In Remembrance: James Brown

 

     James Brown, the pioneering “Godfather of Soul” who expanded his audience through film appearances has passed away on December 25, 2006 in Atlanta, GA. He was 73.

 

     Born on May 3, 1933 in Barnwell, South Carolina, Brown was considered one of the most energetic performers of the 20th centurty, whose soul and rhythm and blues concerts were tour-de-forces of nonstop music and dance. Brown’s career began in the mid-1950s touring the south with his band the Famous Flames. His first hit was 1956’s “Please, Please, Please.” By combining such influences as Ray Charles and Little Richard, Brown slowly began to develop his own unique style which would soon be called “funk.”

 

     Brown made his first screen appearance in 1965’s concert film The T.A.M.I. Show where his performance is considered by many to have upstaged the Rolling Stone’s own appearance in the film. That year he also appeared as himself in the teen comedy Ski Party. In 1973, Brown collaborated with composer Fred Wesley on the soundtracks of two blaxploitation films- Black Caesar and Slaughter’s Big Rip-Off.

 

     The rise of disco music through the mid-to-late 1970s found Brown’s career on the wane. His rousing performance of an old gospel tune – in the film’s keynote scene where Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd) discover their “Mission from God” - for the 1980 musical comedy The Blues Brothers would reintroduce Brown to a whole new generation. He appeared again on screen with Aykroyd for a small role for the comedy Dr. Detroit (1983). In addition to an appearance in Rocky IV (1985), Brown revisited his Re. Cleophus character for Blues Brothers 2000 (1998). He also appeared as himself in the 2002 blaxploitation spoof Undercover Brother in which he was the intended target of a kidnapping plot.

 

     Brown’s music appeared in over a hundred films in the 40 years since his appearance in The T.A.M.I. Show, including The Fan (1981), Another 48 Hours (1990), Boomerang (1992), Muppets From Space (1999) and Kinky Boots (2005). His most famous song “I Feel Good” appeared in such films as Good Morning Vietnam (1987), White Men Can’t Jump (1992), The Nutty Professor (1996), Doctor Dolittle (1998) and Undercover Brother. His song “The Payback” has been also featured in many films, most prominently in the British crime caper Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1998).