Dec 25, 2006, 13:19 GMT
Atlanta - US singer James Brown, the 'Godfather of Soul,' enjoyed a career spanning half a century and was a major influence on soul, disco and rap.
Picture dated 26 July 2002 shows US soul legend James Brown performing on stage at the Paleo Festival in Nyon, Switzerland. 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, 25 December 2006, his agent said. He was 73. EPA/MARTIAL TREZZINI
Brown passed away at an Atlanta hospital early Monday. He was 73 and had been hospitalized with pneumonia.
Born in 1933 in Barnwell, South Carolina, Brown had a far from privileged upbringing. He spent his formative years under the care of relatives in Augusta, Georgia, where much of his experiences were gleaned from the streets.
Becoming involved in petty crime, Brown was sent to a juvenile detention centre in 1948 after being convicted of robbery. It was in prison he made the acquaintance of musician Bobby Byrd, a long-time friend and collaborator whose influence is credited with Brown turning his energies towards music.
Brown first found success with the group The Famous Flames and had a Top 10 hit in 1956 with Please Please Please. In later years his style developed from the more straightforward gospel influence of this early era into the more rhythmic sound that was to become his trademark.
Performing and writing frenetically through the 1960s and 70s, Brown became known as a charismatic showman who earned the titles of 'Hardest Working Man in Showbusiness' and 'Godfather of Soul.'
One of the founding fathers of soul and funk music, Brown was a seminal stylistic influence who laid the foundations for many modern genres including disco and hip-hop. Classic compositions included Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, It's a Man's Man's Man's World, and Get Up (I Feel Like Being Like A) Sex Machine.
His 1968 hit Say it Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud) became a civil rights anthem and in the '90s his records were heavily sampled by rap and hip-hop artists. He also played a preacher in the 1980 hit movie, The Blues Brothers.
Brown recorded 119 charting singles and over 50 albums. He won a Grammy award for Lifetime Achievement in 1992 as well as Grammys in 1965 and 1987. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
His career was, however, not without controversy, as he battled drug and alcohol addiction, and was arrested numerous times on charges of hitting his third wife, Adrienne.
The singer also made headlines in 1988 after a drug-fuelled incident that culminated in a cross-state police chase. Brown received a six-year prison sentence but was released on parole in 1991 after 15 months in prison, after which he returned to the global stage.
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