James Brown

American musician (1933–2006)

James Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American R&B and funk singer.[1] He was known as the "Godfather of Soul".

James Brown in 2001

He was born in Barnwell, South Carolina and grew up in Augusta, Georgia. Brown was arrested by police on many occasions. When he was 16, he was convicted of armed robbery, for which he spent three years in a youth detention center.[2] His other convictions include assaults.

Four of Brown's albums were in Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Brown's most well known song is "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine".

In 2006, Brown died of pneumonia and heart disease in Atlanta. There was a public memorial service at Apollo Theater. Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Prince were there. In 1993 Brown was in The Simpsons episode Bart's Inner Child.

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