James Brown has left the stage...

[bliss_eternal]

..and this time, he won't be back. :cry:

Obituaries
Hardworking Godfather of Soul

By Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 26, 2006; Page A01

James Brown, the high-energy Godfather of Soul who left his signature beat on funk, R&B, disco and rap and electrified generations with his riveting onstage performances, died early yesterday at Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta. He was 73 and had been hospitalized with pneumonia since Sunday.

Brown's music transcended generations and musical genres, beginning in the mid-1950s and continuing to the present. His sliding, gliding, sweat-breaking dance steps and splits and jumps brought audiences to their feet the world over. With his pompadour, showy outfits and a repertoire of songs that defied inertia, he was a phenomenal performer.

As one of the major musical influences of the past 50 years, he remained in a rarefied league with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and few others. Brown, also called the "hardest-working man in show business," was a visionary and an innovator who pushed music to new places. He also was a songwriter, bandleader, record producer, philanthropist and civil rights activist.

Despite a life plagued with personal problems and run-ins with the law, Brown continued to wow audiences with his throaty vocals and pulsating rhythms. He had planned to appear in New York on New Year's Eve, said his agent, Frank Copsidas.

excerpt taken from:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/25/AR2006122500049.html?nav=hcmodule

:cry: ...may he rest in peace.

[undergroundrailroad]

1. Indeed,

:cry: rest in peace JB.

[flamingyouth]

2. Great sadness in this house.

I grew up listening to him all the time (my mom is a huge fan). I'm glad I was able to take my mom to see him a few years back - it was a great show. RIP, you were and always will be The Man. :cry:

[bliss_eternal]

3. A link to our video forum--Mr. Brown w/ I feel good...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=11012&mesg_id=11012

[Brewman_Jax]

4. This is a sad day

The Godfather of Soul has joined the ancestors. :(

[Pithy Cherub]

5. Today CNN is doing person on the street

interviews as people are in line to pay their respects. Some elegant statements and may references to the iconic "Say It Loud, I am Black and I'm Proud" and what that meant. What a range of events in his life!

His music will last into eternity. RIP James!

[Karenina]

6. My kid remembers...

He was with me when the news came. He was 7 when I took him and his sibling to see the GODFATHER in L.A. The two of them were using blankets as capes for a good week thereafter. Nothing to mourn, EVERYTHING to CELEBRATE. SAY IT LOUD!!!!