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The hardest working man in show business, James Brown is more than just a music icon-he pioneered the funk-soul sound based largely on his gospel and rhythm n' blues roots and also spoke out as a political activist in the 60's and 70's for African 50's to the 80's and earned a reputation with his legendary, energetic live shows that owed as much to Baptist preaching as to secular showmanship. Soul Brother #1 Brown got his start performing in a South Carolina gospel band, The Gospel Starlighters. The group's sound gradually drifted toward secular music and, after changing their repertoire to predominantly rhythm and blues, they also changed their name to The Famous Flames. The Famous Flames and James Brown toured the South's infamous "Chitlin' Circuit," one of the few options for all-African American touring bands. By the 60's, Brown was the main force in The Famous Flames and he was beginning to develop the rhythmic and vocal attack that would characterize funk music. The band's 1961 single "Night Train," with its heavy emphasis on rhythm and jazzy, improvisational bent, is largely considered the first proto-funk record. James Brown got his big national break with a 1963 performance on Live At the Apollo-no one had ever seen anything quite like his stage intensity. And if no one had ever seen anything like James Brown, certainly no had ever heard anything like his 1965 singles "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag"-the guitar played the drum part, the bass played the vocal line and the vocals were the bass and lo, funk music was born!

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