My Godfather died on Christmas. What is most unfortunate about his death is that most people never had the opportunity to get to know the Godfather of Soul on a personal level.

Instead, we spent years sifting through record bins in hopes of finding mono versions of his 45s recorded between the years 1962 to 1974.

Perhaps we foolishly thought that we could acquaint ourselves with the Hardest Working Man in Show Business by way of his incredible music output. Maybe through his songs we thought we could ostensibly learn how to dance a mean mash potato, or how to loop a funkier-than-life drum beat on a couple of Tech 1200s.

Possibly for a select few, Mr. Out-Of-Sight’s music created the soundtrack to falling in love with that special someone. Regardless of the level of influence Soul Brother Number One had on our personal lives, his impact on popular music is, has been and will continue to be that of an absolutely profound level.

Mr. Dynamite’s tireless work ethic produced mind-blowing results on contemporary music, with echoes of his artistic endeavors resounding in artists as diverse as Public Enemy, DJ Shadow, Miles Davis recordings from the mid-70s, most 60s garage rock bands (The Sonics, early era The Who, Them, etc.) and arguably all modern dance music.

His number of chart-reaching hits is comparable to none other and the only way you couldn’t find yourself dancing to one of his songs is if you lacked a pulse in your body. Hits such as “Night Train,” “Cold Sweat” and “Super Bad” parts 1 & 2 can still incite a full-scale dance party riot in any club setting.

Lesser-known songs like “Funky Drummer” and “Ain’t It Funky Now” parts 1 & 2 remain among the most sampled songs of all time, the likes of which have turned up in songs by Ice Cube, EPMD, De La Soul and countless others.

One of many aspects that made his music unique was his approach to singing. With a vocal range that many singers would kill for, J. B. would use his voice more as a percussive instrument instead of simply singing the traditional verse and chorus of a song.

The Godfather would implement chanting, screeching or often a primal barking call-and-response with his horn section over a simple chord progression built off of a high-charged drum beat accompanied by repetitive but catchy bass guitar line.

Add to the mix a wailing Maceo saxophone solo and all the elements were in place for some of the funkiest music ever laid to wax. Evidence of such can be best appreciated in singles such as “Say It Loud, I’m Black & I’m Proud” and “Get Up (I Feel Like Being Like A) Sex Machine” parts 1 & 2.

In the live arena, James Brown was an unstoppable force. Nobody in the history of music performance has rocked a mike as hard or with as much blood and sweat as the Minister of the New New Heavy Funk did in his prime. Even in his early 70’s, a time when most people are clipping coupons and watching reruns of “Matlock,” Mr. Brown was blowing audiences with a dynamite performance night after night.

During his prime, it was not uncommon for the James Brown Review to perform as many as 300-plus shows a year, night after night, city after city, always leaving the audience utterly exhausted and feeling like they had received more than their money’s worth at his concerts.

This was a sad holiday season for those who grew up on the Godfathers records. He is a legend whose presence will be greatly missed but whose musical legacy will live on throughout the ages.

> Comments