Requiem for James Brown
Few musicians ca n hope to achieve the stature or impact of the late James Brown. When Brown died of congesti ve heart failure at age 73 on Christmas Day, 2006, the out pouring of tributes and elegies and the sheer spectacle of his funeral in Harlem seemingly put him on par with kings and presidents. (Get Minister Faust's "REQUIEM FOR JAMES BROWN" podcast HERE.) Widely acclaimed as the “godfather of soul,” James Brown was a highly influential musical pioneer whose work shaped the development of rhythm and blues in the 1950s, rock and roll in th e 1960s, funk and disco in the 197 0s and hi p hop in the 1980s. He was a gue st at the White House; he toured the United States , Nigeria and the world; he modeled business ownership fo r African-American musicians so that they might be owners instead of m erely the owned . He was truly a titan. Of course, as is fitting for someone whose life ended on the mythic d ate of Christmas Day, James Brown began humb...