obvious clip: "I Feel Good." If the information accompanying the YouTube clip is accurate, this is from a 1989 concert in Italy, which brought together a number of pioneers of rock 'n' roll in addition to Brown including Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Fats Domino, and B.B. King. Now that would have been a show.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)