James Brown Biography

You will find "The Godfather of Soul" label on any James Brown biography.  One of the most popular figures in music during the 20th century, James Brown is truly an iconic person.  With music in terms of his career and personal life, here is a brief picture of the James Brown biography.

Early Life.  Born in 1933 in Barnwell, South Carolina, James Brown had a difficult childhood.  His mother left his father and, when Brown was six years old, he and his father moved to Augusta, Georgia.  However, his father later sent him to live with his aunt, who ran a house of prostitution.  In extreme poverty, Brown hustled to get by, dropping out of school by the seventh grade.  This was where he learned different musical instruments and performed.  However, he was convicted of armed robbery and spend some time in a juvenile detention center.  He turned his sights to music when he was released - early due to a friendship with Bobby Byrd, a future music legend in R&B.

Music Career.  James Brown started in a gospel group with Byrd, when the ballad "Please, Please, Please" was perhaps the first major song.  Faced with being a one-hit wonder, Brown found an audience later when word caught of his feverish live performances.  Brown soon became one of the biggest figures in soul, becoming a crucial figure in two reovlutions in Black music: the transformation in R&B to soul, and even in hip-hop.  The former can be found throughout his many recordings that managed to find the charts.  However, even as he battled personal problems and he slowed down, his work caught fire due to digital sampling, which was a major factor in the growth of the hip-hop genre.

Personal Problems.  James Brown had a host of personal problems throughout his life and career.  He had three marriages, with the last having difficulties in particular (questions of legality).  He was also the father of at least three illegitimate children.  Throughout the years, Brown spent time battling the law, including time in prison that popularly characterizes his personal life.