James Brown, 1933 - 2006.

James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured "Godfather of Soul," whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died early Monday, his agent said. He was 73....

Along with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and a handful of others, Brown was one of the major musical influences of the past 50 years. At least one generation idolized him, and sometimes openly copied him. His rapid-footed dancing inspired Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson among others. Songs such as David Bowie's "Fame," Prince's "Kiss," George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" and Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song" were clearly based on Brown's rhythms and vocal style.

Updated through 12/30.

If Brown's claim to the invention of soul can be challenged by fans of Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, then his rights to the genres of rap, disco and funk are beyond question. He was to rhythm and dance music what Dylan was to lyrics: the unchallenged popular innovator.

The AP.

NPR has a full-blown live concert available for download.

See also: Godfather of Soul, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Augusta Chronicle, American Masters and Wikipedia.

Updates, 12/26: As if by public demand, the New Yorker is running Philip Gourevitch's 2002 profile.

The BBC gathers tributes.

Jon Pareles in the New York Times: "His music was sweaty and complex, disciplined and wild, lusty and socially conscious. Beyond his dozens of hits, Mr Brown forged an entire musical idiom that is now a foundation of pop worldwide." And Alan Feuer in the City: "They mourned James Brown the James Brown way yesterday: took his promotional poster and turned it into a shrine."

Robert Hilburn in the Los Angeles Times: "If anything, Brown's impact on modern pop music is underrated, partly because he did most of his defining work on secondary record labels that didn't have massive publicity machines and he never really embraced the mainstream the way, say, Ray Charles did. Yet, you could build a case that Brown was also the 'Godfather of Disco,' the 'Godfather of Rap' and the 'Godfather of Funk' because his electrifying beats powered so many genres."

Updates, 12/27: "With ['Papa's Got a Brand New Bag'], Brown created funk and laid the groundwork for disco, hip-hop, techno, and virtually every other style of modern popular music that has come since. He taught the world to wring percussive noise from every instrument—to hear drums everywhere—and to treat every song as the occasion for a riotous party," writes Jody Rosen at Slate. "But Brown's achievement is larger than his own oeuvre and the genres that it begat. Flip on the radio virtually anywhere on earth today, and you will hear the sound of the Brown Revolution, the blare of propulsive, polyrhythmic dance music. Beats have conquered the world, even the West, where polyphony was born and melody and harmony have traditionally held sway. No other musician—not Louis Armstrong, not Elvis Presley, not Bob Dylan—can claim so central a role in this momentous cultural shift. 'Make It Funky,' James commanded, and from Boise to Berlin to Bangkok, they have."

Time's Richard Corliss: "I first saw Brown's act in Philadelphia, probably at the Uptown Theatre, in the late 50s. He came on, and the place instantly got hotter.... Brown's show was a kind of musical play, ending with the (literally) show-stopping 'Please Please Please' - his death and resurrection as a comic-opera Calvary. The life story of a man was enacted in song and dance, with Eros as the main course and Thanatos for dessert."

"I don't think any other one person could be said to have changed (hell, revolutionized) the world of music and the art of live performance to the extent that James Brown did," writes Tim Lucas at the Video WatchBlog. "James Brown may be dead, but I guarantee you he's not resting in peace. Somewhere, he's dancing with the renewed energy of a newborn and already scoping out the thangs ain't never been done."

"He was black and proud, he was a sex machine, but he was also a brilliant conductor, known for coaxing great performances out of the singers and musicians behind him," writes Kelefa Sanneh in the New York Times. "So celebrating the James Brown sound also means celebrating the musicians who created it. When he delayed the fourth and final beat of a measure, the drummer Clyde Stubblefield warped time in a way that helped inspire a whole constellation of rhythm-obsessed genres. Bobby Byrd (he of the famous 'Yeah!' and 'What?'), Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Bootsy Collins<, Lyn Collins, Vicki Anderson: to love James Brown is to love them too. And not enough has been written about Jimmy Nolen, the visionary guitarist whose spidery licks helped inspire two generations of post-punk bands. (When people talk about 'angular' guitars, they often mean 'Jimmy-Nolen-ish.')"

"Spike Lee has signed on to direct a feature on the life of James Brown for Paramount and Imagine Entertainment," reports Michael Fleming in Variety. "Brian Grazer is producing, and the pic could be in production by late next year, though 2008 is more likely."

Update, 12/30: The Los Angeles Times gathers tributes from a slew of high-profiles musicians and critics.

Posted by dwhudson at December 25, 2006 3:56 AM