The One: The Life and Music of James Brown The definitive biography of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, with fascinating findings on his life as a Civil Rights activist, an entrepreneur, and the most innovative musician of our time Playing 350 shows a year at his peak, with more than forty Billboard hits, James Brown was a dazzling showman who transformed American music. His life offstage was just as vibrant, and until now no biographer has delivered a complete profile. The One draws on interviews with more than 100 people who knew Brown personally or played with him professionally. Using these sources, award-winning writer RJ Smith draws a portrait of a man whose twisted and amazing life helps us to understand the music he made. The One delves deeply into the story of a man who was raised in abject-almost medieval-poverty in the segregated South but grew up to earn (and lose) several fortunes. Covering everything from Brown's unconventional childhood (his aunt ran a bordello), to his role in the Black Power movement, which used "Say It Loud (I'm Black and Proud)" as its anthem, to his high-profile friendships, to his complicated family life, Smith's meticulous research and sparkling prose blend biography with a cultural history of a pivotal era. At the heart of The One is Brown's musical genius. He had crucial influence as an artist during at least three decades; he inspires pity, awe, and revulsion. As Smith traces the legend's reinvention of funk, soul, R&B, and pop, he gives this history a melody all its own. |
From inside the book
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... knew nothing about it. The prisoners were stripped naked, while the whites drank whiskey; they were beaten with a new buggy trace, a stiff piece of leather used to tether horses to a carriage. Kearse was tied to a tree and lashed one ...
... knew their names and they did not deny the abduction. In two trials, one for each murder, the defendants were found innocent of all charges. A jury in Colleton bought the defense argument that Walker died from drowning, an act she ...
... knew how to make applejack moonshine, which he sold on the side. Joe was good with a knife and was able to play a little harmonica. He sang songs by Sonny Terry and Blind Boy Fuller, North Carolina bluesmen who passed through, and ...
... knew the place better than most once entered a succinct definition into the Congressional Record: “a region of the ... knew every inch of it. He knew what the people there—white and black —thought, and why they did the things they did ...
... knew he loved it, and he'd eat the whole thing by himself. But Honey had a business to run, and a rambunctious relation was an obstacle to profit. Aunt Honey beat James and told him he was ugly, making him hide in the closet when men ...
Contents
A NEW ORLEANS CHOOCHOO | |
THE TRAVELER | |
KEEP ON FIGHTING | |
THE CAPE | |
GHOST NOTES | |
AMERICA | |
MASTER OF TIME | |
FOLLOW THE MONEY | |
EMULSIFIED | |
I CAN SEE THE LIGHT | |
ANUPROAR ALL THE TIME | |
Afterword | |
Other Interviews Used | |
Acknowledgments | |