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UNITED NATIONS - / www.MaximsNews.com,
UN/ - 11 January 2007 -- On Christmas Day, the
career and life of the "Hardest Working Man
in Show Business" ended. But his spirit
lives on in the legions of fans that weathered
rain and cold to bid him farewell.
James Brown electrified a
generation, an entertainer with so prolific a
body of work and so distinctive a genre of style
that entertainers for more than four decades
have either borrowed from or have been inspired
by.
From the time he first
took the stage in the 1950s, James Brown, who
died of heart failure at 73, proved to be a
cultural tour de force - his own man with his
own vision and immense pride in his
heritage.
In his art, he embraced
the blues, gospel and R&B of his musical
predecessors in forging a musical destiny that
defied convention and was completely his own.
He was the consummate
showman until his last days: He had received
clearance one day earlier to perform at a New
Year's Eve gig in
New York City.
The tributes following his
untimely death proved the perfect encore for a
life that was at times difficult and painful but
nevertheless important and exciting.
Only the
Godfather of Soul himself could make such a
dramatic and riveting exit in death.
Brown emerged the Every
Man in the black community, where he forged his
strongest bonds. He set aside convention and
remained true to himself - warts and all.
With hits like
"Please, Please, Please", "Papa's
Got a Brand New Bag, Pt.1" and "I Got
You (I Feel Good)," he made an indelible
imprint on American culture.
During the civil rights
movement of the 1960s, he emerged as an icon of
black culture - reminding us to rejoice in our
heritage and shout out in pride for
ourselves.
He showed us that we
didn't need to conform to the expectations of
mainstream
America
to take their rightful place in society. He made
us realize that we are as entitled to the rights
and privileges of
U.S.
citizenship as anyone else.
In 1968, Brown's "Say
It Loud: I'm Black and I'm Proud" unified
and energized the African American community in
our period of mourning over the death of Rev.
Martin Luther King, Jr., who had been
assassinated five months earlier.
It became one
of the most popular black power anthems of the
1960s and also struck a chord with mainstream
America, getting to #10 on the Top 10 charts.
Through songs like "I
Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up
The Door, I'll Get It Myself) that chronicled
the challenges faced by blacks in the United
States at the time, Brown made his activism
known in real and straight-forward ways.
In addition to being the
godfather of various genres of music and dance
moves, you could say he was the godfather of
economic empowerment and equal opportunity.
While Brown had a
different impact than Ray Charles or Sam Cooke
on mainstream Americans, he surely struck a
nerve among African Americans.
With 60 songs in the
Billboard Top 10 R&B chart, he racked up
more hits than any other artist.
His success on the Top 10
Pop chart was not as great - less than a dozen
hits - not enough to put him in the top 25
artists, something that befuddles music critics
given Brown's ability to get on the charts for
more than four decades.
Despite his penchant for
colorful garb and larger-than-life persona, he
was hardly a flash in the pan or a one-hit
wonder. He continued to persevere in the music
industry up until his last days.
A day before
his death, he had received clearance to play a
New Year's Eve gig in
New York City.
Where he had his greatest
impact was with the countless artists, many
African American, he inspired. Brown shines
through in the work of his successors - from the
guitar licks of Prince to the dance moves of
Michael Jackson.
He was not without his
admirers among white artists. He mesmerized
Rolling Stones' frontman Mick Jagger in the
1960s concert film "The T.A.M.I. Show"
who built much of his own stage persona around
Brown's signature style.
Rappers have borrowed his
beats and funk. And his unforgettable stew of
blues, gospel and R&B, unconventional
rhythms and captivating life shows spawned a
wide range of new musical genres.
He was not only the
"Godfather of Soul" - but the
godfather of disco, funk, hip-hop -- the list
goes on.
At the various
celebrations of his life -- at the Apollo
Theater, in his hometown in Georgia
and elsewhere, James Brown left this world just
the way he led his life - a consummate showman
and courageous visionary.
He leaves an enduring
legacy that will remain forever etched in our
memories.
MarcMorial@MaximsNews.com
~~~~~~
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