James Brown biography. James Brown biography The peak of his musical career

James Joseph Brown Jr. (eng. James Joseph Brown Jr., May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006) - American singer, recognized as one of the most influential figures in pop music of the 20th century, “The Godfather of Soul.” He worked in such genres as gospel, rhythm and blues, funk. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him as the seventh greatest musician of the rock and roll era. James Brown was born in South Carolina, but spent most of his life in Atlanta, Georgia, and he died there. He grew up in poverty, made a living from petty thefts, and at the age of 16 was sentenced to eight years in prison for participating in a robbery. At the invitation of a producer who saw him perform in prison, in 1954 he joined the musical group The Famous Flames and soon became its leader. Until 1963, Brown's work was little known outside the southern states of the United States, although for “colored” audiences he was the number one star. With his improvised rhythmic shouts and fiery dance style, he, according to one biographer, “Africanized” the then rather prim rhythm and blues. Brown's 1956 single "Please Please Please" was the first sign of the emotional, deeply felt approach to performance that would later become known as "soul"; it immediately entered the rhythm and blues charts, and only sold out in the United States. more than a million copies. The golden time in Brown's musical career was in the mid-1960s, when his popularity crossed the borders of Georgia and neighboring states. The extravagant performer tirelessly performed in concerts throughout the country. At concerts, he worked hard to such an extent that behind the scenes he fell to the floor from nervous exhaustion and had to take glucose injections. In 1965, Brown's most successful singles hit record store shelves, including the poignant ballad "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World." That same year, the singer wrote and first performed the song that became his signature song around the world, “I Got You (I Feel Good),” and his innovative composition “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” was awarded a Grammy Award. It is generally accepted that Brown was the author of the first funk compositions, but music historians argue which of them was the earliest. The song “Cold Sweat”, recorded in 1967, is usually given the top spot. During this period, the performer moves away from melody and chant towards accentuated recitative (a key element of rap). It's no coincidence that the earliest hip-hop compositions often sampled Brown's funk hits, especially his early work "Funky Drummer" (1965). It is no exaggeration to say that without Brown there would be no funk or hip-hop. After the major dance hit of 1970, "Sex Machine", Brown turned his work towards less dynamic rhythms. His successors as kings of funk are Sly Stone and George Clinton. Over time, Brown's funk evolved into the uncompromisingly danceable "disco" style that took the world by storm with its rousing rhythms in the late 1970s. In the new conditions, the records of the “godfather of funk” are no longer in demand among young people. Brown is increasingly perceived as a cult figure in music history, rather than a participant in the current musical process. In 1986, when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was created, he was declared one of its founding fathers. The next three years (1988-91) the legendary musician, ironically and thanks to his extremely explosive character, again spent behind bars, this time on charges of assaulting a police officer. Brown received a 1992 Grammy Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music and was inducted into the National Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000. The 73-year-old musician died of pneumonia on Christmas Day 2006.

David Arthur Brown(English: David Arthur Brown; June 19, 1967, Los Angeles) is an American musician, vocalist, songwriter and leader of the band Brazzaville.

Life and career

David Arthur Brown was born in Los Angeles on June 19, 1967. From early childhood he was attracted to travel. Therefore, the young man travels a lot around Asia, South America and Europe. During his travels, he mastered the saxophone. From 1997 to 2000, David played saxophone in the group of American musician Beck. The group is becoming quite famous, the musicians often tour. The travels continue. However, David does not want to stop there: in parallel with touring and recording albums in his group, he masters the guitar and begins to write his own songs.

David lives in Barcelona and has two children. Likes to cook, swim and read books. His favorite films are “Harold and Maude”, “Black Orpheus”, his favorite musician is Jorge Behn.

There are many ways to describe David Brown: talented musician, traveler, activist, modern "travelling" musician. Brown himself considers himself self-taught.

early years

David forms the band Brazzaville in Los Angeles at the end of 1997. He thinks for a long time about the name for his new group. One day, while reading the Los Angeles Times newspaper in the Hollywood Hills, David became interested in one of the articles that talked about a military coup in the Republic of the Congo. Brown immediately liked the catchy title of this article and gave the new group the name “Brazzaville,” after the capital of the Congo.

The early years of Brazzaville (1997-2000) take place in Los Angeles. During this time, the musicians record and release 3 full-length albums and take part in numerous shows in Los Angeles. With the exception of two performances on the US East Coast in 2002, David tours briefly with Beck. David and Beck are old friends who once met on the stage of a Hollywood coffee shop in the late 1980s - early 1990s.

Brazzaville

Brazzaville's first two albums, "2002" and "Somnambulista", were recorded at Michael Rozon's studio (S.S. Clove Factory) in Hollywood. They have been recognized by such musicians as Smokey Hormel, Danny Frankel, David Ralick, Kenny Lyon, Joel Virgel-Wirst, Joe Zimmerman and many others.

Their third album, Rouge On Pockmarked Cheeks, was released thanks to the efforts of Nigel Godrich and Tony Hoffer, as well as the participation of Michael Rozon.

In 2003, David moved to Barcelona, ​​and there he invited European musicians to his group. Brazzaville's fourth studio album, Hastings Street (2004), was recorded in Los Angeles and Barcelona and mixed in Los Angeles. He was highly praised by musicians Victor Indrizzo, Greg Kirstin, Erica Garcia, Joe Zimmerman, Mike Bolger, Kenny Lyon, David Ralik and many others.

In November 2003, musicians were invited to Russia for the first time. They played two concerts: the first in Moscow on the stage of the B2 club, and the second in St. Petersburg at the Red Club. Brazzaville was invited by the famous critic and writer Artemy Troitsky. Artemy first heard the Brazzaville disc at Rough Trade Records in London in 2000. He began using their music on his radio show in Moscow and wrote several reviews about the group, thereby laying the foundation for Brazzaville's popularity in Russia.

In 2005, the group was invited to take part in the prestigious jazz festival in Istanbul. This was largely due to the efforts of James Hakan Dedeoğlu and Aylin Gungor. They were editors of one of the most widely read magazines in Istanbul. As a result, Brazzaville played 4 concerts in Istanbul and one in Izmir within one week. Türkiye has become one of the band's most visited countries with an ever-growing number of fans.

In 2006, Brazzaville released its first CD, recorded entirely in Barcelona. It was called "East L.A." Breeze”, and the musicians associate the beginning of the European period of their work with the release of this album. The top of the Russian charts was conquered by a new interpretation of the song by the Russian rock group Kino, “A Star Called the Sun,” performed by David Brown. In 2008, East L.A. Breeze" was released in Europe through V2 Records.

, Hampshire, UK) - British singer and rapper, ex-member of the British pop group 5ive.

Jason Brown was born in the small English town of Aldershot in a military hospital. His father was a military man, and the family moved frequently - the Browns lived in Germany, Canada and the north of England. When Jason was a teenager they moved to Newton-le-Willow.

Before becoming a member of the group 5ive, he attended the famous Italian school Italia Conti Stage School and had experience as a DJ.

Jason has always dreamed of a career in music: “My mother and father have absolutely no ear for music, so I would not be at all surprised if it turned out that I was the son of a milk delivery man. But then I found out that one of my ancestors did sing.”

Brown preferred hip-hop and rap. His idols were such artists as 2Pac, Lost Boys and Outcast.

When the opportunity arose to record his material, Jason immediately began experimenting with hip-hop. He even formed his own team - “Prophets Of Da Funk”. True, rap lessons were unsuccessful.

In 1997, Brown became one of five members of the group 5ive, selected from among 3,000 applicants. At the time of the creation of the group, he was the oldest member of the group (21 years old) and immediately took on the role of leader, subsequently often speaking on behalf of the group at various press conferences. Jason wrote several rap verses that were included in the group's repertoire of songs.

Brown about the breakup of the group: “We decided to separate completely naturally, without any fights or anything else. We are great friends and always wanted to end our careers this way - at the top. Many people wrote about our departure, and we left. I think we did the right thing. I did everything that was possible and interesting for me: I saw the world, met women, met many interesting people, earned a lot of money... All this made me a completely different person. I can definitely say that they will not see me again. They will hear that I am leaving show business. I have become truly interested in the work of charitable organizations, and this is exactly what I would like to do. I want to do something for the world, for humanity, and I also want to live a normal life, an ordinary life. man. In five years with 5ive, I have done so many things that people could not do in 5 lifetimes. I admit that I cried because of what was happening now, thinking about the other guys. But still, I felt relieved. because now I can do what I want."

Following the band's breakup in September 2001, Brown began to lead a less public life.

The musician took part in several protests in London against Britain's participation in the war in the Middle East.

In 2006, Jason joined three of his former bandmates—Robinson, Neville and Brin—for a planned band reunion. But the new project did not generate enough interest from the record company, and nine months later the group broke up again.

Shortly after this, Brown became a participant in the seventh season of the reality show “,” in which he reached the finals and took third place. Jason also took part in Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway show as part of Anthony McPartlin's team.

In 2012, another reunion of the group 5ive was announced. However, Brown refused to participate in the project, saying that he no longer wanted to be in the public spotlight.

He currently resides in South Wales and is actively involved in producing and writing songs for other musicians.

05/03/2013, Friday | James Brown would have turned 80 today. At this point we could finish the words and move on to the music. But who is James Brown? You know? No, not a musician performing famous songs with wild expression. This is a superman and not just a musician. At the age of 16 he was sentenced to eight years in prison. It was in prison that he began to reveal his talents in music and sports. Until the mid-sixties, little was known about him. Here it is necessary to clarify - the white population of the United States knew little about him, he had already become an idol of blacks.

The mid-sixties was the peak of his musical career. James Brown went on tour, but always tried to give his performance not 100, not 200, but 300%. It is not surprising that sometimes after a performance, as soon as he went backstage, he fell unconscious. Glucose helped.

James Brown was a godsend. He invented funk, and it was funk that became a symbol of freedom and success for millions of African Americans in the struggle for their civil rights, because it was considered a source of hope and pride.

However, because of his explosive nature, which helped him so much on stage, in life he was extremely impulsive. This is evidenced by another prison term from 1988 to 1991 for assaulting a police officer, four unsuccessful marriages and constant scandals.

James Brown passed away in 2006. The 73-year-old musician died of pneumonia on Christmas Day. Farewell to him took place in front of a large crowd of people, including such stars as Michael Jackson, and the subsequent Grammy ceremony was dedicated to the memory of the great musician. Meanwhile, Brown's death has exacerbated inheritance disputes between his last wife and children from previous marriages. Due to controversy over the burial site, Brown's body was not interred until March 10. The burial took place behind the scenes, in an unspecified place and on a temporary basis. It is expected that Brown will be reburied after disputes between his relatives are resolved. Whether they will be resolved is still a big question.

Last year, under the auspices of Saatchi & Saatchi, a video competition for James Brown songs was held. Naturally, such a competition was timed to coincide with the release of a new album with remixed recordings. The main prize went to French director Xavier Fauthoux. As a reward, he was given a small cash reward of $4,000 and his video was taken as the official video for the song “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World.” And, naturally, they invited me to work. Watch this short clip, you will understand that the choice was made correctly.

Along with this work, clips for the song Try Me were also noted

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag

James Brown (May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006) was born in South Carolina, but lived and died most of his life in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up in poverty, made a living from petty thefts, and at the age of 16 was sentenced to eight years in prison for participating in a robbery. During his imprisonment, he began performing for other prisoners, using a washboard and other simple devices. Upon release... Read all

James Brown (May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006) was born in South Carolina, but lived and died most of his life in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up in poverty, made a living from petty thefts, and at the age of 16 was sentenced to eight years in prison for participating in a robbery. During his imprisonment, he began performing for other prisoners, using a washboard and other simple devices. Upon his release, he tried to find his calling in baseball and boxing. At the invitation of a producer who saw him perform in prison, he joined the musical group The Famous Flames and soon became its leader.

Until 1963, Brown's work was little known outside the southern states of the United States, although for “colored” audiences he was the number one star. With his improvised rhythmic shouts and fiery dance style, he, according to one biographer, “Africanized” the then rather prim rhythm and blues. It is no coincidence that Brown considered one of the most radical pioneers of rock and roll, Little Richard, to be his idol. Brown's 1956 single "Please Please Please" was the first sign of the emotional, deeply felt approach to performance that would come to be known as "soul."

The golden time in Brown's musical career was in the mid-1960s, when his popularity crossed the borders of Georgia and neighboring states. The extravagant performer tirelessly performed in concerts throughout the country. His credo was: “Perform longer and show the audience more than what they expect when they buy tickets.” At concerts, he worked hard to such an extent that behind the scenes he fell to the floor from nervous exhaustion and had to take glucose injections.

Peak of musical career

In 1965, Brown's most successful singles hit record store shelves, including the poignant ballad "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World." That same year, the singer wrote and first performed the song that became his signature song around the world, “I Got You (I Feel Good),” and his innovative composition “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” was awarded a Grammy Award. In total, Brown's hits appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 ninety-nine times - but never reached number one. On the wave of commercial success, the musician began buying up radio stations and founded several new labels.

It is generally accepted that Brown was the author of the first funk compositions, but music historians argue which of them was the earliest. The song “Cold Sweat”, recorded in 1967, is usually given the top spot. During this period, the performer moves away from melody and chant towards accentuated recitative (a key element of rap). It's no coincidence that the earliest hip-hop compositions often sampled Brown's funk hits, especially his early work "Funky Drummer" (1965). It is no exaggeration to say that without Brown there would be no funk or hip-hop.

After the major dance hit of 1970, "Sex Machine", Brown turned his work towards less dynamic rhythms. His successors as kings of funk are Sly Stone and Michael Jackson, who at first imitated Brown's dance style and vocal style. Brown's work in the 1970s was aimed primarily at black audiences; the repertoire is dominated by songs like “Say It Loud - I’m Black and I’m Proud” (literally: “Repeat out loud - I’m black and proud of it”). The artist performs a lot outside the United States, including Zaire and other African countries.

Advanced years

Over time, Brown's funk evolved into the uncompromisingly danceable "disco" style that took the world by storm with its rousing rhythms in the late 1970s. In the new conditions, the records of the “godfather of funk” are no longer in demand among young people. Brown is increasingly perceived as a cult figure in music history, rather than a participant in the current musical process. He appears with cameos in many Hollywood films, and in 1986, when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was created, he was declared one of its founding fathers.

The legendary musician again spent the next three years (1988-91) behind bars, this time on charges of assaulting a police officer. In 1991, there was a rumor in the press about Brown's death, in connection with which the L.A. team Style released the song “James Brown Is Dead” (literally, “James Brown is dead!”). In response, records appeared with the titles “James Brown is Alive!” and “Who is this James Brown?” The next year, Brown was awarded a Grammy Award. for outstanding contributions to the development of music.

Monument to James Brown in Atlanta during the farewell days of the singer. During the 1990s, Brown's name periodically appeared in the press due to troubles in his personal life. He was detained four times on charges of beating his wife and family, and in 2000 he was put on trial for attacking an electrician with a knife. The following year, Brown married (for the fourth time) a young singer, but his children from previous marriages were quick to call this union invalid, effectively accusing their father of bigamy. In 2005, Atlanta authorities erected a monument to James Brown.

The 73-year-old musician died of pneumonia on Christmas Day, December 26, 2006. Farewell to him took place in front of a large crowd of people, including such stars as Michael Jackson, and the subsequent Grammy ceremony was dedicated to the memory of the great musician. Meanwhile, Brown's death has exacerbated inheritance disputes between his last wife and children from previous marriages. Due to controversy over the burial site, Brown's body was not interred until March 10. The burial took place behind the scenes, in an unspecified place and on a temporary basis. It is expected that Brown will be reburied after disputes between his relatives are resolved.