Show #99: R.I.P. – James Brown

December 30th, 2006

The holidays this year for music fans everywhere was marred by the death of The Godfather of Soul, James Brown, on Christmas Day. Unfortunately, Brown was probably better known the last 20 years of his life for his drug use, run-ins with the law, and spousal abuse than his music.

While I don’t mean to simply brush aside his personal failings, James Brown will probably be remembered most for his music. He and his band virtually defined soul and R&B. Their beats helped lay the foundation for rap and 1969’s “Funky Drummer”, featuring Madisonian Clyde Stubblefield, is one of, if not the, most sampled songs in history. In the late 1960s Brown’s lyrics became more socially conscious with “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” being the most famous example. He went on television to call for peace in the wake of Martin Luther King’s assassination. James Brown was truly a giant of American popular culture.

Today’s show was recorded on 1 October 1969 at the Bell Auditorium in Augusta, Georgia where he spent his childhood. It likely features Clyde Stubblefield as his tenure with Brown’s band lasted from 1965-71. This is a wonderful soundboard recording.

Setlist:

Sex Machine
Brother Rapp
Bewildered
I Got The Feelin’
Give It Up Or Turn It Loose
I Don’t Want Nobody To Give Me Nothin’
Licking Stick
Lowdown Popcorn
Spinning Wheel
If I Ruled The World
There Was A Time
It’s A Man’s World
Please Please Please
I Can’t Stand Myself
Mother Popcorn

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James Brown

Here’s a performance of “sex Machine” from a TV show in (probably) the early 1970s:

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