James Brown

James Brown was an American singer, songwriter, arranger, and dancer, who was one of the most important and influential entertainers in 20th-century popular music and whose remarkable achievements earned him the honorific nickname “the Hardest-Working Man in Show Business.”

Brown began his career as a gospel singer and rose to prominence in the mid-1950s, building a reputation as a dynamic live performer with the Famous Flames and his backing band, sometimes known as the James Brown Band or the James Brown Orchestra. His success peaked in the 1960s with hit singles such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World".

During the late 1960s, Brown moved to a new approach to music-making, emphasising stripped-down interlocking rhythms that influenced the development of funk music. By the early 1970s, Brown had fully established the funk sound with records such as "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" and "The Payback". He also became noted for songs of social commentary, including the 1968 hit "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud". Brown continued to perform and record until his death in 2006.