James Brown

One of the most important and influential figures in all of popular music, James Brown left a legacy that has shaped music in more ways than are imaginable. Though often nicknamed "The Godfather of Soul" (among many other nicknames), it is for his invention of funk that he is most revered. A huge and very popular genre in and of itself, funk also led directly to disco and hip-hop, as well as influencing almost every other kind of popular music - from pop to rock to jazz, and so on. Disco and hip-hop, of course, also directly led to other genres such as house, techno and grime, and stylistically spill into thousands of pop records every year. In that respect, James Brown has arguably drawn more lines and details onto the current musical landscape than any other individual of the 20th century.

The nickname "Godfather of Soul" is not entirely misplaced - along with the likes of Sam Cooke and Ray Charles, Brown was at the forefront of developing early rhythm & blues, gospel and doo-wop into what we now know as "soul". His first big single, 1956's million-selling "Please, Please, Please", preceded the incorporation of Motown or Stax, two of the formative labels of soul music. It was the first of 125 singles that charted in a career that lasted half a century; a career that also included over 70 albums of original music, countless compilations and literally thousands of live shows by the man also known as "the hardest-working man in showbusiness". After his early soul singles, his next major move was when he persuaded his reluctant label boss to release a recording of him Live at the Apollo in 1963. Neither could have predicted its success. All the energy of his hyperactive performance was perfectly captured by the recording, as was the frenzied audience reception, making it a thrilling listen to the millions who would buy it. It is regularly suggested to be the greatest live album of all time.

Then in 1965, Brown released "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" - with its emphasis on the first beat of the bar, it was an explosive and groundbreaking hit. Though Little Richard had dabbled with emphasising "on the one", he had never been able to make it work like this. Brown developed this as his signature style over several albums, such as I Got You (I Feel Good), Cold Sweat, Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud and Sex Machine. Each had unforgettable title tracks and were huge direct influences on artists like The Meters, Sly and the Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Kool & The Gang, War, Chic, Parliament and Funkadelic. Brown continued to tour and record as well - 70s albums like Get on the Goodfoot, The Payback and Hell were especially prominent. As the 70s closed with funk-bands catching the disco bug, and New York turntable-jockeys quick-cutting between funk and disco tracks, a new James Brown era was just beginning.

His new recordings through the 80s and 90s weren't quite up to the standards set by his earlier funk, but the emerging phenomenon of hip-hop put a new spin on his previous innovations. By cutting and splicing the rhythms or drum breaks (particularly from "Funky Drummer") into new tracks, hip-hop DJs turned James Brown into the most sampled artist of all time. Without him, it is difficult to conceive of hip-hop (and therefore much of modern pop) sounding anything like it does today. James Brown died of complications from pneumonia on Christmas Day 2006.