James Brown

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James Brown : biography

May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006

On June 15, 2000, Brown was honored as an inductee for the New York Songwriters Hall of Fame. On August 6, 2002, James Brown was honored as the first BMI Urban Icon at the BMI Urban Awards. His BMI accolades include an impressive ten R&B Awards and six Pop Awards. On November 14, 2006, Brown was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame, and he was one of several inductees who performed at the ceremony. (March 11, 2006). Endemol UK Plc. Retrieved January 12, 2007. In recognition of his accomplishments as an entertainer, Brown was a recipient of Kennedy Center Honors on December 7, 2003. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked James Brown as No. 7 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.Rubin, R. (April 15, 2004). Rolling Stone Magazine (issue 946). Retrieved January 10, 2007. In an article for Rolling Stone, critic Robert Christgau cited Brown as "the greatest musician of the rock era".Christgau, Robert. . Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 17, 2010.

He appeared on the BET Awards June 24, 2003, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Michael Jackson, and he would perform with him.

Brown was also honored in his hometown of Augusta, Georgia for his philanthropy and civic activities. On November 20, 1993, Mayor Charles DeVaney of Augusta held a ceremony to dedicate a section of 9th Street between Broad and Twiggs Streets, renamed "James Brown Boulevard", in the entertainer’s honor. On May 6, 2005, as a 72nd birthday present for Brown, the city of Augusta unveiled a life-sized bronze James Brown statue on Broad Street. (December 30, 2006). The Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved January 12, 2007. The statue was to have been dedicated a year earlier, but the ceremony was put on hold because of a domestic abuse charge that Brown faced at the time.James Brown’s legal troubles delay statue unveiling. (May 1, 2004). The Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved January 14, 2007 from the Lexis-Nexis Academic database. In 2005, Charles "Champ" Walker and the We Feel Good Committee went before the County commission and received approval to change Augusta’s slogan to "We Feel Good". Afterwards, Official renamed the city’s civic center the James Brown Arena, and James Brown attended a ceremony for the unveiling of the namesake center on October 15, 2006.

On December 30, 2006, during the public memorial service at the James Brown Arena, Dr. Shirley A.R. Lewis, president of Paine College, a historically black college in Augusta, Georgia, bestowed posthumously upon Brown an honorary doctorate in recognition and honor of his many contributions to the school in its times of need. Brown was scheduled originally to receive the honorary doctorate from Paine College during its May 2007 commencement. WKBF-TV (Augusta, Georgia). Retrieved January 10, 2007. (January 2, 2007). Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. Retrieved March 16, 2007.

During the 49th Annual Grammy Awards presentation held on February 11, 2007, James Brown’s famous cape was draped over a microphone by Danny Ray at the end of a montage in honor of notable people in the music industry who died during the previous year. Earlier that evening, Christina Aguilera delivered an impassioned performance of one of Brown’s hits, "It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World" followed by a standing ovation, while Chris Brown performed a dance routine in honor of James Brown.Hasty, J. (February 12, 2007). Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2007.

Music career

The Famous Flames

Brown joined Byrd’s group, which highlighted under two names, as an a cappella gospel group called the Gospel Starlighters, and an R&B band known as the Avons. Brown had allegedly joined the band after one of the group’s members, Troy Collins, was killed. With Brown and Byrd, the group consisted of Sylvester Keels, Doyle Oglesby, Fred Pulliam, Nash Knox and Nafloyd Scott. Influenced by R&B groups such as Hank Ballard and The Midnighters, The Orioles and Billy Ward and His Dominoes, the group changed their name, first to the Toccoa Band, and then to the Flames. Nafloyd’s brother Baroy later joined the group on bass guitar and Brown, Byrd and Keels switched lead positions and instruments, often playing drums and piano. Johnny Terry later joined while Pulliam and Oglesby had long left.