James Brown

James Joseph Brown was born on May 3, 1933 in Barnwell, South Carolina, U.S. He was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. A real 360 degrees businessman way before the industry took on this path. He first came to national public attention in the mid-1950s as the lead singer of The Famous Flames, a rhythm and blues vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd. Brown is also a progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music and dance. Often he is referred to by the honorific nicknames "Godfather of Soul", "Mr. Dynamite", and "Soul Brother No. 1". Important to know is that Brown was one of the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. The Rolling Stone's ranked him on No.7 of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. On Christmas Day 2006, Brown died at age 73, resulting from complications of his pneumonia. He is one of the most sampled artists (over 13000 times!) and the whole Hip Hop sound won't be the same without him!