Godfather of Funk (James Brown)

James Brown built funk by insisting on total control, over the band and over the beat itself. Michael Osborne and Nichelle Carr trace how that same instinct, born from an orphaned childhood with no stability, made James Brown one of the most sampled artists in history and also led to well-documented domestic abuse. He a complicated figure, to say the least. James Brown gave the civil rights movement new language with "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud," helped keep Boston calm the night Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, and became perhaps the most influential figure in twentieth century American music. Famous & Gravy is a celebrity biography podcast that asks, "What does this celebrity's life story show us about ourselves?" If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Episode 78 "Purple Reign" (Prince) and Episode 92 "Acerbic Comedian" (George Carlin). Famous & Gravy is created by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne, and hosted by Michael Osborne. This episode features guest co-host Nichelle Carr. LINKS: New York Times obituary for James Brown Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown trailer, the HBO documentary by Alex Gibney referenced in the episode Kill 'Em and Leave by James McBride The One: The Life and Music of James Brown by RJ Smith Life Lessons from Dead Celebrities on Substack (free), the Famous & Gravy Newsletter Dead or Alive quiz game Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads Famous & Gravy official website Email us for the opening quiz! [email protected] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.