Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Godfather of Soul' James Brown dies



'Godfather of Soul' James Brown dies December 25, 2006

Atlanta - Singer James Brown, the self-proclaimed "Godfather of Soul," who billed himself as the hardest working man in show business, has died at age 73, CNN reported on Monday.

Brown had been admitted to Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta over the weekend for treatment of severe pneumonia, his agent, Super Frank, told CNN.

The singer, also known as "Mr Dynamite" is credited with bringing the word "funk" into mainstream musical vernacular and influencing a new generation of black music that spawned rap and hip-hop.



Brown's hit "Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud)" became a civil rights anthem during the turbulent 1960s and he performed the song at Richard Nixon's inaugural in 1968 - an act that temporarily hurt his popularity among young blacks.

He had more than 119 charting singles and recorded over 50 albums, was inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame and received a lifetime achievement award from the Grammys in 1992.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

*sighs*

I know...it sucks doesnt it?

callie