Without James Brown…
Continuing to think about the man and his music, and how much he is a part of The Soundtrack of My Life.
WITHOUT JAMES BROWN…
…the Flames would never have been Famous
…we wouldn’t know the funky sound made by a Night Train
…I might still call myself a Negro, unwilling to Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud
…we would have never broken out in a Cold Sweat
…Mama might never have known that she could Feelgood
…Papa might never have gotten A Brand New Bag
…I might still be waiting for people to give me something, instead of opening up the door and getting it myself
…we might never have known what it felt like to be a Sex Machine
…we wouldn’t know how much fun it is to be Super Bad
…Santa Claus wouldn’t know to Go Straight To The Ghetto
…we might not know how to Make It Funky
…we wouldn’t know the importance of Soul Power
…we might not know what it was like to be Down And Out In New York City
…the President would never have been Funky
…we would never have gone to the bridge in the first place
…Rocky wouldn’t know how funky it could be Living In America
…we wouldn’t have given the drummer a goddamn thing
…there might never have been Parliament/Funkadelic
…Prince, Michael Jackson, Usher (and a host of others) would have had to pay for dance lessons
…there would be no Rap, Hip-Hip or Club; let me repeat that… there would be no Rap, Hip-Hip or Club
…the Blues Brothers would have never gotten “the band” back together
…nobody would ever Pass The Peas or Give Up Food For Funk
Without James Brown… the world would have been a lot less funky, a lot less soulful, and a lot more boring. We’ll miss you, Godfather of Soul, but your music and musical influences will be with us forever. For that we can be thankful.
Technorati Tags: netinfoweb, james brown
A New Mix for the New Year…
Filed under: Music, Playlists, Podcasts, Soul/R&B, radio.blog
Let’s dance our way into 2007 with, “Start The Dance!” from the Rhythms In Black Satin “funky kitchen”!
Technorati Tags: netinfoweb, playlist, mp3blog
Rappers Remembering The Godfather…
Playahata.com brings you some rappers sharing their thoughts on James Brown.
Technorati Tags: james brown, rap, soul, netinfoweb
One Last ‘Show’ At The Apollo…
Viewing at Apollo Theater From 1pm to 8pm
The body of soul singer James Brown will be returned
Thursday to the site of his debut — the legendary Apollo Theater in
Harlem — so the public that saw and heard him leave a lasting
impression on music can see him one last time, the Rev. Al Sharpton
said Tuesday.
Technorati Tags: james brown
Funky16Corners On James Brown…
The link to this piece is buried at the bottom of the previous post so I thought I would spotlight here on its own. Please take a minute and read this excellent analysis by Larry Grogan on the ‘art’ and ‘genius’ of James Brown.
Technorati Tags: james brown
SoulTrackin’ 12/27/06…
As could be expected, with the untimely passing of James Brown early Monday morning, the blogosphere is abuzz with reactions, remembrances, and tributes to the “hardest working man in show business”…
The easiest way (IMHO) to follow many of the conversations is through Technorati.com. Here is the link to search results for James Brown.
Of course, the “SoulSites” are all buzzing about this. Here are some quick links to the reactions/tributes that have been posted so far:
I first saw the news from an early morning post at Soul Shower. AK, even though it was sad news, “thank you” for being there with the information.
From Jason at Hot Links & Gumbo
“He Hit It and Quit It” at allaboutgeorge
From Red Kelly at the “B” side
RIP Mr. J.B. from tiffany b. brown
From Oliver at Soul Sides
Throw It Down For James Brown also from Soul Sides
From Scholar at Souled On (Music, Art, Politics, and Life)
James Brown RIP from WXPN Radio
From Nick at the vinyl word
New York Beacon James Brown article (New York City’s Finest African-American Newspaper)
From QS_Bird at R&B_Quietstorm
RIP James Brown and Tribute to The Godfather from Get On Down With The Stepfather of Soul!
From Junior at ear fuzz
Interesting JB post on Boing Boing
From Shark-fu at AngryBlackBitch
James Brown – 1933-2006 – RIP from Funky16Corners
Technorati Tags: james brown
Godfather of Soul, Dead at 73…
Not exactly the kind of news I’d like to be reporting here today, but I just learned that James Brown, aka “Soul Brother #1″, aka the “Godfather of Soul” died early this Christmas morning.
Oh, James… saying you will missed doesn’t even begin to express how I feel right now… {sigh}
Some additional links about the man and his music:
- Godfather of Soul
- James Brown (Wikipedia article)
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Inductee Detail
- The “Godfatha” Page on Soul-Patrol.com
Happy Holidays!
Just want to take a moment on this special day to say “Merry Christmas”, “Happy Holidays” and especially “Peace & Blessings and good health” to you and all of your family!
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SoulTrackin’ 12/13/06…
QS_BIRD (of R&B_Quietstorm fame) has started a new music blog to complement the Quietstorm, Funk & Soul Heaven.
Got The Fever is in the Christmas mood as he explores a variety of Xmas music from the relatively unknown to the true classics.
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SoulTrackin’ 12/12/06…
Congratulations to GrantLove and SOULcrates for being selected as a finalist in the Best Music Blog category of The 2006 Weblog Awards! Now, if you are a reader of NetInfoWeb, please take a minute and show your support for the great work GL does with his site and cast your vote over there for SOULcrates. Voting ends Friday, December 15, 2006.
Moses And The Maestro, Part III…
The final installment of the “Moses And The Maestro” trilogy is up over on Rhythms In Black Satin.
Moses And The Maestro, Part II…
Filed under: Jazz, Music, Playlists, Podcasts, Soul/R&B, radio.blog
Moses And The Maestro, Part II (of the 3-part series) is now available for your listening pleasure on Rhythms In Black Satin.
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Moses And The Maestro…
Filed under: Jazz, Music, Playlists, Podcasts, Soul/R&B, SoulTrackin', radio.blog
While we’re all waiting for this week’s OSW “main course” (EJ’s a little under the weather), here’s an “appetizer” over on RIBS that will hopefully tide you over for the time being…
Moses And The Maestro, Part I
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The $$$ Mix: Working Hard For The Money…
Filed under: Music, Playlists, Podcasts, Soul/R&B, radio.blog
After a long drought, I am happy to announce a new mix has been posted over on the MP3Blog, Rhythms In Black Satin (RIBS)!
“Working Hard For The Money” (aka the “Money Mix”) was inspired by my friend RoddyKat after reading the Time Off – and it feels so good post on his blog, The Brown Spoon.
That never-ending chase for the almighty dollar has inspired many a song and I think we’ve got a nice representative collection here that will keep you pushing forward even when you think you can’t go any further. We start off with my favorite of the whole mix, Blues 2.0 by Fruteland Jackson. It’s a modern day, chain-gang type of work song that IMHO perfectly sets the mood for the entire mix:
Nine to five workin’ nine to five
And we won’t get out of these blues alive
When will it end I don’t know
I got the nine to five blues ya’ll, Blues 2.0
Next, we kick it into high gear with THE quintessential money song, For The Love Of Money, by the The O’Jays. A funky, toe-tappin’, soul classic with timeless lyrics that will be true for all eternity. ‘Nuff said.
Percussionist Bill Summers and his band, Summers Heat keep the funky money groove going with Straight To The Bank; while Johnny Kemp hits the club partying cause he Just Got Paid!
After all that, we come back down to earth with Simply Red who reminds us that there are times when Money’s Too Tight Too Mention; meanwhile The Main Ingredient tries to explain to the ladies that sometimes we just have Work To Do.
Next we take you back in time to the 50’s with Money (That’s What I Want) by Barrett Strong (”The best things in life are free, but you can give them to the birds and the bees, I need Money!”) and The Drifters with Money Honey.
Johnny Guitar Watson chimes in with my next two favorite cuts in the mix, the funky, bluesy A Real Mother For Ya and Ain’t That A Bitch; while The Fatback Band gets right to the point with Gotta Get My Hands On Some (Money) and Michael Jackson is Working Day And Night to get his pay.
Don’t think for a minute that I forgot about the ladies. They are well represented by Donna Summer who reminds us guys that She Works Hard For The Money; Destiny’s Child with nothing but Bills, Bills, Bills and Gwen Guthrie who’s giving up “no romance without finance” in Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On But The Rent.
Finally, we go back to MJ and Money, where he tells us we’ll do:
“anything, anything, anything for money,
would lie for you, would die for you,
I’d even sell my soul to the devil”
Hmmmmm….
And last, but certainly not least, we finish up with one of my favorite vocalists from my childhood, Sam Cooke, crooning Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out. How true, how true.
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All That Jazz: In Celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month
I don’t talk about my love for jazz enough on this blog so I figure jazz appreciation month is the perfect time to do so. I have to admit that my knowledge is lacking. Mama Vivrant Thang was never really into jazz so it wasn’t played much around the house. She did love Kenny G though and [...]
The “Boys” Are Back In Town…
Remember the Four Brothers Beats blog? Well, the boys are back! BUT... not quite in the way you may have been expecting. It's, how shall we say, "the same, but different!"
Vendors, Authors and Artists– Sell Your Items in This Year’s Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest
Last year's Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest was a musical celebration while vendors sold their products to eager to buyers. Book authors, including Felicia Pride-- writer of The Message and activist author Devin Walker were among some of the top authors who sold their books. The 2009 Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest will be held this year on Sat., July 25 in Marvin Gaye Park in Washington DC. While the musical acts are still being selected, vendors are able to reserve their tables now to receive our Early Bird Discount. For more info, email us at CapitalHipHopSoulFest@gmail.com
Fusion: Where Music, Technology, and Artist Creativity Intersect
Hello readers and listeners. I trust all is well today. This post is a follow-up to the previous post about the subject of an upcoming podcast I hope to resurrect entitled Fusion. The concept of this podcast came to me via an off the cuff discussion I had a few years ago with a fellow podcaster/recording artist/graphic designer. Both of us, being musicians in our own right, began discussing our backgrounds and influences in making music, which invariably talking about how technology (past and present) played a role taking the music from inner to outer. I began to see the different paths ...
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Cupid’s Hunt: 2009
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By N2H